Aesop 004: The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse
Attribution
Translated into Quenya by Rínor in 2026. Reviewed for language by Chaered.
Notes
Number 352 in the Perry Aesop index. See also Wikipedia. First posted on VL, on 2026-02-14. The Sindarin translation is by Rínor too, retrieved 2026-04-25.
Note: The author does not wish that this Quenya text be used to train AI.
Motto: Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty.
Also available in Sindarin at: Sindarin crash course
Text
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Alternative versions: English (literal), Sindarin.
| No. | Quenya | Tengwar | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nyarrincë Hérostollo ar Nyarrincë Restassello | | The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse |
| 2 | -- | | -- |
| 3 | Nyarrincë Hérostollo ellumë cecennanë ressë ye marnë restassessë. | | A Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. |
| Endematten i Nyarrincë Restassello sestanë þirpi, sulcar, noccar, ó limba ringa neno yulë opo sé. | | For lunch the Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and acorns, with a dash of cold water for drink. | |
| I Nyarrincë Hérostollo mantë tittë nahtainen, tyucila titta sino ar titta tano, ar lengaleryanen tananë i mantes i þundomatta rië ná mailengaitë. | | The Town Mouse ate very sparingly, nibbling a little of this and a little of that, and by her manner making it very plain that she ate the simple food only to be polite. | |
| 4 | Apa i mat i málot quentë andavë, hya úsië i Nyarrincë Hérostollo quentë pá coiverya i hérostossë lan i Nyarrincë Restassello lastanë. | | After the meal the friends had a long talk, or rather the Town Mouse talked about her life in the city while the Country Mouse listened. |
| Tá cainet lorë árina haustassë i ceätiëssë ar lornet quildessë ar aþiëssë mennai arin. | | They then went to bed in a cozy nest in the hedgerow and slept in quiet and comfort until morning. | |
| Lan lorila i Nyarrincë Restassello ólanë Nyarrincin i nánes Nyarrincë Hérostollo ó ilyë i mairië ar elmenda mariéno hérostossesen ya melderya osetécië sán. | | In her sleep the Country Mouse dreamed she was a Town Mouse with all the luxuries and delights of city life that her friend had described for her. | |
| Epetai i neuna ressë i Nyarrincë Hérostollo iquiryanë i Nyarrincë Restassello lelya maryanna hérostossë, alaranyes quetë nása. | | So the next day when the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse to go home with her to the city, she gladly said yes. | |
| 5 | Yá ananyeltë i marda yassë i Nyarrincë Hérostollo marnë, túvet i paluhtassë i latsessë matiéno i lemba matta elmendeä merendello. | | When they reached the mansion in which the Town Mouse lived, they found on the table in the dining room the leavings of a very fine banquet. |
| Opo sen nánë lissimattar ar piohimmar, liscorni, tyaustië tyurmi, é, i aritelyantalyë mattar yai Nyarrincë polë sana. | | There were sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delicious cheeses, indeed, the most tempting foods that a Mouse can imagine. | |
| Mal vin yá i Nyarrincë Restassello nánë ferya matë nihta liscorneo, hlasses romya muilë Miuyo ar nyaþië i fennassë. | | But just as the Country Mouse was about to nibble a dainty bit of pastry, she heard a Cat mew loudly and scratch at the door. | |
| Þossessë i Nyarrinci norner nómenna nurtaléo, yassë quilindet anden lúmeo, þosseä þúya. | | In great fear the Mice scurried to a hiding place, where they lay quite still for a long time, hardly daring to breathe. | |
| Yá teldavë nanwennet i merendenna, i fenna latyanë vercálavë ar núri mittaner poita i paluhta, hilina i Röanen. | | When at last they ventured back to the feast, the door opened suddenly and in came the servants to clear the table, followed by the House Dog. | |
| 6 | I Nyarrincë Restassello sérë i eccassë Hérostollo Nyarrinciva rië faren anda napë fillannerya ar ulutelmerya. | | The Country Mouse stopped in the Town Mouse's den only long enough to pick up her carpet bag and umbrella. |
| 7 | “Ná ten i samityë mairië ar elmendeä matta yai ú-samin,” eques lan ronganes öa, “mal tyasin þundomattanya ar þundocoiviënya i restassessë ó i calainë ar varnassë ya lenna ó sé.” | | "You may have luxuries and dainties that I have not," she said as she hurried away, "but I prefer my plain food and simple life in the country with the peace and security that go with it." |
| 8 | -- | | -- |
| 9 | Eques: Penyalë ó varnassë ná arya epë aurië imíca þossë ar útancië. | | Motto: Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty. |