by Caelius Firmianus Symphosius (flourished 4th - 5th century CE)
Translation by Elizabeth Hickman Du Bois (b. 1870)

mola / mula (mill / mule)
Language: Latin 
ambo sumus lapides, una sumus, ambo iacemus. 
quam piger est unus, tantum non est piger alter; 
hic manet immotus, non desinit ille moveri.

dissimilis matri, patri diversa figura, 
confusi generis, generi non apta propago, 
ex aliis nascor, nec quicquam nascitur ex me.

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Elizabeth Hickman Du Bois) , "Mill / Mule", first published 1912


Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-09-01
Line count: 6
Word count: 42

Mill / Mule
Language: English  after the Latin 
Though twain, I'm one, two stones together lie, 
And one's as lazy as the other's spry, 
One moveth not, the other up and down doth ply.

My form with neither parent's doth agree 
Of mingled race not fit for progeny, 
And though of others born, there's born no son of me.

Text Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-09-01
Line count: 6
Word count: 51