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Barlow 18. DE HIRUNDINE ET ALIIS AVICULIS

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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 was first sown, the swallow urged the other birds to put a stop to the sowing, repeatedly declaring that it would result in snares 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 flax ripened, she urged that the crop be destroyed - and since they did not even listen when she gave them this advice, the swallow entered into a treaty with man and lived with him in his house. As for the rest of the birds, the flax was made into nets and into 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.]

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.