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HOME | Barlow's Aesop: Previous Page - Next Page 

 

DE DELPHINO ET SMARIDE

 

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Source: Aesop's Fables, 1687 (illustrated by Francis Barlow).

 

Introduction: The Latin language is rich in the use of diminutives, as you can see here in the story about the dolphin and the little fish, Latin pisciculum, a diminutive of the word for fish, piscis. An ancient Greek version of this story adds this moral: "People readily undergo a disaster when they can witness the destruction of those who are to blame." This kind of consolation might be termed "cold comfort," since the death of the dolphin does not actually save the little fish from his own demise!For another fable about a little fish, see the story of the fisherman and the little fish. For another story of how misery loves company, see the story of the fox who lost her tail.

 

Latin Text:

 

Persequebatur Pisciculum Delphinus. Hunc ut vitaret, Pisciculus ad rupem confugit. Quem ut captaret, Delphinus tam violento sequebatur impetu, ut arenis illideret et haerens morti succumberet. Quod cum vidisset Pisciculus, sibi paululum consolatus est, moribundulus inquiens, "Dulcior mihi profecto mea mors futura est quod prius auctorem meae mortis defunctum prae oculis viderim."

 

Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:

 

Persequebatur Pisciculum

Delphinus.

Hunc ut vitaret,

Pisciculus

ad rupem confugit.

Quem ut captaret,

Delphinus

tam violento sequebatur impetu,

ut arenis illideret

et haerens

morti succumberet.

Quod cum vidisset

Pisciculus,

sibi paululum consolatus est,

moribundulus inquiens,

"Dulcior mihi profecto

mea mors futura est

quod prius

auctorem meae mortis

defunctum prae oculis viderim."

 

Translation: A dolphin was chasing a little fish. In order to escape the dolphin, the little fish fled towards the rocks. In order to catch the fish, the dolphin chased him with such a violent rush that he hit the sand, got stuck there and succumbed to death. When the little fish saw this, he was somewhat consoled, dying as he was, the poor little guy, and he said, "My death is going to be sweeter for me indeed because before dying I saw the maker of my death dead before my eyes."

 

[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.]

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 113.

 

Related Links: Crossword Puzzle

 

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view. The dolphin in this picture definitely does not look the way you would expect a dolphin to look. Throughout the Renaissance and the early modern period, dolphins were often depicted as quite vicious-looking creatures, which of course fits the role that the dolphin plays in this story! In addition to the characters from the story, the dolphin and the little fish, you can also see the objects littering the shore (shells, a starfish, a crab), along with the sea birds in the sky and a ship tossed by the ocean's wave in the distance.

 

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