Aesop's Fables; a new translation
with wool and lambs and milk and you give us nothing but grass, and
even that we have to find for ourselves: but you get nothing at all
from the Dog, and yet you feed him with tit-bits from your own table."
Their remarks were overheard by the Dog, who spoke up at once and
said, "Yes, and quite right, too: where would you be if it wasn't for
me? Thieves would steal you! Wolves would eat you! Indeed, if I didn't
keep constant watch over you, you would be too terrified even to
graze!" The Sheep were obliged to acknowledge that he spoke the truth,
and never again made a grievance of the regard in which he was held by
his master.
THE SHEPHERD AND THE WOLF
A Shepherd found a Wolf's Cub straying in the pastures, and took him
home and reared him along with his dogs. When the Cub grew to his full
size, if ever a wolf stole a sheep from the flock, he used to join the
dogs in hunting him down. It sometimes happened that the dogs failed
to come up with the thief, and, abandoning the pursuit, returned home.
The Wolf would on such occasions continue the chase by himself, and
when he overtook the culprit, would stop and share the feast with him,
and then return to the Shepherd. But if some time passed without a
sheep being carried off by the wolves, he would steal one himself
and share his plunder with the dogs. The Shepherd's suspicions were
aroused, and one day he caught him in the act; and, fastening a rope
round his neck, hung him on the nearest tree.
What's bred in the bone is sure to come out in the flesh.
THE LION, JUPITER, AND THE ELEPHANT
The Lion, for all his size and strength, and his sharp teeth and
claws, is a coward in one thing: he can't bear the sound of a cock
crowing, and runs away whenever he hears it. He complained bitterly
to Jupiter for making him like that; but Jupiter said it wasn't his
fault: he had done the best he could for him, and, considering this
was his only failing, he ought to be well content. The Lion, however,
wouldn't be comforted, and was so ashamed of his timidity that he
wished he might die. In this state of mind, he met the Elephant and
had a talk with him. He noticed that the great beast cocked up his
ears all the time, as if he were listening for something, and he asked
him why he did so. Just then a gnat came humming by, and the Elephant
said, "Do you see that wretched little buzzing insect? I'm terribly
afraid of its getting into my ear: if it once gets in, I'm dead and
done for." The Lion's spirits rose at once when he heard this: "For,"
he said to himself, "if the Elephant, huge as he is, is afraid of a
gnat, I needn't be so much ashamed of being afraid of a cock, who is
ten thousand times bigger than a gnat."
THE PIG AND THE SHEEP
A Pig found his way into a meadow where a flock of Sheep were grazing.
The shepherd caught him, and was proceeding to carry him off to the
butcher's when he set up a loud squealing and struggled to get free.
The Sheep rebuked him for making such a to-do, and said to him, "The
shepherd catches us regularly and drags us off just like that, and we
don't make any fuss." "No, I dare say not," replied the Pig, "but my
case and yours are altogether different: he only wants you for wool,
but he wants me for bacon."
THE GARDENER AND HIS DOG
A Gardner's Dog fell into a deep well, from which his master used to
draw water for the plants in his garden with a rope and a bucket.
Failing to get the Dog out by means of these, the Gardener went down
into the well himself in order to fetch him up. But the Dog thought he
had come to make sure of drowning him; so he bit his master as soon as
he came within reach, and hurt him a good deal, with the result that
he left the Dog to his fate and climbed out of the well, remarking,
"It serves me quite right for trying to save so determined a suicide."
THE RIVERS AND THE SEA
Once upon a time all the Rivers combined to protest against the action
of the Sea in making their waters salt. "When we come to you," said
they to the Sea, "we are sweet and drinkable: but when once we have
mingled with you, our waters become as briny and unpalatable as your
own." The Sea replied shortly, "Keep away from me and you'll remain
sweet."
THE LION IN LOVE
A Lion fell deeply in love with the daughter of a cottager and wanted
to marry her; but her father was unwilling to give her to so fearsome
a husband, and yet didn't want to offend the Lion; so he hit upon the
following expedient. He went to the Lion and said, "I think you will
make a very good husband for my daughter: but I cannot consent to your
union unless you let me draw your teeth and pare your nails, for my
daughter is terribly afraid of them." The Lion was so much in love
that he readily agreed that this should be done. When once, however,
he was thus disarmed, the Cottager was afraid of him no longer, but
drove him away with his club.
THE BEE-KEEPER
A Thief found his way into an apiary when the Bee-keeper was away,
and stole all the honey. When the Keeper returned and found the hives
empty, he was very much upset and stood staring at them for some time.
Before long the bees came back from gathering honey, and, finding
their hives overturned and the Keeper standing by, they made for him
with their stings. At this he fell into a passion and cried, "You
ungrateful scoundrels, you let the thief who stole my honey get off
scot-free, and then you go and sting me who have always taken such
care of you!"
When you hit back make sure you have got the right man.
THE WOLF AND THE HORSE
A Wolf on his rambles came to a field of oats, but, not being able to
eat them, he was passing on his way when a Horse came along. "Look,"
said the Wolf, "here's a fine field of oats. For your sake I have
left it untouched, and I shall greatly enjoy the sound of your teeth
munching the ripe grain." But the Horse replied, "If wolves could eat
oats, my fine friend, you would hardly have indulged your ears at the
cost of your belly."
There is no virtue in giving to others what is useless to oneself.
THE BAT, THE BRAMBLE, AND THE SEAGULL
A Bat, a Bramble, and a Seagull went into partnership and determined
to go on a trading voyage together. The Bat borrowed a sum of money
for his venture; the Bramble laid in a stock of clothes of various
kinds; and the Seagull took a quantity of lead: and so they set out.
By and by a great storm came on, and their boat with all the cargo
went to the bottom, but the three travellers managed to reach land.
Ever since then the Seagull flies to and fro over the sea, and every
now and then dives below the surface, looking for the lead he's lost;
while the Bat is so afraid of meeting his creditors that he hides away
by day and only comes out at night to feed; and the Bramble catches
hold of the clothes of every one who passes by, hoping some day to
recognise and recover the lost garments.
All men are more concerned to recover what they lose than to
acquire what they lack.
THE DOG AND THE WOLF
A Dog was lying in the sun before a farmyard gate when a Wolf pounced
upon him and was just going to eat him up; but he begged for his life
and said, "You see how thin I am and what a wretched meal I should
make you now: but if you will only wait a few days my master is going
to give a feast. All the rich scraps and pickings will fall to me and
I shall get nice and fat: then will be the time for you to eat me."
The Wolf thought this was a very good plan and went away. Some time
afterwards he came to the farmyard again, and found the Dog lying out
of reach on the stable roof. "Come down," he called, "and be eaten:
you remember our agreement?" But the Dog said coolly, "My friend, if
ever you catch me lying down by the gate there again, don't you wait
for any feast."
Once bitten, twice shy.
THE WASP AND THE SNAKE
A Wasp settled on the head of a Snake, and not only stung him several
times, but clung obstinately to the head of his victim. Maddened with
pain the Snake tried every means he could think of to get rid of
the creature, but without success. At last he became desperate, and
crying, "Kill you I will, even at the cost of my own life," he laid
his head with the Wasp on it under the wheel of a passing waggon, and
they both perished together.
THE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE
An Eagle was chasing a hare, which was running for dear life and was
at her wits' end to know where to turn for help. Presently she espied
a Beetle, and begged it to aid her. So when the Eagle came up
the Beetle warned her not to touch the hare, which was under its
protection. But the Eagle never noticed the Beetle because it was so
small, seized the hare and ate her up. The Beetle never forgot this,
and used to keep an eye on the Eagle's nest, and whenever the Eagle
laid an egg it climbed up and rolled it out of the nest and broke it.
At last the Eagle got so worried over the loss of her eggs that she
went up to Jupiter, who is the special protector of Eagles, and begged
him to give her a safe place to nest in: so he let her lay her eggs in
his lap. But the Beetle noticed this and made a ball of dirt the size
of an Eagle's egg, and flew up and deposited it in Jupiter's lap. When
Jupiter saw the dirt, he stood up to shake it out of his robe, and,
forgetting about the eggs, he shook them out too, and they were broken
just as before. Ever since then, they say, Eagles never lay their eggs
at the season when Beetles are about.
The weak will sometimes find ways to avenge an insult, even upon
the strong.
THE FOWLER AND THE LARK
A Fowler was setting his nets for little birds when a Lark came up
to him and asked him what he was doing. "I am engaged in founding a
city," said he, and with that he withdrew to a short distance and
concealed himself. The Lark examined the nets with great curiosity,
and presently, catching sight of the bait, hopped on to them in order
to secure it, and became entangled in the meshes. The Fowler then ran
up quickly and captured her. "What a fool I was!" said she: "but at
any rate, if that's the kind of city you are founding, it'll be a long
time before you find fools enough to fill it."
THE FISHERMAN PIPING
A Fisherman who could play the flute went down one day to the
sea-shore with his nets and his flute; and, taking his stand on a
projecting rock, began to play a tune, thinking that the music would
bring the fish jumping out of the sea. He went on playing for some
time, but not a fish appeared: so at last he threw down his flute and
cast his net into the sea, and made a great haul of fish. When they
were landed and he saw them leaping about on the shore, he cried, "You
rascals! you wouldn't dance when I piped: but now I've stopped, you
can do nothing else!"
THE WEASEL AND THE MAN
A Man once caught a Weasel, which was always sneaking about the house,
and was just going to drown it in a tub of water, when it begged hard
for its life, and said to him, "Surely you haven't the heart to put me
to death? Think how useful I have been in clearing your house of the
mice and lizards which used to infest it, and show your gratitude by
sparing my life." "You have not been altogether useless, I grant you,"
said the Man: "but who killed the fowls? Who stole the meat? No, no!
You do much more harm than good, and die you shall."
THE PLOUGHMAN, THE ASS, AND THE OX
A Ploughman yoked his Ox and his Ass together, and set to work to
plough his field. It was a poor makeshift of a team, but it was the
best he could do, as he had but a single Ox. At the end of the day,
when the beasts were loosed from the yoke, the Ass said to the Ox,