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DE VULPE ET UVA

 

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

 

Introduction: This Aesop's fable provides the origin of the English saying, "Sour grapes." As you will learn from the fable, the grapes are not necessarily sour at all - this is simply what the fox proclaims, when she is unable to get hold of the grapes. As Joseph Jacobs remarks in his version of this story: "It is easy to despise what you cannot get." Many people today know the phrase "Sour grapes," but they do not necessarily know the fable about the fox and the grapes; after reading this fable, you will be one of the few who know the story! While the fox insults what he cannot have, the dog in the manger fiercely defends what he cannot enjoy. Like "sour grapes," the "lion's share" is a famous Aesopic saying, based on the story of the lion and his partners.

 

Latin Text:

 

Racemum dependentem frustra conata est Vulpecula iteratis saltibus attingere. Sed tandem conatibus cassis omnino defatigata, indignabunda recessit, inquiens, "Apage acerbas et immaturas istas uvas, quae sane tam sordidae sunt, ut ne quidem humi iacentes attollerem, si mihi gratis offerrentur."

 

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

 

Racemum dependentem

frustra conata est Vulpecula

iteratis saltibus attingere.

Sed tandem

conatibus cassis omnino defatigata,

indignabunda recessit,

inquiens,

"Apage acerbas et immaturas istas uvas,

quae sane tam sordidae sunt,

ut ne quidem humi iacentes

attollerem,

si mihi gratis offerrentur."

 

Translation: A fox tried in vain to reach a hanging cluster, jumping up again and again. But when at last she was completely tired out, all her efforts having failed, she angrily went away and said, "To heck with those bitter grapes not ready to eat; for sure they are so nasty that even if they were lying on the ground I wouldn't pick them up if they were offered to me for free."

 

[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 15.

 

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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