{"id":380,"date":"2021-05-21T16:50:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/?p=380"},"modified":"2021-05-25T11:52:24","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T11:52:24","slug":"elizabeth-jane-weston-the-lion-and-the-frog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/2021\/05\/21\/elizabeth-jane-weston-the-lion-and-the-frog\/","title":{"rendered":"Jocelyn Wright: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Lion and the Frog"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Jane Weston<\/a>\u00a0(1582-1612) was one of the most accomplished Latin poets of the early modern period. Among her published works is a collection of Aesopic fables rendered into Latin elegiac couplets.\u00a0Jocelyn Wright <\/strong>(Dickinson \u201923) edits, translates, and discusses one of them here, \u201cThe Lion and the Frog,\u201d comparing it to Greek and Medieval Latin versions of the same fable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leo et Rana (The Lion and the Frog)<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Elizabeth Jane Weston,\u00a0Parthenica\u00a0<\/em>(Prague: Paulus Sessius, ca. 1606)\u00a0vol. 2, fol. B6a<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vox Ranae fuerat delapsa Leonis ad aures,<\/p>\n

ranae, quae in pigro garrit inepta lacu.<\/p>\n

Ille diu attonitus, nescit quae bestia rauco<\/p>\n

quodve animal tantos evomat ore sonos.<\/p>\n

Exserit at tandem faucem ambitiosa loquacem;<\/p>\n

saltat, et in sicco voce coaxat agro.<\/p>\n

Quam Leo cum voltu spectarat forte superbo,<\/p>\n

advolat et querulam protinus ungue terit.<\/p>\n

Adapted from Cheney et al., 2000, p. 146, II.85<\/em><\/p>\n

English Translation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The voice of a Frog had fallen to the ears of a Lion;<\/p>\n

of a frog who croaks, tasteless, in a still lake.<\/p>\n

He, terrified for a long time, does not know what beast or what animal<\/p>\n

is vomiting forth such great sounds from a hoarse mouth.<\/p>\n

But finally she thrusts out her croaking throat, ostentatious;<\/p>\n

she hops, and croaks with her voice in a dry field.<\/p>\n

When the Lion by chance had seen her, with a proud face,<\/p>\n

he approaches and crushes the chattering one at once with a claw.<\/p>\n

Vocabulary & Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

1<\/strong> r\u0101na r\u0101nae<\/em> 1f. frog<\/p>\n

d\u0113l\u0101bor d\u0113l\u0101b\u012b d\u0113l\u0101psus<\/em> fall. Take this together with fuerat<\/em><\/p>\n

leo leonis<\/em> 3m. lion<\/p>\n

2<\/strong> piger pigra pigrum<\/em> still, slow-moving. Agrees with lacu<\/em><\/p>\n

garri\u014d garr\u012bre<\/em> chatter, croak<\/p>\n

ineptus inepta ineptum<\/em> impertinent, tasteless. Agrees with the subject of the sentence<\/p>\n

lacus lac\u016bs<\/em> 4m. lake, pond<\/p>\n

3<\/strong> attonitus attonita attonitum<\/em> terrified. Participle from attono<\/em> (ad<\/em> + tono<\/em>) thunder at<\/p>\n

bestia bestiae<\/em> 1f. beast<\/p>\n

raucus rauca raucum<\/em> hoarse. Agrees with ore<\/em><\/p>\n

4<\/strong> \u0113vom\u014d \u0113vomere \u0113vomu\u012b \u0113vomitum<\/em> spew out, vomit forth<\/p>\n

fauces faucium<\/em> 3f. pl. throat, gullet. Usually only plural, but here is singular accusative<\/p>\n

ambiti\u014dsus ambiti\u014dsa ambiti\u014dsum<\/em> ostentatious<\/p>\n

loqu\u0101x loqu\u0101cis<\/em> croaking<\/p>\n

6<\/strong> salt\u014d, salt\u0101re<\/em> dance, hop<\/p>\n

in<\/em> governs agro<\/em><\/p>\n

siccus sicca siccum<\/em> dry. Agrees with agro<\/em><\/p>\n

coax\u014d coax\u0101re<\/em> croak. Note the onomatopoeia<\/p>\n

8<\/strong> advol\u014d advol\u0101re<\/em> (ad<\/em> + vol\u014d<\/em>) run to<\/p>\n

querulus querula querulum<\/em> croaking<\/p>\n

unguis unguis<\/em> 3m. claw<\/p>\n

ter\u014d terere tr\u012bv\u012b tr\u012btum<\/em> crush<\/p>\n

SimilarAesopic Fables: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u039b\u03ad\u03c9\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u0392\u03ac\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03c7\u03bf\u03c2<\/em><\/p>\n

Greek text from K. Halm, Fabulae Aesopicae Collectae<\/em> (Leipzig: Teubner, 1854), p. 121, #248<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u039b\u03ad\u03c9\u03bd, \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u03c4\u1f72 \u03b2\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03c7\u03bf\u03c5 \u03bc\u03ad\u03b3\u03b1 \u03b2\u03bf\u1ff6\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2, \u1f10\u03c0\u03b5\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03c6\u03b7 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03c6\u03c9\u03bd\u1f74\u03bd, \u03bf\u1f30\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bc\u03ad\u03b3\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b9 \u03b6\u1ff6\u03bf\u03bd \u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9. \u03a0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03bc\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03bc\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd, \u1f61\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f36\u03b4\u03b5\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b5\u03bb\u03b8\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03bb\u03af\u03bc\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2, \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03b5\u03bb\u03b8\u1f7c\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u03c0\u03ac\u03c4\u03b7\u03c3\u03b5\u03bd.<\/p>\n

\u1f49 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b7\u03bb\u03bf\u1fd6, \u1f45\u03c4\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f50 \u03b4\u03b5\u1fd6 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u1f44\u03c8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b9\u2019 \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b1\u03c1\u03ac\u03c4\u03c4\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b1\u03b9.<\/p>\n

A lion, once hearing a frog croaking loudly, turned himself towards the sound, supposing it to be some great beast. But having waited a little, as he saw him coming out of the lake, advancing he trampled him underfoot.<\/p>\n

The story makes clear, that one must not be troubled by only a sound before the sight.<\/p>\n

Alternate Version<\/em><\/p>\n

Greek text from K. Halm, Fabulae Aesopicae Collectae<\/em> (Leipzig: Teubner, 1854), p. 121, #248<\/a>b<\/em><\/p>\n

\u039b\u03ad\u03c9\u03bd \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b2\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03c7\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ba\u03b5\u03ba\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03cc\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2, \u1f10\u03c0\u03b5\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03ac\u03c6\u03b7 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03c6\u03c9\u03bd\u1f74\u03bd, \u03bf\u1f30\u03cc\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bc\u03ad\u03b3\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b9 \u03b6\u1ff6\u03bf\u03bd \u03b5\u1f36\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u0387 \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03bc\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03bc\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd \u03c7\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd, \u1f61\u03c2 \u1f10\u03b8\u03b5\u03ac\u03c3\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u1f00\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03bb\u03af\u03bc\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2 \u1f10\u03be\u03b5\u03bb\u03b8\u03cc\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1, \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03b5\u03bb\u03b8\u1ff6\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u03c0\u03ac\u03c4\u03b7\u03c3\u03b5\u03bd, \u03b5\u1f30\u03c0\u03ce\u03bd\u0387 \u201c\u03bc\u03b7\u03b4\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1 \u1f00\u03ba\u03bf\u1f74 \u03c4\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03c4\u03ad\u03c4\u03c9 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03b8\u03ad\u03b1\u03c2.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u1f49 \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b5\u1f54\u03c7\u03b1\u03b9\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f04\u03bd\u03b4\u03c1\u03b1 \u03b3\u03bb\u03c9\u03c3\u03c3\u03ce\u03b4\u03b7, \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72\u03bd \u03c0\u03bb\u03ad\u03bf\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03bb\u03b1\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03ac\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd.<\/p>\n

A lion, hearing a frog croaking, turned himself towards the sound, supposing it to be some great beast; but having waited a short time, as he saw him coming out of the lake, approaching he trampled him underfoot, saying: \u201cLet no one be troubled by a sound before the sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story is timely for a talkative man, able to do nothing more than babble.<\/p>\n

Rana et Leo<\/em><\/p>\n

Latin text from Laura Gibbs, Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop\u2019s Fables in Latin<\/em> (Morrisville, NC: Lulu Publishers, 2010), #600, p. 191<\/a>.\u00a0 Gibbs translated this from the Greek in <\/em>Fabulae Aesopicae, ed. F. De Furia. 1810 (De Furia 90). This fable is Perry index #141.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ranam magna vi crocitantem cum leo olim audisset, ad eam vocem protinus sese convertit, magnum aliquod animal esse arbitratus. Paulisper itaque cum substitisset, ubi illam ex palude prodeuntem adspexit, accedens illico proculcavit, haec intra se aiens, \u201cNeminem, re nondum perspecta, vox audita conturbet; nec quispiam, antequam viderit, ab ullo deterreatur.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once when a lion had heard a frog croaking with great vigor, right away he turned himself to her voice, supposing it to be some great beast. And so after he had stopped for a little while, when he caught sight of her appearing out of the marsh, approaching he immediately trampled her, saying these words to himself, \u201cNo one should be disturbed by a voice having been heard, the thing not yet having been seen; nor should anyone be frightened off by anything, before he has seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Jane Weston was a notable poet of the Neo-Latin tradition and the only female Neo-Latin poet to have a collection of her writings published. Though she has since faded into relative obscurity, her writing was well-known in her lifetime (Cheney et al. 2000: xi). One collection of her works, entitled the Parthenica<\/em>, was published in the early seventeenth century and included several Latin translations of a much older tradition, the ancient Greek Aesopic fables. The fable featured here, \u201cLeo ac Rana,\u201d tells the story of a lion who is frightened by a frog\u2019s loud croaking, until he sees that the sound is only coming from a frog and crushes it underfoot. The moral as stated by the lion in the fable is to not be frightened by a sound alone before seeing the thing for itself. In other words, first appearances can be deceiving, and often the things we fear turn out in the end to not be so bad after all.<\/p>\n

The original ancient Greek Aesopic fable actually had two different versions. Both tell the same story as Weston\u2019s version, but the intended recipient of the overall message is different. The first version (Halm, 1852, p. 121, #248) is addressed to the lions of the world, telling them not to be bothered by the voices of tasteless critics. The second version (Halm, 1852, p. 121, #248b), however, is written to the frogs, men who can do nothing more than babble (note the rare word \u03b3\u03bb\u03c9\u03c3\u03c3\u03ce\u03b4\u03b7<\/em>, \u201ctalkative\u201d or \u201cbabbling,\u201d and \u03bb\u03b1\u03bb\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd<\/em>, \u201cbabble\u201d or \u201cspeak childishly\u201d). The overall message does remain the same, but this version serves as a warning to the \u201cfrogs\u201d instead of reassurance to the \u201clions.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a choice between two existing versions of the same story, Weston chose that aimed towards the \u201clions\u201d or powerful people of the world. This may seem surprising at first, given Weston was not a powerful person and grew up in poverty (Cheney et al. 2000: xi-xiii). Her father was in prison for killing a member of the royal court in Prague, and throughout the course of her writings her beloved brother and mother both passed away. However, she did have close connections with many powerful people, including aristocrat Georg Martinius von Baldhoven. Baldhoven was a tireless supporter of Weston and her work and was responsible for the publication of her works. She also had connections with the royal court for whom her father once worked, including King Rudolf himself. Many of her writings were addressed directly to members of this court, who often helped to support her and her family after her father\u2019s imprisonment. \u201cLeo ac Rana\u201d may have been written not only to keep the Aesopic tradition alive through her own Neo-Latin writing, but also as a message of reassurance to one or some of the powerful people with whom she was affiliated. This could have been Baldhoven, a member of the royal court, or perhaps even Rudolf.<\/p>\n

One should also consider the possibility that Weston chose this particular fable to translate because of all the hardships she had to endure throughout her life. She wrote poems and letters describing her poverty, the death of her brother and mother, and her father\u2019s stay in prison. Throughout these terrible circumstances, she found comfort in her writing and in her religion. Perhaps to her, these things were adjacent to the lion\u2019s realization that the awesome noise was only coming from a frog. She initially feared and despaired of her fate, but was able to reassure herself with the knowledge that everything would be okay in the end. For example, she wrote after her brother\u2019s death that she must say farewell \u201cforever [\u2026] until I follow with my mother through the heavenly summits\u201d (Cheney et al. 2000: 56\u201357, Parthenica<\/em> I.28). Despite using the word \u201cforever,\u201d she acknowledged immediately after that this separation from her brother was impermanent. While she would undoubtedly mourn, his death was not as horrible to her as it would first appear, because she knew she would be reunited with him eventually.<\/p>\n

Along with choosing one of two morals presented in the original Greek versions of the fable, Weston made certain word choices which emphasized her own unique take on the story and its meaning. Her translation can be compared not only with the Greek but also with an alternative Medieval Latin, as collected by Laura Gibbs (2010). First, Weston added new adjectives and verbs characterizing the frog which were not present in the Greek or in Gibbs\u2019 version, including garrit<\/em> (\u201cchattering\u201d), inepta<\/em> (\u201cimpertinent\u201d or \u201ctasteless\u201d), evomat<\/em> (\u201cspewing out\u201d or \u201cvomiting forth\u201d), and ambitiosa<\/em> (\u201costentatious\u201d) (Cheney et al. 2000: 146, II.85). The frog in the first Greek version of the fable (Halm, 1852, p. 121, #248) and in Gibbs\u2019 translation was given essentially no characterization, and this addition subtly but quite dramatically changes the tone of the story and therefore its moral. In the Greek and Gibbs\u2019 translation, the frog is simply loud but not a threat. In Weston\u2019s version, however, the frog is depicted as tasteless and an annoyance, chattering away stupidly. This is more similar to the alternative version of the Greek (Halm, 1852, p. 121, #248b) which directly points out the comparison of the frog to a babbling man or someone who is all talk.<\/p>\n

Second, Weston described the lion as proud (Latin superbus<\/em>), a detail which all three other versions of the fable left out. This could be a compliment to Baldhoven or Rudolf or whichever powerful person Weston may have presented this to, or a reminder to that person to maintain their pride even when confronted with a loud and obnoxious critic. This could also potentially refer to Weston herself, having to maintain her pride as an ambitious woman and poet as she crushed seemingly insurmountable obstacles on her way to self-sufficiency and fame. She knew all about overcoming challenges while remaining proud, and her fierce drive enabled her to look past the initial appearance of her difficulties and find ways to overcome them and reach the success she knew she was capable of.<\/p>\n

Third, Weston makes it clear in her translation that the lion is originally terrified (Latin attonitus<\/em>) by the frog\u2019s croaking, while this is never outright specified in Gibbs\u2019 or the Greek. This further magnified the distinction between the lion\u2019s initial response (shock or fear) and final action (trampling the frog), and emphasized the lion\u2019s first reaction to the noise. At first encounter, a critic or obstacle can seem much worse than it actually is.<\/p>\n

Finally, Weston makes one type of word choice which does not change the meaning of the story but does emphasize her own unique flair for storytelling. Weston\u2019s translation is sprinkled with onomatopoeia, adding a whimsical feel to the story with words describing the frog\u2019s croaking: garrit<\/em>, loquacem<\/em>, coaxat<\/em>. She also adds the playful word saltat<\/em> (\u201chops\u201d) to describe the frog\u2019s movement.<\/p>\n

Overall, whether it was meant for the lions or the frogs of the world, whether it was written to Baldhoven or royalty or herself, Weston\u2019s \u201cLeo ac Rana\u201d has a message applicable to all of us today: don\u2019t be deterred when something seems insurmountable at first, and don\u2019t be bothered by tasteless, babbling critics. (Alternatively, don\u2019t be a tasteless, babbling critic yourself.)<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cheney, D., Hosington, B. M., & Money, D. (2000). Elizabeth Jane Weston: Collected writings.<\/em>\u00a0University of Toronto Press.<\/p>\n

Gibbs, L. (2010). Mille fabulae et una: 1001 Aesop\u2019s fables in Latin.<\/em> Lulu Publishers.<\/p>\n

Halm, Karl. (1852). Ais\u014dpei\u014dn myth\u014dn synag\u014dge: Fabulae Aesopicae collectae.<\/em> Lipsiae:\u00a0Sumptibus et Typis B.G. Teubneri.<\/p>\n

This edition was completed as the final project for Latin 234: Ovid, taught by Christopher Francese in Spring 2021. Prof. Francese modernized the Latin orthography.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Jane Weston\u00a0(1582-1612) was one of the most accomplished Latin poets of the early modern period. Among her published works is a collection of Aesopic fables rendered into Latin elegiac couplets.\u00a0Jocelyn Wright (Dickinson \u201923) edits, translates, and discusses one of them here, \u201cThe Lion and the Frog,\u201d comparing it to Greek and Medieval Latin versions … Continue reading Jocelyn Wright: Elizabeth Jane Weston, The Lion and the Frog<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[316748],"tags":[316753],"class_list":["post-380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-elizabeth-jane-weston","tag-jocelyn-wright"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}