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DE HIRUNDINE ET ALIIS AVICULIS

 

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

 

Introduction: This fable combines two types of stories. On the one hand, it is a story about a wise creature (the swallow) who tries to give good advice to some foolish creatures (the other birds). In addition, the story is also what is called an "aetiological" tale, an account of the "origin" of something (the Greek word "aetion" means "origin, cause"). By telling this story of the swallow and the other birds, this fable explains why it is that the swallow in particular makes her nest in the eaves human houses, instead of living out in the wild with the other birds. Meanwhile, if the other birds were to state the moral of the story, what lesson do you think they would say they have learned? For another story about the swallow, see the story of the young man who was a gambler. For another story about a wise bird, see the story of the lark and her chicks.

 

Latin Text:

 

Hirundo, cum linum coeptum esset seri, suadebat aliis Aviculis impedire sementem, dictitans omnibus fieri insidias. Irridebant illae garrulamque vocabant. Surgente lino, rursum monebat evellere sata; irridebant iterum. Maturescente lino, hortabatur populari segetem et, cum ne tunc quidem consulentem audirent, Hirundo cum Homine foedus init cohabitatque cum eo. Ceteris Avibus e lino retia fiunt et laquei.

 

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

 

Hirundo,

cum linum coeptum esset seri,

suadebat aliis Aviculis

impedire sementem,

dictitans

omnibus fieri insidias.

Irridebant illae

garrulamque vocabant.

Surgente lino,

rursum monebat evellere sata;

irridebant iterum.

Maturescente lino,

hortabatur populari segetem

et,

cum ne tunc quidem

consulentem audirent,

Hirundo

cum Homine foedus init

cohabitatque cum eo.

Ceteris Avibus

e lino

retia fiunt et laquei.

 

Translation: When flax began to be sowed, the swallow urged the other birds to put a stop to the sowing, repeatedly saying that traps were in store for all of them. The birds laughed at her and called her a chatterbox. As the flax sprouted, she again advised them to pluck out the crop that had been sown. Again they laughed at her. As the flaw ripened, she urged that the crop be destroyed. And when they did not even listen when she gave them this advice, the swallow entered into a treaty with man and lived with man in his house. For the rest of the birds, nets were made from the flax, and snares.

 

[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 39.

 

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.

 

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