BESTIARIA LATINA BLOG - Latin Via Fables - Zoo - Legenda

Rana et Bos

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The story of The Frog and The Ox is a poem by Walter of England. It is written in elegiac couplets. You can find this poem, Walter 40, along with other poems by Walter, at the aesopica.net website. The Perry number for this fable is Perry 376. You can see a 1501 woodcut illustration for this fable at the University of Mannheim website. You can find a translation of a different version of this fable in Aesop's Fables, by Laura Gibbs (Oxford University Press, 2003).

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Here is the poem (click "play" icon for brief audio sample):

Aequari vult rana bovi: tumet ergo. Tumenti
Natus ait: "Cessa; prae bove tota nihil."

Rana dolet meliusque tumet; premit ille tumentem:
"Vincere non poteris, victa crepare potes."

Tertius iratam vexat tumor; illa tumoris
Copia findit eam: viscera rupta patent.

Cum maiore minor conferri desinat et se
Consulat et vires temperet ipse suas.

The following version puts the words in a more prose-like order so that it will be easier for you to read:

Rana vult aequari bovi; tumet ergo.	Additional grammar commentary to be added... meanwhile, if you have questions, use the Comments? Questions? Suggestions? link at the top or bottom of this page if you have a query. You might also want to look at these Tips on Using Segmented Texts.
Natus ait tumenti: "Cessa!
Prae bove tota es nihil."
Rana dolet meliusque tumet.
Ille premit tumentem:
"Vincere non poteris; victa crepare potes."
Tertius tumor vexat iratam.
Illa copia tumoris findit eam: viscera rupta patent.
Desinat minor cum maiore conferri et se consulat et ipse temperet vires suas.