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Aesop’s Fables

The Dog and the Shadow

It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was car

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rying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way

home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook.

As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow re

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flected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog

with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have

that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but

as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped

into the water and was never seen more.

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the

shadow.

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The Lion’s Share

The Lion went once a-hunting along with the Fox, the Jackal,

and the Wolf. They hunted and they hunted till at last they

surprised a Stag, and soon took its life. Then came the ques

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tion how the spoil should be divided. ‘Quarter me this Stag,’

roared the Lion; so the other animals skinned it and cut it

into four parts. Then the Lion took his stand in front of the

carcass and pronounced judgment: The first quarter is for

me in my capacity as King of Beasts; the second is mine as

arbiter; another share comes to me for my part in the chase;

and as for the fourth quarter, well, as for that, I should like

to see which of you will dare to lay a paw upon it.’

‘Humph,’ grumbled the Fox as he walked away with his

tail between his legs; but he spoke in a low growl .’You may

share the labours of the great, but you will not share the

spoil.’

Aesop’s Fables

The Wolf and the Crane

A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had killed, when

suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat and he

could not swallow it. He soon felt terrible pain in his throat,

and ran up and down groaning and groaning and seeking

for something to relieve the pain. He tried to induce every

one he met to remove the bone. ‘I would give anything,’ said

he, ‘if you would take it out.’ At last the Crane agreed to

try, and told the Wolf to lie on his side and open his jaws

as wide as he could. Then the Crane put its long neck down

the Wolf ’s throat, and with its beak loosened the bone, till

at last it got it out.

‘Will you kindly give me the reward you promised?’ said

the Crane.

The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said: ‘Be

content. You have put your head inside a Wolf ’s mouth and

taken it out again in safety; that ought to be reward enough

for you.’

Gratitude and greed go not together.

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The Man and the Serpent

A Countryman’s son by accident trod upon a Serpent’s tail,

which turned and bit him so that he died. The father in a

rage got his axe, and pursuing the Serpent, cut off part of

its tail. So the Serpent in revenge began stinging several of

the Farmer’s cattle and caused him severe loss. Well, the

Farmer thought it best to make it up with the Serpent, and

brought food and honey to the mouth of its lair, and said to

it: ‘Let’s forget and forgive; perhaps you were right to punish

my son, and take vengeance on my cattle, but surely I was

right in trying to revenge him; now that we are both satis

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fied why should not we be friends again?’

‘No, no,’ said the Serpent; ‘take away your gifts; you can

never forget the death of your son, nor I the loss of my tail.’

Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten.

Aesop’s Fables

The Town Mouse and

the Country Mouse

Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time

went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough

and ready, this cousin, but he loved his town friend and

made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and

bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them free

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ly. The Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this

country fare, and said: ‘I cannot understand, Cousin, how

you can put up with such poor food as this, but of course

you cannot expect anything better in the country; come

you with me and I will show you how to live. When you

have been in town a week you will wonder how you could

ever have stood a country life.’ No sooner said than done:

the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town

Mouse’s residence late at night. ‘You will want some refresh

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ment after our long journey,’ said the polite Town Mouse,

and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they

found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice

were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice. Sud

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denly they heard growling and barking. ‘What is that?’ said

the Country Mouse. ‘It is only the dogs of the house,’ an

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swered the other. ‘Only!’ said the Country Mouse. ‘I do not

like that music at my dinner.’ Just at that moment the door

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flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had

to scamper down and run off. ‘Good-bye, Cousin,’ said the

Country Mouse, ‘What! going so soon?’ said the other. ‘Yes,’

he replied;

‘Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in

fear.’

Aesop’s Fables

10

The Fox and the Crow

A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its

beak and settle on a branch of a tree. ‘That’s for me, as I

am a Fox,’ said Master Reynard, and he walked up to the

foot of the tree. ‘Good-day, Mistress Crow,’ he cried. ‘How

well you are looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how

bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of

other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one

song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds.’

The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but

the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell

to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox. ‘That

will do,’ said he. ‘That was all I wanted. In exchange for your

cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future .’Do

not trust flatterers.’

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The Sick Lion

A Lion had come to the end of his days and lay sick unto

death at the mouth of his cave, gasping for breath. The ani

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mals, his subjects, came round him and drew nearer as he

grew more and more helpless. When they saw him on the

point of death they thought to themselves: ‘Now is the time

to pay off old grudges.’ So the Boar came up and drove at

him with his tusks; then a Bull gored him with his horns;

still the Lion lay helpless before them: so the Ass, feeling

quite safe from danger, came up, and turning his tail to

the Lion kicked up his heels into his face. ‘This is a double

death,’ growled the Lion.

Only cowards insult dying majesty.

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