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Appendix 13. Aesopus et uictor gymnicus

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 541.

Victorem forte gymnici certaminis
iactantiorem Phryx cum uidisset sophus,
interrogauit an plus aduersarius
ualuisset neruis. Ille: "Ne istud dixeris;
multo fuere uires maiores meae."
"Quod" inquit "ergo, stulte, meruisti decus,
minus ualentem se uicisti fortior?
Ferendus esses, arte si te diceres
superasse eum qui te esset melior uiribus."

Here is the poem in a more prose-like word order for easy reading:

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Here is the poem with meter marks:

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Translation:

Aesop, that wise man from Phrygia, once saw a winning athlete who was making extravagant boasts, so he asked whether the man's opponent had been more powerfully built. The athlete replied, 'Watch what you're saying! I was much stronger than he was.' 'You fool!' said Aesop. 'What kind of prize do you deserve if you were the stronger athlete and simply triumphed over an inferior opponent? You might have earned my grudging admiration if your opponent had in fact been superior to you in strength, so that you had to defeat him by means of your exceptional athletic prowess.'

Illustration:

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