The land frog gets dry in the sun and in the cold, in the wind and in the snow. And she endures everything and gets very tired. But the water frog cannot endure so much, and in the winter, she flees into the depths. When the sun shines, she goes out to a well-lit place, and when the sun scorches her, she again enters the water.
Same with the people [who] take monastic vows. [Someone] cannot endure hunger and thirst, and nakedness, and abstention, and submission, and unlaundered clothes, and uncooked food, and offense. And he cannot hold back [his] tears.
[They are called angels for people's sake but have no fear of God. Because if] you endure [this], you will really be so. There is no greater pursuit than that of monks except for the martyrs. [But] before the term of fasting has come to an end, [someone] indeed said: "I have done a lot of good." So he too looked for food, which is not right; so the water frog chooses a place that suits the body better. If you want real monastic life, be like the land frog. [The water frog] gratifies her body and does not constrain her soul, but cries incessantly like an evil monk.
The Physiologus it was one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages. It was the basis of the later bestiaries. The Physiologus consists of descriptions of animals, birds, and fantastic creatures, sometimes stones and plants, provided with moral content. The text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author. Traditionally dated to the 2nd century AD. Physiologus is not an original title, it was given to the book because the author introduces his stories from natural history with the phrase: "the physiologus says".
Ana Stoykova 1994, 2009-2012, Bulgarian site: Physiologus.
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