The Fables of Phaedrus

Animal fables are said to have originated with Aesop, a semilegendary Samian slave, but the earliest surviving record of the fables comes from the Latin poet Phaedrus, who introduced the new genre to Latin literature. This verse translation of The Fables is the first in English in more than two hundred years. In addition to the familiar animal fables, about a quarter of the book includes such diverse material as prologues and epilogues, historical anecdotes, short stories, enlarged proverbs and sayings, comic episodes and folk wisdom, and many incidental glimpses of Greek and Roman life in the classical period. The Fables also sheds light on the personal history of Phaedrus, who seems to have been an educated slave, eventually granted his freedom by the emperor Augustus. Phaedrus' style is lively, clean, and sparse, though not at the cost of all detail and elaboration. It serves well as a vehicle for his two avowed purposes—to entertain and to give wise counsel for the conduct of life. Like all fabulists, Phaedrus was a moralist, albeit on a modest and popular level. An excellent introduction by P. F. Widdows provides information about Phaedrus, the history of The Fables, the metric style of the original and of this translation, and something of the place of these fables in Western folklore. The translation is done in a free version of Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse, a form used by W. H. Auden and chosen here to match the popular tone of Phaedrus' Latin verse.

Table of Contents:
Introduction BOOK 1 Prologue Fable 1. The Wolf and the Lamb 2. The Frogs Ask for a King 3. The Presumptuous Jackdaw and the Peacock 4. The Dog Carrying a Piece of Meat across a River 5. The Cow, the She-goat, the Sheep, and the Lion 6. The Frogs Complain about the Sun 7. The Fox and the Tragic Actor’s Mask 8. The Wolf and the Crane 9. The Sparrow Gives Advice to the Hare 10. The Wolf and the Fox Receive Judgment from the Ape 11. The Lion and the Ass Go Hunting 12. The Stag at the Fountain 13. The Fox and the Crow 14. From Cobbler to Physician 15. What the Ass Said to the Old Shepherd 16. The Sheep, the Stag, and the Wolf 17. The Sheep, the Dog, and the Wolf 18. A Woman in Childbirth 19. The Dog and Her Litter of Puppies 20. The Hungry Dogs 21. The Old Lion, the Boar, the Bull, and the Ass 22. The Weasel and the Man 23. The Faithful Dog 24. The Frog Who Burst Himself and the Bull 25. The Dogs and the Crocodiles 26. The Fox and the Stork 27. The Dog, the Treasure, and the Vulture 28. The Fox and the Eagle 29. The Ass Insults the Boar 30. The Frogs Afraid of the Battle of the Bulls 31. The Kite and the Doves BOOK 2 Author’s Prologue Fable 1. The Bullock, the Lion, and the Bandit 2. Two Women, One Old, One Young, in Love with the Same Man 3. Aesop’s Words to a Man about the Success of Wrongdoers 4. The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Boar 5. Tiberius’ Words to an Attendant 6. The Eagle and the Crow 7. The Two Mules and the Robbers 8. The Stag and the Oxen 9. The Author Speaks BOOK 3 Prologue: Phaedrus to Eutychus Fable 1. What the Old Woman Said to the Wine Jar 2. The Panther and the Shepherds 3. Aesop and the Farmer 4. The Butcher and the Monkey 5. Aesop and the Impudent Fellow 6. The Fly and the Mule 7. The Wolf and the Sleek Dog 8. Brother and Sister 9. Socrates to His Friends 10. The Poet, on Believing and Not Believing 11. The Eunuch’s Reply to His Insulting Adversary 12. The Cock and the Pearl 13. The Wasp Adjudicating between the Bees and the Drones 14. On Play and Seriousness 15. The Dog and the Lamb 16. The Cicada and the Owl 17. The Trees under the Patronage of the Gods 18. The Peacock Complains to Juno about His Voice 19. Aesop’s Reply to the Joker Epilogue BOOK 4 Prologue: The Poet to Particulo Fable 1. The Ass and the Priests of Cybele 2. The Weasel and the Mice 3. The Fox and the Grapes 4. The Horse and the Wild Boar 5. Aesop and the Enigmatic Will 6. The Battle of the Mice and Weasels 7. Phaedrus and the Critic 8. The Viper and the File 9. The Fox and the Goat 10. On the Faults of Men 11. The Thief and His Lamp 12. The Evils of Wealth 13. The Reign of the Lion 13A. The Reign of the Lion 13B. The King of the Apes 14. Prometheus 15. Prometheus Again 16. The Bearded She-goats 17. On the Fortunes of Men 18. The Dogs Send Envoys to Jupiter 19. The Snake Fatal to the Compassionate Man 19A. The Snake Fatal to the Compassionate Man 20. The Fox and the Dragon 21. Phaedrus 22. About Simonides 23. The Mountain in Labor 24. The Ant and the Fly 25. Simonides Saved by the Gods Epilogue: The Poet to Particulo BOOK 5 Prologue: The Poet Again Fable 1. King Demetrius and the Poet Menander 2. The Two Soldiers and the Robber 3. The Bald Man and the Fly 4. The Ass and the Pig’s Barley 5. The Buffoon and the Countryman 6. The Two Bald Men 7. King, the Flute Player 8. Time 9. The Bull and the Calf 10. The Old Dog and the Hunter PEROTTI’S APPENDIX Fable 1. The Ape and the Fox 2. The Author 3. The Author 4. Mercury and the Two Women 5–6. Prometheus and Guile 7. The Author 8. The Author 9. Aesop and the Writer 10. Pompey and His Soldier 11. Juno, Venus, and the Hen 12. The Bullock and the Old Ox 13. Aesop and the Victorious Boxer 14. The Ass and the Lyre 15. The Widow and the Soldier 16. The Two Suitors 17. Aesop and His Mistress 18. The Cock and the Cats Who Carried His Sedan Chair 19. The Sow Giving Birth and the Wolf 20. Aesop and the Runaway Slave 21. The Race Horse 22. The Hungry Bear 23. The Traveler and the Raven 24. The Shepherd and the She-goat 25. The Snake and the Lizard 26. The Crow and the Sheep 27. Socrates and the Rascally Servant 28. The Hare and the Herdsman 29. The Courtesan and the Young Man 30. The Beaver 31. The Butterfly and the Wasp 32. The Ground Swallow and the Fox