Those who praise what is ugly as if it were lovely lose both good judgment and the gods’ favor.
Babrius Translation (The Female Slave and Venus)
A man, enamour’d of his ugly slave,
An arrant slut, to her for asking gave
Whate’er she would. Hence, as more gauds she wins,
And trails fine purple o’er her slattern shins,
At wife and mistress she defiance flings;
But Venus, as the cause of these good things,
With lamps she fain would honour, and each day
Make offering, supplicate, pay vows, and pray;
Till to her came the goddess, in her sleep,
And, while the house was hush’d in slumber deep,
Said, “Thank me not, as tho’ I’d made thee fair;
“To him that thinks thee so, a hate I bear.”
Whoso in what is foul can beauty find,
Is surely God-abhorr’d, and halt in mind.
How do you think an AI might simplify this fable? Here is one answer, and the illustration above was made from this simplification:
The Slave Who Thought Herself a Queen
A man once had a slave who was quite plain and dirty, yet he was strangely fond of her. Because of his affection, he gave her anything she wanted; fine clothes, jewelry, and perfumes.
As she dressed in rich garments and strutted about, she began to think herself better than everyone. She mocked her master’s wife and acted like a grand lady. To thank the goddess Venus, whom she believed had brought her such fortune, the slave lit lamps and prayed daily.
One night, Venus appeared in a dream and said, “Don’t thank me, foolish girl. I never gave you beauty. I scorn the one who sees beauty where there is none.”
Moral:
Those who praise what is ugly as if it were lovely lose both good judgment and the gods’ favor.
Perry. #301