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DE PISCATORE ET PISCICULO

 

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

 

Introduction: This Latin fable about the fisherman and the little fish might make you think about the English saying, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." There's actually a nice little Latin rhyme that expresses the same idea: Est avis in dextra melior quam quattuor extra, "A bird in the hand is better than four outside (of the hand)." In this fable, the comparison is not between a fish in the hand and a fish in the sea, but rather a sure fish now, as opposed to a possible fish in the future. For another story about a little fish, see the story about the dolphin who chased the little fish. For another fable about a creature begging to save its life, see the story of the stork caught in the snare.

 

Latin Text:

 

Smaridem Pisciculum captabat Piscator, quem, ut se tunc demitteret donec grandesceret unde luculentius et lautius hospitum fauces expleret, importunis precibus fatigavit. Cui Piscator: "Me sane insulsum crederes, si tam futilibus et lubricis promissis fidem adhiberem et certum commodum pro spe incerta commutarem."

 

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

 

Smaridem Pisciculum

captabat Piscator,

quem,

ut se tunc demitteret

donec grandesceret

unde luculentius et lautius

hospitum fauces expleret,

importunis precibus fatigavit.

Cui Piscator:

"Me

sane insulsum

crederes,

si tam futilibus et lubricis promissis

fidem adhiberem

et certum commodum

pro spe incerta commutarem."

 

Translation: A fisherman caught a little smaris fish. The fish then asked the fisherman to let him go free until he could grow big (and thus he would fill the throats of the dinner guests more splendidly and sumptuously). With these persistent pleas, the fish wearied the fisherman. The fisherman said to the fish, "You would think I was quite foolish if I were to put stock in such useless and slippery promises, and exchange a definite advantage for a vague hope."

 

[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 18.

 

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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