Formica et Columba: Ant and Dove
Source: Aesop's Fables, 1687 (illustrated by Francis Barlow)
Introduction: This fable provides an illustration of the English saying, "One good turn deserves another." Although you would not think that a dove and an ant are heroic creatures, the dove is able to save the life of the ant, and the ant, in turn, is able to save the dove. The actions of these animals provides a positive model for humans to imitate, as the ancient Greek version of this fable reminds us: "The story shows that even dumb beasts experience fellow feeling and come to one another's aid."
Illustration comments: image. From the look on his face, I would say that the fowler is shown here after the little ant (you can see the ant by his foot) has bitten him, and he is reaching to scratch the bite, thus alerting the bird up in the tree to his presence. Off in the distance there is a bird flying in the sky - perhaps that is a second scene, combined with this one, showing the bird flying to safety.
Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 235.
Latin Text: Formica, ut sitim sedaret, fonticulum accessit, sed in fonticulum elapsa et paene lymphis absorpta, Columba arborem insidens fonticulo contiguum, ramusculum ore direptum in fonticulum deiecit, cuius adminiculo servata Formica evasit. Sed interea adfuit Auceps et Columbae insidias tensurus, Formica tibiale gravissime mordebat, cui cum fricandi gratiam admovebat, percepit id Columba et impune avolavit.
Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:
Formica,
ut sitim sedaret,
fonticulum accessit,
sed in fonticulum elapsa
et paene lymphis absorpta,
Columba
arborem insidens
fonticulo contiguum,
ramusculum
ore direptum
in fonticulum deiecit,
cuius adminiculo servata
Formica evasit.
Sed interea
adfuit Auceps
et Columbae
insidias tensurus,
Formica
tibiale
gravissime mordebat,
cui
cum fricandi gratiam admovebat,
percepit id
Columba
et impune avolavit.
Translation:
An ant, in order to slake her thirst, approached a little spring, but she slipped in the spring and had almost been swallowed by the waters. A dove sitting in a tree next to the spring, took a little twig in her mouth and tossed it down into the water, and saved by this assistance, the ant escaped. But meanwhile a bird-catcher had arrived and was about to stretch out his trap for the dove. The ant bit him most painfully on the shin, and when he reached for the bite in order to scratch it, the dove perceived it and flew away safely.
[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.]
This edition of Aesop's fables was published in French, Latin, and English, so here it the English poem that accompanies this fable (I've modernized some of the 17th-century spelling):
A Pismire once saved by a gentle Dove
Who seeing her like to be ensnared, she strove
With her keen sting the Fowler's heel to fret.
The Dove perceived it and avoids the net.
Behold, unthinking man, the pious Ant
Can teach you gratitude and industry in want.
Illustration:
Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.
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