Waltey

Prevod

The frogs, unhappy at having no ruler, sent envoys to Zeus, begging him to give them a king. Seeing their foolishness, he dropped a log into the pond. At first the frogs were terrified by the splash and plunged into the depths of the pond. Later, however, when they saw that the log did not move, they surfaced and grew so contemptuous of it that they climbed onto it and sat there. Feeling it beneath their dignity to have such a king, they went to Zeus a second time and begged him to give them another ruler, saying that the first was far too sluggish. Angered by their demands, Zeus sent them a water snake, which caught and devoured them.

The fable shows that it is better to have rulers who are sluggish but harmless than those who are turbulent and wicked.

Izvirnik

Βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ πρέσβεις ἔπεμιψαν ἐπὶ τὸν Δία, δεόμενοι βασιλέα αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν. Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν τὴν εὐήθειαν, ξύλον εἰς τὴν λίμνην καθῆκε. Καὶ οἱ βάτραχοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καταπλαγέντες τὸν ψόφον, ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λίμνης ἐδίδοσαν· ὕστερον δὲ, ὡς ἀκίνητον ἦν τὸ ξύλον, ἀναδύναντες εἰς τοσοῦτον καταφρονήσεως ἦλθον, ὡς ἐπιβαίνοντας αὐτῷ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι. Ἀναξιοπαθοῦντες δὲ τοιοῦτον ἔχειν βασιλέα, ἧκον ἐκ δευτέρου πρὸς τὸν Δία, καὶ τοῦτον παρεκάλουν ἀλλάξαι αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄρχοντα· τὸν γὰρ πρῶτον λίαν εἶναι νωχελῆ. Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἀγανακτήσας κατʼ αὐτῶν, ὕδραν αὐτοῖς ἐπέπεμψεν, ὑφʼ ἧς συλλαμβανόμενοι κατησθίοντο.

Ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ, ὅτι ἄμεινόν ἐστι νωθεῖς καὶ μὴ πονηροὺς ἔχειν ἄρχοντας, ἢ ταρακτικοὺς καὶ κακούργους.

Nalagam bralnik