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DE ANU ET ANSERE

 

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

 

Introduction: You probably have heard the story of "The Goose Who Laid The Golden Egg," althought perhaps you did not know that it is actually an Aesop's fable! In some versions of the fable, the owner of the goose is a man, and in other versions of the fable, the owner is a woman, but in either case the result is the same: the owner of the goose is not content with one golden egg a day, and their greed for more gold brings about a total loss. For another story about someone who did not get what they expected from their actions, see the story of the maids and the rooster. For another story about the dangers of being greedy, see the story of the fox, the rooster and the sleeping dog.

 

Latin Text:

 

Anus quaedam Anserem alebat, qui illi quotidie ovum aureum excludebat. Anus avarissima, existimans Anserem habuisse in visceribus fodinam auream, cupiditate commota, Anserem confestim interfecit et, cum viscera perscrutabatur et unicum tantum ovum deprehenderat, spe sublactata inani, exclamabat, "O me infelicem, tantae crudelitatis consciam, quae, non modico contenta lucro, iam omnia perdiderim."

 

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

 

Anus quaedam

Anserem alebat,

qui

illi quotidie

ovum aureum excludebat.

Anus avarissima,

existimans

Anserem

habuisse in visceribus

fodinam auream,

cupiditate commota,

Anserem confestim interfecit

et, cum viscera perscrutabatur

et unicum tantum ovum deprehenderat,

spe sublactata inani,

exclamabat,

"O me infelicem,

tantae crudelitatis consciam,

quae,

non modico contenta lucro,

iam omnia perdiderim."

 

Translation: A certain old woman raised a goose, which every day laid for her a golden egg. The old woman, who was extremely greedy, thought that the goose had a gold-mine in its guts; prompted by eager desire, she immediately killed the goose and when she had inspected the guts and had gotten only one single egg, having been tantalized by a vain hope, she exclaimed, "O unhappy me, an accomplice in such great cruelty! Not content with a moderate profit, I have now lost it all."

 

[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 87.

 

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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