37: De Musca et Formica

The Fly and the Ant

A fly picks a quarrel with an ant, praising her own lifestyle and denigrating that of the ant. The ant replies in kind with vigorous trash-talking. The moral warns to watch the tongue, for sweet words produce sweetness, while words spoken in hatred continue to produce hate.

Perry 521, Prose Romulus.

1  movēns lītēs: lit., “moving a quarrel,” i.e. "instigating an argument.” 

2  titulīs: "distinctions," "accolades."

2  ornat: laudat. 

2  turpiter: "disgracefully." In the Prose Romulus the fable cautions against self-praise (stultus sē ipsum laudat).

3  mersa cavīs: “sunk in caves," i.e., ant tunnels. 

3  mihi: dative of possession with either levitās or ālīs. 

5  grana: predicate nom.

7  Quod bibis: “the thing which you drink,” or, “that which you drink.” Countered later with quod bibo. 

7  aurum: a golden cup.

8  saxa premis: “you tread on rocks." For the poetic usage of premere = "tread on" see 32.1 and DMLBS premere 7.

8  serta: garlands of flowers, or else royal crowns (DMLBS sertum 3).

9  Sēde, cibīs, pōtū, thalamīs: abl. with utor. 

10  tenerīs gēnīs: ablative of place where.

11  Nōn minus ūrentēs ... sagittās: “no less burning (verbal) arrows.” 

13  nescit tua penna quiētem: the fly never stops buzzing around. 

14  sunt mihi ... sunt tibi: datives of possession. Note the antithesis in each line. 

15  Mē laetam videt ... tē ... tristem: “sees me happy ... sees you sad,” i.e., I am happy in the cave, you are sad in the palace; acc. pred.

17  Vēnātur mihi farra labor: “My work hunt (pursues) grain.” Contrasted in the next clause, where vēnātur should be repeated. 

18  toxicat illa timor: supply tibi. 

19  Mundō farre: “neat grain,” highlighting the orderly tidiness of the ant. Abl. after fruor, as normal.

19  tactū: “with your touch”; ablative of means. Modifies foedās. 

20  nūllī ... cuīlibet: dative after forms of noceō, as normal.  

20  ūna nocēs: “you alone harm."

21  mea: supply vīta, subject of est. Speculum is the predicate. 

21  speculum: "the mirror," or "image," i.e. a shining or outstanding example, exemplar, epitome (DMLBS speculum 3.c).

21 tua vīta: supply est speculum. 

21  parcendī ... vorandī: "thrift ... gluttony." For vorandī other manuscripts read the less colorful nocendī, perhaps because flies do not devour food. But see below, line 23, Ut comedas vivis. Gluttony is the target.

22  nōn nisi: “only."

23 comedās ... cessem:  pres. subj. in purpose clauses.

25  palātō: as punctuated here (with Foerster) this is dative after dulcia. Busdraghi punctuates the line Unde petis vītam, rapitur tibi vīta, palātō: which would mean, "(the place) from where you seek life, your life is stolen by it, your palate." Either way, polemic against gluttony continues.

26  bibēns: “(by) drinking,” pres. part. instrumental.

26  fel necis acre: "the bitter gall of death," a hyperbolic way to describe alcohol.

27  ventōsō victa flābellō: “conquered by the windy fan," the hand-held variety.

29  aestīvī dōnō ... favōris: "thanks to the gift of summer's favor," i.e., warm summer weather.

29  durāre: "endure," "survive."

30  cētera: other seasons or circumstances.

30  parcant: supply tibi.

31  dulcia ... turpia: modify verba. 

31-32  solent / reddī: “are in the habit of being returned.”

32  fidem: "trustworthiness"(?). The idea seems ill-suited to the story. In Prose Romulus versions the story is directed at litigiosi, "quarrelsome people." The explication in Codex Guelferbytanus 185 (ed. Wright p. 99) says the moral is "we should not praise ourselves and criticize others, lest we become the object of criticism ourselves."