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DE GRACULO ET PAVONIBUS

 

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

 

Latin Text:

 

Ornavit se Graculus plumis Pavonis. Deinde, pulchellus sibi visus, fastidito suo genere, contulit se ad Pavones, qui intellecta fraude stolidam avem coloribus nudarunt. Externa pulchritudo, si adsit interna, grata est. Quod si alterutra carendum est, praestat ut externa quam interna careas.

 

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

 

Ornavit se Graculus

plumis Pavonis.

Deinde,

pulchellus sibi visus,

fastidito suo genere,

contulit se ad Pavones,

qui

intellecta fraude

stolidam avem

coloribus nudarunt.

Externa pulchritudo,

si adsit interna,

grata est.

Quod si alterutra

carendum est,

praestat ut externa

quam interna

careas.

 

Translation: A jackdaw decorated himself with a peacock's feathers. Then, since he thought he seemed very beautiful, he despised his own flock and went over to the peacocks. The peacocks, after they recognized the deception, stripped the foolish bird of his colors. Outer beauty is pleasing, if inner beauty is present. The fact is that if outer or inner beauty has to be lacking, it is better that you lack outer beauty rather than inner beauty.

 

[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 472.

 

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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