HOME | Barlow's Aesop: Previous Page - Next Page 

 

DE URSO ET ALVEARI

 

  Visit the Fable Discussion Page to leave your comments and get answers to your questions.

 

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

 

Introduction: This is a fable invented by the Renaissance Latin author, Abstemius. Bears are notorious for their love of honey but, as the Latin saying warns us, "Ubi mel, ibi apes," "Where there is honey, there are bees." The bear in this fable gets into trouble with one bee in particular, and ends up with the whole hive chasing after him. What is the lesson that Abstemius is trying to teach us with this fable? For other fables about bears, see the story of the bear and the two travelers or the story of the bear and the lion and the fox.

 

Latin Text:

 

Ab Apiculis irritatus et leviter ictus, Ursus indignabundus in totum alveare totis viribus irruebat. Ad quam violentam concussionem, Apes omnes, velut agmine facto, in faciem Ursi involabant. Quarum acriter cruciatus aculeis Ursus: "Quanto (inquit) satius mihi fuisset unius Apiculae tulisse patienter aculeum, quam tam temere totum examen irritasse?"

 

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

 

Ab Apiculis irritatus

et leviter ictus,

Ursus indignabundus

in totum alveare

totis viribus irruebat.

Ad quam violentam concussionem,

Apes omnes,

velut agmine facto,

in faciem Ursi involabant.

Quarum acriter cruciatus aculeis

Ursus:

"Quanto (inquit) satius mihi fuisset

unius Apiculae tulisse patienter aculeum,

quam tam temere totum examen irritasse?"

 

Translation: Irritated by the little bees and lightly bitten, the bear, enraged, rushed at the whole hive with all his strength. At this violent blow, all the bees, arrayed like an army, flew right into the bear's face. Sharply tormented by their stingers, the bear said, "How much more satisfactory it would have been to have patiently suffered the sting of one little bee, than to so rashly stir up the whole swarm?"

 

[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: This is a fable found in modern authors, such as Abstemius, but not represented in the standard Greek and Roman Aesopic corpus.

 

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.

 

 Create your own educational wiki!Support CommunityPublic, not yet premium Privacy Policy RSS