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DE LEPORE ET TESTUDINE

 

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

 

Introduction: The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is one of the most famous of Aesop's fables. In his English version of the fable, G.F. Townsend adds the moral, "Slow but steady wins the race." An ancient Greek version of the fable puts the emphasis, not on the persistence of the tortoise, but of the foolishness of the hare: "The story shows that many people have good natural abilities which are ruined by idleness." What is the moral that you would add to this story? For a similar fable about the tortoise, see the story of the tortoise racing with the eagle. For a fable about another fleet-footed animal, see the story of the deer who was chased by the dogs.

 

Latin Text:

 

Testudo, cum pedes eius Lepus deridebat, subridens dixit, "Si periculum in cursu feceris, quis sit velocior, liquido cognosces." Elegerunt igitur Vulpem, quae ambobus et locum et terminum cursus constitueret. Testudo, omni segnitie remota, iter arripiens, haud quievit donec ad terminum pervenerat. Lepus vero, pedibus fidens, postquam paululum quievit, somno excitatus, quantum pedes valuerunt ad terminum cucurrit ubi, cum Testudinem quiescentem reperit, se fatetur a Testudine superatum.

 

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

 

Testudo,

cum pedes eius

Lepus deridebat,

subridens dixit,

"Si periculum in cursu feceris,

quis sit velocior,

liquido cognosces."

Elegerunt igitur Vulpem,

quae ambobus

et locum et terminum cursus

constitueret.

Testudo,

omni segnitie remota,

iter arripiens,

haud quievit

donec ad terminum pervenerat.

Lepus vero,

pedibus fidens,

postquam paululum quievit,

somno excitatus,

quantum pedes valuerunt

ad terminum cucurrit

ubi,

cum Testudinem quiescentem reperit,

se fatetur

a Testudine superatum.

 

Translation: The tortoise, when the hare made fun of his feet, smiled and said, "If you will compete in a race, you will clearly see who is faster." So they chose the fox to establish for the two of them both the location and the finish line of the race. The tortoise, having put aside all laziness, started on her way and did not rest until she had reached the finish line. The hare, however, trusting in his feet, rested a while, and then afterwards he woke up from his nap and ran as fast as his feet would carry him to the finish line. When he found the tortoise resting there, he had to confess that he had been beaten by the hare. The person who puts too much trust in his own powers is acting foolishly, because it is by zeal and persistence, not by bodily strength, that even the greatest things are accomplished.

 

[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 226.

 

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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