Legenda: Canis et Umbra

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Canis et Umbra

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The story of The Dog and The Shadow is adapted from Phaedrus, Ademar, Odo of Cheriton and the Romulus Anglicus.

The original texts are available at the aesopica.net website. The Perry number for this fable is Perry 133 (with links to the Latin texts).

You can see a 1501 woodcut illustration for this fable at the University of Mannheim website.

You can find a translation of a Greek version of this story in Aesop's Fables, by Laura Gibbs (Oxford University Press, 2003).

Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Fabula contra diligentes vana et derelinquentes vera.
Canis per pontem transivit super fluvium et frustum carnis in ore tulit.
Umbram frusti videns in aquarum speculo quae maior frusto suo apparuit, alteram esse praedam existimavit.	videns...existimavit: participle plus verb ("the dog saw... and thought...") quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is umbram
Saltu igitur rapido se in flumen praecipitans, dum frustum eripere ab altero cane voluit, ipsum quod tenebat in ore amisit.	saltu...rapido: split phrase igitur: postpositive praecipitans...amisit: participle plus verb ("the dog hurled himself... and lost...") eripere: complementary infinitive with voluit quod: relative pronoun without stated antecedent
Voracitatis suae causa quod habebat amisit, et quod cupivit non apprehendit: sic frustum pro umbra perdidit.	causa: ablative ("because of...") quod: relative pronoun without stated antecedent
Amittit merito proprium qui alienum adpetit.	qui: relative pronoun with subject of verb as antecedent alienum: the e is long, so penultimate stress