Aesop's Fables; a new translation
Venus to change her into a woman. Venus was very gracious about it,
and changed her at once into a beautiful maiden, whom the young man
fell in love with at first sight and shortly afterwards married. One
day Venus thought she would like to see whether the Cat had changed
her habits as well as her form; so she let a mouse run loose in the
room where they were. Forgetting everything, the young woman had no
sooner seen the mouse than up she jumped and was after it like a shot:
at which the goddess was so disgusted that she changed her back again
into a Cat.
THE CROW AND THE SWAN
A Crow was filled with envy on seeing the beautiful white plumage of a
Swan, and thought it was due to the water in which the Swan constantly
bathed and swam. So he left the neighbourhood of the altars, where he
got his living by picking up bits of the meat offered in sacrifice,
and went and lived among the pools and streams. But though he bathed
and washed his feathers many times a day, he didn't make them any
whiter, and at last died of hunger into the bargain.
You may change your habits, but not your nature.
THE STAG WITH ONE EYE
A Stag, blind of one eye, was grazing close to the sea-shore and kept
his sound eye turned towards the land, so as to be able to perceive
the approach of the hounds, while the blind eye he turned towards the
sea, never suspecting that any danger would threaten him from that
quarter. As it fell out, however, some sailors, coasting along the
shore, spied him and shot an arrow at him, by which he was mortally
wounded. As he lay dying, he said to himself, "Wretch that I am! I
bethought me of the dangers of the land, whence none assailed me: but
I feared no peril from the sea, yet thence has come my ruin."
Misfortune often assails us from an unexpected quarter.
THE FLY AND THE DRAUGHT-MULE
A Fly sat on one of the shafts of a cart and said to the Mule who was
pulling it, "How slow you are! Do mend your pace, or I shall have to
use my sting as a goad." The Mule was not in the least disturbed.
"Behind me, in the cart," said he, "sits my master. He holds the
reins, and flicks me with his whip, and him I obey, but I don't want
any of your impertinence. _I_ know when I may dawdle and when I may
not."
THE COCK AND THE JEWEL
A Cock, scratching the ground for something to eat, turned up a Jewel
that had by chance been dropped there. "Ho!" said he, "a fine thing
you are, no doubt, and, had your owner found you, great would his joy
have been. But for me! give me a single grain of corn before all the
jewels in the world."
THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD
A Wolf hung about near a flock of sheep for a long time, but made no
attempt to molest them. The Shepherd at first kept a sharp eye on him,
for he naturally thought he meant mischief: but as time went by and
the Wolf showed no inclination to meddle with the flock, he began to
look upon him more as a protector than as an enemy: and when one day
some errand took him to the city, he felt no uneasiness at leaving
the Wolf with the sheep. But as soon as his back was turned the
Wolf attacked them and killed the greater number. When the Shepherd
returned and saw the havoc he had wrought, he cried, "It serves me
right for trusting my flock to a Wolf."
THE FARMER AND THE STORK
A Farmer set some traps in a field which he had lately sown with corn,
in order to catch the cranes which came to pick up the seed. When he
returned to look at his traps he found several cranes caught, and
among them a Stork, which begged to be let go, and said, "You ought
not to kill me: I am not a crane, but a Stork, as you can easily see
by my feathers, and I am the most honest and harmless of birds." But
the Farmer replied, "It's nothing to me what you are: I find you among
these cranes, who ruin my crops, and, like them, you shall suffer."
If you choose bad companions no one will believe that you are
anything but bad yourself.
THE CHARGER AND THE MILLER
A Horse, who had been used to carry his rider into battle, felt
himself growing old and chose to work in a mill instead. He now no
longer found himself stepping out proudly to the beating of the drums,
but was compelled to slave away all day grinding the corn. Bewailing
his hard lot, he said one day to the Miller, "Ah me! I was once a
splendid war-horse, gaily caparisoned, and attended by a groom
whose sole duty was to see to my wants. How different is my present
condition! I wish I had never given up the battlefield for the mill."
The Miller replied with asperity, "It's no use your regretting the
past. Fortune has many ups and downs: you must just take them as they
come."
THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE OWL
An Owl, who lived in a hollow tree, was in the habit of feeding by
night and sleeping by day; but her slumbers were greatly disturbed
by the chirping of a Grasshopper, who had taken up his abode in the
branches. She begged him repeatedly to have some consideration for her
comfort, but the Grasshopper, if anything, only chirped the louder. At
last the Owl could stand it no longer, but determined to rid
herself of the pest by means of a trick. Addressing herself to the
Grasshopper, she said in her pleasantest manner, "As I cannot sleep
for your song, which, believe me, is as sweet as the notes of Apollo's
lyre, I have a mind to taste some nectar, which Minerva gave me
the other day. Won't you come in and join me?" The Grasshopper was
flattered by the praise of his song, and his mouth, too, watered at
the mention of the delicious drink, so he said he would be delighted.
No sooner had he got inside the hollow where the Owl was sitting than
she pounced upon him and ate him up.
THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE ANTS
One fine day in winter some Ants were busy drying their store of corn,
which had got rather damp during a long spell of rain. Presently up
came a Grasshopper and begged them to spare her a few grains, "For,"
she said, "I'm simply starving." The Ants stopped work for a moment,
though this was against their principles. "May we ask," said they,
"what you were doing with yourself all last summer? Why didn't you
collect a store of food for the winter?" "The fact is," replied the
Grasshopper, "I was so busy singing that I hadn't the time." "If you
spent the summer singing," replied the Ants, "you can't do better than
spend the winter dancing." And they chuckled and went on with their
work.
THE FARMER AND THE VIPER
One winter a Farmer found a Viper frozen and numb with cold, and out
of pity picked it up and placed it in his bosom. The Viper was no
sooner revived by the warmth than it turned upon its benefactor and
inflicted a fatal bite upon him; and as the poor man lay dying, he
cried, "I have only got what I deserved, for taking compassion on so
villainous a creature."
Kindness is thrown away upon the evil.
THE TWO FROGS
Two Frogs were neighbours. One lived in a marsh, where there was
plenty of water, which frogs love: the other in a lane some distance
away, where all the water to be had was that which lay in the ruts
after rain. The Marsh Frog warned his friend and pressed him to come
and live with him in the marsh, for he would find his quarters there
far more comfortable and--what was still more important--more safe.
But the other refused, saying that he could not bring himself to move
from a place to which he had become accustomed. A few days afterwards
a heavy waggon came down the lane, and he was crushed to death under
the wheels.
THE COBBLER TURNED DOCTOR
A very unskilful Cobbler, finding himself unable to make a living at
his trade, gave up mending boots and took to doctoring instead. He
gave out that he had the secret of a universal antidote against all
poisons, and acquired no small reputation, thanks to his talent for
puffing himself. One day, however, he fell very ill; and the King of
the country bethought him that he would test the value of his remedy.
Calling, therefore, for a cup, he poured out a dose of the antidote,
and, under pretence of mixing poison with it, added a little water,
and commanded him to drink it. Terrified by the fear of being
poisoned, the Cobbler confessed that he knew nothing about medicine,
and that his antidote was worthless. Then the King summoned his
subjects and addressed them as follows: "What folly could be greater
than yours? Here is this Cobbler to whom no one will send his boots
to be mended, and yet you have not hesitated to entrust him with your
lives!"
THE ASS, THE COCK, AND THE LION
An Ass and a Cock were in a cattle-pen together. Presently a Lion, who
had been starving for days, came along and was just about to fall
upon the Ass and make a meal of him when the Cock, rising to his full
height and flapping his wings vigorously, uttered a tremendous crow.
Now, if there is one thing that frightens a Lion, it is the crowing of
a Cock: and this one had no sooner heard the noise than he fled.
The Ass was mightily elated at this, and thought that, if the Lion
couldn't face a Cock, he would be still less likely to stand up to an
Ass: so he ran out and pursued him. But when the two had got well out
of sight and hearing of the Cock, the Lion suddenly turned upon the
Ass and ate him up.
False confidence often leads to disaster.
THE BELLY AND THE MEMBERS
The Members of the Body once rebelled against the Belly. "You," they
said to the Belly, "live in luxury and sloth, and never do a stroke of
work; while we not only have to do all the hard work there is to be
done, but are actually your slaves and have to minister to all your
wants. Now, we will do so no longer, and you can shift for yourself
for the future." They were as good as their word, and left the Belly
to starve. The result was just what might have been expected: the
whole Body soon began to fail, and the Members and all shared in the
general collapse. And then they saw too late how foolish they had
been.
THE BALD MAN AND THE FLY
A Fly settled on the head of a Bald Man and bit him. In his eagerness
to kill it, he hit himself a smart slap. But the Fly escaped, and said
to him in derision, "You tried to kill me for just one little bite;
what will you do to yourself now, for the heavy smack you have just
given yourself?" "Oh, for that blow I bear no grudge," he replied,
"for I never intended myself any harm; but as for you, you
contemptible insect, who live by sucking human blood, I'd have borne a
good deal more than that for the satisfaction of dashing the life out
of you!"
THE ASS AND THE WOLF
An Ass was feeding in a meadow, and, catching sight of his enemy the
Wolf in the distance, pretended to be very lame and hobbled painfully
along. When the Wolf came up, he asked the Ass how he came to be so
lame, and the Ass replied that in going through a hedge he had trodden
on a thorn, and he begged the Wolf to pull it out with his teeth, "In
case," he said, "when you eat me, it should stick in your throat and
hurt you very much." The Wolf said he would, and told the Ass to lift
up his foot, and gave his whole mind to getting out the thorn. But the
Ass suddenly let out with his heels and fetched the Wolf a fearful
kick in the mouth, breaking his teeth; and then he galloped off at
full speed. As soon as he could speak the Wolf growled to himself,
"It serves me right: my father taught me to kill, and I ought to have
stuck to that trade instead of attempting to cure."
THE MONKEY AND THE CAMEL
At a gathering of all the beasts the Monkey gave an exhibition of
dancing and entertained the company vastly. There was great applause
at the finish, which excited the envy of the Camel and made him desire