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DE SOLE ET VENTO

 

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

 

Introduction: This story of the contest between the sun and the wind has a lot in common with the English saying, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." The ancient Romans and Greeks called the winds of the four directions by different names, as you will see in this fable. The south wind was called Notus in Greek, or Auster in Latin; the east wind was Eurus, or Vulturnus; the west wind was Zephyus, or Favonius - and the north wind, whom you will meet in this fable, was called Boreas in Greek, or Aquilo in Latin. For another fable about the winds, see the story about the reed and and the oak. For another story about how blustering only makes things worse, see the story of the bear who attacked the bee-hive.

 

Latin Text:

 

Sol et Aquilo certabant uter sit fortior. Conventum est experiri vires in Viatorem, ut palmam ferat qui excusserit Viatoris manticam. Boreas horrisono turbine Viatorem aggreditur. At ille non desistit, amictum gradiendo duplicans. Assumit vires Sol qui, nimbo paulatim evicto, totos emolitur radios. Incipit Viator aestuare, sudare, anhelare. Tandem progredi nequiens, sub frondoso nemore, obiecta mantica, resedit et ita Soli victoria contingebat.

 

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

 

Sol et Aquilo certabant

uter sit fortior.

Conventum est

experiri vires in Viatorem,

ut palmam ferat

qui excusserit Viatoris manticam.

Boreas

horrisono turbine

Viatorem aggreditur.

At ille

non desistit,

amictum gradiendo duplicans.

Assumit vires Sol

qui, nimbo paulatim evicto,

totos emolitur radios.

Incipit Viator

aestuare, sudare, anhelare.

Tandem progredi nequiens,

sub frondoso nemore,

obiecta mantica,

resedit

et ita Soli

victoria contingebat.

 

Translation: The sun and the north wind had a contest to see who was stronger. It was decided to test their strength against a traveler, with the result that the palm of victory would be carried off by the one who managed to shake off the traveler's knapsack. The north wind attacked the traveler with a howling whirlwind. But the traveler did not halt and as he went along he wrapped his cloak doubly tight around him. The Sun donned his powers and after gradually dispersing the cloud he shone forth with all his sunrays. The traveler began to grow hot, to sweat, to pant. Finally, unable to keep going, he cast aside his knapsack and sat down beneath a shady grove and thus victory was awarded to the Sun.

 

[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 46.

 

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. You can see both moments of the story combined in a single image here. If you look from right to left, you see the wind blasting the traveler who is pulling up his cloak to protect himself from the wind. Then, if you look from left to right, you see the sun beaming down on the traveler, who has cast aside his cloak.

 

 

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