Aesop 002: The Frogs & the Ox
Notes
Translation by VL user Chaered in 2025. First posted on VL, on 2025-12-12; not reviewed yet. Analysis posted to submissions/Aesops: https://discord.com/channels/397489292185960468/1396954201350865027/1451827247882436630
Motto: Do not attempt the impossible.
Text
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| No. | Quenya | Tengwar | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quáci ar Mundo | | The Frogs & the Ox |
| 2 | -- | | -- |
| 3 | Mundo tullë lisceä lúnunna na yulë. | | An Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. |
| Lan mittanes lungo ar vasca mina i nén, maldes vinya Quácë loxonna. | | As he splashed heavily into the water, he crushed a young Frog into the mud. | |
| 4 | I enwina Quácë ron xarnë i vinya ar maquentë hestyain ya tullunë sen. | | The old Frog soon missed the little one and asked his brothers and sisters what had become of him. |
| 5 | “Anhöa ulundo,” equë mo teo, “pantë to hassë min yána talyanen!” | | "A great big monster," said one of them, "stepped on little brother with one of his huge feet!" |
| 6 | “Höa, ma nánes!” equë i enwina Quácë, pultaila insë föanen. | | "Big, was he!" said the old Frog, puffing herself up. |
| “Ma nánes ta höa ve si?” | | "Was he as big as this?" | |
| 7 | “A, lai anhöa epë ta!” holtuneltë. | | "Oh, much bigger!" they cried. |
| 8 | I Quácë pultanë insë enta föanen. | | The Frog puffed up still more. |
| 9 | “Únë ecë sen ná anhöa epë si,” eques. | | "He could not have been bigger than this," she said. |
| Mal ilyë nícë Quáci eccanner í ulundo nánë ambë, ambë höa ar i enwina Quácë cacarranë pulta insë esta ambë ar ambë tenna, vercálavë, urvanes. | | But the little Frogs all declared that the monster was much, much bigger and the old Frog kept puffing herself out more and more until, all at once, she burst. | |
| 10 | -- | | -- |
| 11 | Eques: Vá þurë únat. | | Motto: Do not attempt the impossible. |