Aesop 124: Two Travelers & a Bear
Notes
Translation by VL user Rinor/Celebrinor in 2025-12. First posted on VL, on 2025-12-10; reviewed by VL user Laiqua.
Motto: Misfortune is the test of true friendship.
Text
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| No. | Quenya | Tengwar | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nér atta ar Morco | | Two Travelers & a Bear |
| 2 | -- | | -- |
| 3 | Nér atta léleáner oliëssë ter taurë, yá, alahorinávë, melehta morco nornë et i·tussallo artë. | | Two Men were traveling in company through a forest, when, all at once, a huge Bear crashed out of the brush near them. |
| 4 | Mo i·nerion, mirtaila rië inseo caumarya, rentë alda. | | One of the Men, thinking of his own safety, climbed a tree. |
| 5 | i·Hyana nér, úpolila mahta i·hravan er, hantë insë húnessë ar caitanë úlevila, vequi nánes loico. | | The other, unable to fight the savage beast alone, threw himself on the ground and lay still, as if he were dead. |
| Hláriénes i morco úappuva loico. | | He had heard that a Bear will not touch a dead body. | |
| 6 | Möa essen ná naitë, pan i·morco nussë i·cas nero lúmincen ar, nemila fartaina i nánes loico, lonyes. | | It must have been true, for the Bear snuffed at the Man's head awhile, and then, seeming to be satisfied that he was dead, walked away. |
| 7 | i·Nér i·aldassë nunyë sallo. | | The Man in the tree climbed down. |
| 8 | “Tana morco nemnë ve hlussanes hlaretyassë,” quentes. | | "It looked just as if that Bear whispered in your ear," he said. |
| “Mana quentes tyen?” | | "What did he tell you?" | |
| 9 | “Quentes nin i nánen alasaila pan sataryanen mo i lercuva senwassë raxeo,” hanquentë i·hyana nér. | | "He said," answered the other, "that it was not at all wise to keep company with a fellow who would desert his friend in a moment of danger." |
| 10 | -- | | -- |
| 11 | Eques: ?? ?? i ?? ?? haitë nilmë. | | Motto: Misfortune is the test of true friendship. |