Aesop 135: The Ass & His Shadow
Notes
Translation by VL user Chaered in 2026. First posted on VL, on 2026-01-30; not reviewed yet.
Missing words: drive, Driver, hire.
Motto: In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance.
Text
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| No. | Quenya | Tengwar | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pellopë ar Halarya | | The Ass & His Shadow |
| 2 | -- | | -- |
| 3 | Ranyar ?? ?? Pellopë na colitas nóreva palan yondenna. | | A Traveler had hired an Ass to carry him to a distant part of the country. |
| I Pellopéo öamo mennë ó i Ranyar, pataila arsë na ?? i Pellopë ar tenta i men. | | The owner of the Ass went with the Traveler, walking beside him to drive the Ass and point out the way. | |
| 4 | I tië mennë lá aldalóra landa yassë Anar accaldë nunna valcavë. | | The road led across a treeless plain where the Sun beat down fiercely. |
| I úr olanë tallë urda, í Ranyar teldavë þantanë pusta na serë, ar pan únë tuvë hyana hala, i Ranyar harunë i Pellopéo halassë. | | So intense did the heat become, that the Traveler at last decided to stop for a rest, and as there was no other shade to be found, the Traveler sat down in the shadow of the Ass. | |
| 5 | Sí i árë ápanë i ?? tandë ve ápanes i Ranyar, ar ambë, pan páteánes. | | Now the heat had affected the Driver as much as it had the Traveler, and even more, for he had been walking. |
| Aryë yestanes serë i Pellopéo halassë, yesentes costa ó i Ranyar, quetila i hye ?? ?? i Pellopë ar ú i hala ya carnes. | | Wishing also to rest in the shade cast by the Ass, he began to quarrel with the Traveler, saying he had hired the Ass and not the shadow it cast. | |
| 6 | I attië ron yesentë cotya, ar lan cotonyettë, i Pellopë hónornë. | | The two soon came to blows, and while they were fighting, the Ass took to its heels. |
| 7 | -- | | -- |
| 8 | Eques: Costessë pa hala lillumë rovilvë i hröa. | | Motto: In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance. |