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DE QUERCU ET ARUNDINE

 

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

 

Introduction: This is a fable about flexibility! In an ancient Greek version of the story, the moral is stated as: "Those who adapt to the times will emerge unscathed." The 15th-century English version by Caxton states, "For the prowde shall be allwey humbled and the meke and humble shalle be enhaunced, for the roote of alle vertue is obedyence and humylyte;" in other words, "For the proud shall be always humbled, and the meek and the humble shall be enhanced, for the root of all virtue is obedience and humility." What do you think the moral of this story should be? For another fable about trees, see the story of the man who asked the trees for some wood. For another fable about Boreas, see the story of the contest between the sun and the wind.

 

Latin Text:

 

Validiore vento effracta Quercus huc illuc in amnem praecipitata fluitat et, ramis suis in Arundine forte fixis, haeret miraturque Arundinem in tanto turbine stare incolumem. Arundo respondet cedendo et declinando se esse tutam; inclinare se etenim ad Boream, ad Notum, ad Eurum, denique ad omnem flatum; nec mirum esse si Quercus exciderit, quae non cedere, sed resistere molita est.

 

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

 

Validiore vento effracta

Quercus

huc illuc

in amnem praecipitata

fluitat

et, ramis suis in Arundine forte fixis,

haeret

miraturque

Arundinem

in tanto turbine

stare incolumem.

Arundo respondet

cedendo et declinando

se esse tutam;

inclinare se

etenim ad Boream, ad Notum, ad Eurum,

denique ad omnem flatum;

nec mirum esse

si Quercus exciderit,

quae non cedere,

sed resistere molita est.

 

Translation: The oak was broken by a rather strong wind, and tossed hither and thither it fell headlong into the stream and by chance its branches got tangled and stuck in some reeds. The oak was amazed that the reed could stand unharmed in such a whirldwind. The reed answered that by yielding and bending it kept itself safe, and so it bent with the North wind, the South wind, the East wind, in fact to every puff of breeze. The reed said that it was no wonder that the oak had been knocked down, since it did not yield but instead struggled to resist.

 

[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 70.

 

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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