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Barlow 39. DE CORNICE ET URNA
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Sitibunda Cornix reperit urnam aqua plenam, sed erat urna profundior quam ut exhauri a Cornice possit. Conatur igitur vano molimine aquam effundere, sed non valet. Lectos igitur ex arena lapillulos iniectat. Hoc modo aqua levatur et Cornix bibit.
Translation: A thirsty crow found a jar, full of water, but the jar was deeper than the crow could drink from. The crow therefore tried with a futile effort to pour out the water, but did not have the strength to do that. So she gathered little stones from the sand and dropped the little stones in the jar. In this way, the water rose up and the crow had a drink.
[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]
The Moral of the Story:
Vetus est proverbium,
necessitas
est ingenii mater;
ingenium valet,
cum vires fallunt,
quod non viribus possumus efficere,
prudentia et consilium peragent.
Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.
