Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Wolf and the Goat

The Wolf and the Goat. The wolf saw a goat standing up on a high cliff and said, "Why don't you leave those barren and sterile places and come down to the grassy fields which offer you such pleasant food?" The goat replied, "I have no intention of preferring sweetness to safety."

Lupus et Capra. Lupus Capram in alta rupe stantem conspicatus, "Cur non" inquit "relinquis nuda illa et sterilia loca, et huc descendis in herbidos campos qui tibi laetum pabulum offerunt?" Cui respondit Capra, "Mihi non est in animo dulcia tutis praeponere."

Notes. This is Via Latina 4, which is Fable 157 in Perry's classification scheme. In some versions of this fable it is a lion who is trying to lure the creature down; in other versions, as here, it is a wolf. You could give this fable a real estate moral: Location location location. :-)

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