# Ancient Roman poem about a dog and two bones.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 18, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651 "2005-08-18T20:36:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/1 "2005-08-18T20:36:55Z")
In Devo’s song _Freedom of Choice_ there’s a part that goes, “In ancient Rome there was a poem about a dog who had two bones. He picked at one, he licked the other, he went in circles 'till he dropped dead.”
So… what is this poem? I’ve heard reference to it in other places, but for some reason I never caught the source material, or the author. I’ve been googling it, but it’s been fruitless. I’d like to know its original context. Ideally I’d like an English translation accompanied with the original Latin, but whatever anyone can dig up, I’d appreciate. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/2 "2005-08-18T21:49:12Z")
I thought it was a reference to Aesop’s fable of the dog who, while carrying a bone, saw his reflection in the water, thought he was seeing another dog with a bone, and when he tried to steal that dog’s bone, he lost his own in the water.
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/3 "2005-08-18T22:06:24Z")
The Aesop fable was also the first thing that came to my mind. There’s a version of it [on this site.](http://classics.mit.edu/Aesop/fab.1.1.html) Scroll down to the fifteenth fable, entitled _The Dog and the Shadow_.
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### Author:  [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/4 "2005-08-18T22:58:18Z")
Pretty sure it was originally a _Greek_ parable about a donkey between two bales of hay who starved, but since “Rome” and “Bone” more or less rhyme, there’s the lyric.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/5 "2005-08-18T23:00:48Z")
> [@Slithy Tove](#):
>
> Pretty sure it was originally a _Greek_ parable about a donkey between two bales of hay who starved, but since “Rome” and “Bone” more or less rhyme, there’s the lyric.
Mark Mothersbaugh knew what he was doing… it just wouldn’t sound right:
In ancient Greece
There was a parable
About a donkey
who found two bales ooooof haaay-ay.
Nah, it’s just not working right with the melody…
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### Author:  [@aldosyrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldosyrt)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2010, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/6 "2010-07-14T11:31:35Z")
I guess Im five years too late on the thread…
The parable of the donkey, Buridan’s dilemna, concerns the philosophical concept of choice.
A donkey standing at equal distance of two identical bayles of hay cannot choose which one to feed from, and dies as a result. the parable shows us that reason cannot always help us to choose.
On the other hand, the parable of the dog with two bones concerns day to day wisdom: don’t be too greedy, and sometimes be content with what you already have.
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### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/7 "2010-07-14T11:51:48Z")
These Google-searching, zombie-waking n00bs are quite the coming thing, aren’t they?
ETA: Welcome to the Straight Dope and all that.
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### Author:  [@MahouKame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MahouKame)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/8 "2015-07-06T20:00:28Z")
It’s been 10 years now. Allow me to zombify this post further.
There was also a 6th-century Aesop’s fable called “The Dog and His Reflection.”
A dog was carrying a bone (or meat or cheese, depending on the retelling) and he saw his reflection in the river. His greed for the other bone caused him to lose the one he had. :smack:
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/9 "2015-07-06T20:12:25Z")
> [@MahouKame](#):
>
> It’s been 10 years now. Allow me to zombify this post further.
>
> There was also a 6th-century Aesop’s fable called “The Dog and His Reflection.”
> A dog was carrying a bone (or meat or cheese, depending on the retelling) and he saw his reflection in the river. His greed for the other bone caused him to lose the one he had. :smack:
You’re just repeating what’s in posts #2 and #3 above.
Myself, I thought of the fable about the donkey and two bales of hay that **Slithy Tove** refers to. That seems a much closer match to the description of the song.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-roman-poem-about-a-dog-and-two-bones/317651/10 "2015-07-07T06:27:12Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#):
>
> Pretty sure it was originally a _Greek_ parable about a donkey between two bales of hay who starved, but since “Rome” and “Bone” more or less rhyme, there’s the lyric.
> [@aldosyrt](#):
>
> I guess Im five years too late on the thread…
> The parable of the donkey, Buridan’s dilemna, concerns the philosophical concept of choice.
> A donkey standing at equal distance of two identical bayles of hay cannot choose which one to feed from, and dies as a result. the parable shows us that reason cannot always help us to choose.
Actually, he was making a point about free will. And Aristotle thought of it first.
> **[Buridan’s Ass](https://yandoo.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/buridans-ass/)**
>
> Buridan’s Ass is the name give to an apparent paradox related to the free will paradox; although there is some debate amongst philosophers as to whether it actually is a paradox (see below). …