AESOP'S FABLES (84 Fables)
AESOP'S FABLES (84 Fables)
From The PaperLess Readers Club, Houston (713) 977-9505 (BBS)
Voice/Fax (713) 977-1719
From The PaperLess Readers Club, Houston (713) 977-9505 (BBS)
Voice/Fax (713) 977-1719
The Goose With the Golden Eggs
One day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found
there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was
as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he
thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on
second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg
of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon
became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy;
and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he
killed it and opened it only to find nothing.
Greed oft o'er reaches itself.
The Labourer and the Nightingale
A Labourer lay listening to a Nightingale's song throughout
the summer night. So pleased was he with it that the next night
he set a trap for it and captured it. "Now that I have caught
thee," he cried, "thou shalt always sing to me."
"We Nightingales never sing in a cage." said the bird.
"Then I'll eat thee." said the Labourer. "I have always heard
say that a nightingale on toast is dainty morsel."
"Nay, kill me not," said the Nightingale; "but let me free,
and I'll tell thee three things far better worth than my poor
body." The Labourer let him loose, and he flew up to a branch of
a tree and said: "Never believe a captive's promise; that's one
thing. Then again: Keep what you have. And third piece of advice
is: Sorrow not over what is lost forever." Then the song-bird
flew away.
The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog
One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about a farmer's
hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up beyond his reach. "Good
news, good news!" he cried.
"Why, what is that?" said the Cock.
"King Lion has declared a universal truce. No beast may hurt
a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together in brotherly
friendship."
"Why, that is good news," said the Cock; "and there I see some
one coming, with whom we can share the good tidings." And so
saying he craned his neck forward and looked afar off.
"What is it you see?" said the Fox.
"It is only my master's Dog that is coming towards us. What,
going so soon?" he continued, as the Fox began to turn away as
soon as he had heard the news. "Will you not stop and
congratulate the Dog on the reign of universal peace?"
"I would gladly do so," said the Fox, "but I fear he may not
have heard of King Lion's decree."
Cunning often outwits itself.
The Wind and the Sun
The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger.
Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun
said: "I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can
cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as
the stronger. You begin." So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and
the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller.
But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his
cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair.
Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the
traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.
Kindness effects more than severity.
Hercules and the Waggoner
A Waggoner was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy
way. At last he came to a part of the road where the wheels sank
half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper
sank the wheels. So the Waggoner threw down his whip, and knelt
down and prayed to Hercules the Strong. "O Hercules, help me in
this my hour of distress," quoth he. But Hercules appeared to
him, and said:
"Tut, man, don't sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder
to the wheel."
The gods help them that help themselves.
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey
A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market.
As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them
and said: "You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?"
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their
way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See
that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides."
So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself.
But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom
said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little
son trudge along."
Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his
Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to
the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The
Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said:
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey
of yoursu and your hulking son?"
The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They
thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied
the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to
their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met
them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one
of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end
of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and
his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.
"That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them:
"Please all, and you will please none."
The Miser and His Gold
Once upon a time there was a Miser who used to hide his gold
at the foot of a tree in his garden; but every week he used to go
and dig it up and gloat over his gains. A robber, who had noticed
this, went and dug up the gold and decamped with it. When the
Miser next came to gloat over his treasures, he found nothing but
the empty hole. He tore his hair, and raised such an outcry that
all the neighbours came around him, and he told them how he used
to come and visit his gold. "Did you ever take any of it out?"
asked one of them.
"Nay," said he, "I only came to look at it."
"Then come again and look at the hole," said a neighbour; "it
will do you just as much good."
Wealth unused might as well not exist.
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
A Fox after crossing a river got its tail entangled in a bush,
and could not move. A number of Mosquitoes seeing its plight
settled upon it and enjoyed a good meal undisturbed by its tail.
A hedgehog strolling by took pity upon the Fox and went up to him:
"You are in a bad way, neighbour," said the hedgehog; "shall I
relieve you by driving off those Mosquitoes who are sucking your
blood?"
"Thank you, Master Hedgehog," said the Fox, "but I would
rather not."
"Why, how is that?" asked the hedgehog.
"Well, you see," was the answer, "these Mosquitoes have had
their fill; if you drive these away, others will come with fresh
appetite and bleed me to death."
The Fox Without a Tail
It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in
struggling to release himself lost all of it but the stump. At
first he was ashamed to show himself among his fellow foxes. But
at last he determined to put a bolder face upon his misfortune,
and summoned all the foxes to a general meeting to consider a
proposal which he had to place before them. When they had
assembled together the Fox proposed that they should all do away
with their tails. He pointed out how inconvenient a tail was when
they were pursued by their enemies, the dogs; how much it was in
the way when they desired to sit down and hold a friendly
conversation with one another. He failed to see any advantage in
carrying about such a useless encumbrance. "That is all very
well," said one of the older foxes; "but I do not think you would
have recommended us to dispense with our chief ornament if you had
not happened to lose it yourself."
Distrust interested advice.
The One-Eyed Doe
A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and
could not see any one approaching her on that side. So to avoid
any danger she always used to feed on a high cliff near the sea,
with her sound eye looking towards the land. By this means she
could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and often
escaped by this means. But the hunters found out that she was
blind of one eye, and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where
she used to feed and shot her from the sea. "Ah," cried she with
her dying voice,
"You cannot escape your fate."
Belling the Cat
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what
measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat.
Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got
up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet
the case. "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger
consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy
approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her
approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore,
to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon
round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know
when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the
neighbourhood."
This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse
got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the
Cat?" The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the
old mouse said:
"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other
animals. "I have never yet been beaten," said he, "when I put
forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me."
The Tortoise said quietly, "I accept your challenge."
"That is a good joke," said the Hare; "I could dance round you
all the way."
"Keep your boasting till you've beaten," answered the
Tortoise. "Shall we race?"
So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted
almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his
contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise
plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap,
he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run
up in time to save the race. Then said the Tortoise:
"Plodding wins the race."
The Old Man and Death
An old labourer, bent double with age and toil, was gathering
sticks in a forest. At last he grew so tired and hopeless that he
threw down the bundle of sticks, and cried out: "I cannot bear
this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would only come and take
me!"
As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared and said to
him: "What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call me."
"Please, sir," replied the woodcutter, "would you kindly help
me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?"
We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.
One day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found
there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was
as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he
thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on
second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg
of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon
became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy;
and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he
killed it and opened it only to find nothing.
Greed oft o'er reaches itself.
The Labourer and the Nightingale
A Labourer lay listening to a Nightingale's song throughout
the summer night. So pleased was he with it that the next night
he set a trap for it and captured it. "Now that I have caught
thee," he cried, "thou shalt always sing to me."
"We Nightingales never sing in a cage." said the bird.
"Then I'll eat thee." said the Labourer. "I have always heard
say that a nightingale on toast is dainty morsel."
"Nay, kill me not," said the Nightingale; "but let me free,
and I'll tell thee three things far better worth than my poor
body." The Labourer let him loose, and he flew up to a branch of
a tree and said: "Never believe a captive's promise; that's one
thing. Then again: Keep what you have. And third piece of advice
is: Sorrow not over what is lost forever." Then the song-bird
flew away.
The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog
One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about a farmer's
hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up beyond his reach. "Good
news, good news!" he cried.
"Why, what is that?" said the Cock.
"King Lion has declared a universal truce. No beast may hurt
a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together in brotherly
friendship."
"Why, that is good news," said the Cock; "and there I see some
one coming, with whom we can share the good tidings." And so
saying he craned his neck forward and looked afar off.
"What is it you see?" said the Fox.
"It is only my master's Dog that is coming towards us. What,
going so soon?" he continued, as the Fox began to turn away as
soon as he had heard the news. "Will you not stop and
congratulate the Dog on the reign of universal peace?"
"I would gladly do so," said the Fox, "but I fear he may not
have heard of King Lion's decree."
Cunning often outwits itself.
The Wind and the Sun
The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger.
Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun
said: "I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can
cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as
the stronger. You begin." So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and
the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller.
But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his
cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair.
Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the
traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.
Kindness effects more than severity.
Hercules and the Waggoner
A Waggoner was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy
way. At last he came to a part of the road where the wheels sank
half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper
sank the wheels. So the Waggoner threw down his whip, and knelt
down and prayed to Hercules the Strong. "O Hercules, help me in
this my hour of distress," quoth he. But Hercules appeared to
him, and said:
"Tut, man, don't sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder
to the wheel."
The gods help them that help themselves.
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey
A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market.
As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them
and said: "You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?"
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their
way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See
that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides."
So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself.
But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom
said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little
son trudge along."
Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his
Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to
the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The
Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said:
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey
of yoursu and your hulking son?"
The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They
thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied
the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to
their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met
them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one
of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end
of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and
his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.
"That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them:
"Please all, and you will please none."
The Miser and His Gold
Once upon a time there was a Miser who used to hide his gold
at the foot of a tree in his garden; but every week he used to go
and dig it up and gloat over his gains. A robber, who had noticed
this, went and dug up the gold and decamped with it. When the
Miser next came to gloat over his treasures, he found nothing but
the empty hole. He tore his hair, and raised such an outcry that
all the neighbours came around him, and he told them how he used
to come and visit his gold. "Did you ever take any of it out?"
asked one of them.
"Nay," said he, "I only came to look at it."
"Then come again and look at the hole," said a neighbour; "it
will do you just as much good."
Wealth unused might as well not exist.
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
A Fox after crossing a river got its tail entangled in a bush,
and could not move. A number of Mosquitoes seeing its plight
settled upon it and enjoyed a good meal undisturbed by its tail.
A hedgehog strolling by took pity upon the Fox and went up to him:
"You are in a bad way, neighbour," said the hedgehog; "shall I
relieve you by driving off those Mosquitoes who are sucking your
blood?"
"Thank you, Master Hedgehog," said the Fox, "but I would
rather not."
"Why, how is that?" asked the hedgehog.
"Well, you see," was the answer, "these Mosquitoes have had
their fill; if you drive these away, others will come with fresh
appetite and bleed me to death."
The Fox Without a Tail
It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in
struggling to release himself lost all of it but the stump. At
first he was ashamed to show himself among his fellow foxes. But
at last he determined to put a bolder face upon his misfortune,
and summoned all the foxes to a general meeting to consider a
proposal which he had to place before them. When they had
assembled together the Fox proposed that they should all do away
with their tails. He pointed out how inconvenient a tail was when
they were pursued by their enemies, the dogs; how much it was in
the way when they desired to sit down and hold a friendly
conversation with one another. He failed to see any advantage in
carrying about such a useless encumbrance. "That is all very
well," said one of the older foxes; "but I do not think you would
have recommended us to dispense with our chief ornament if you had
not happened to lose it yourself."
Distrust interested advice.
The One-Eyed Doe
A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and
could not see any one approaching her on that side. So to avoid
any danger she always used to feed on a high cliff near the sea,
with her sound eye looking towards the land. By this means she
could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and often
escaped by this means. But the hunters found out that she was
blind of one eye, and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where
she used to feed and shot her from the sea. "Ah," cried she with
her dying voice,
"You cannot escape your fate."
Belling the Cat
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what
measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat.
Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got
up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet
the case. "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger
consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy
approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her
approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore,
to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon
round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know
when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the
neighbourhood."
This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse
got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the
Cat?" The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the
old mouse said:
"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other
animals. "I have never yet been beaten," said he, "when I put
forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me."
The Tortoise said quietly, "I accept your challenge."
"That is a good joke," said the Hare; "I could dance round you
all the way."
"Keep your boasting till you've beaten," answered the
Tortoise. "Shall we race?"
So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted
almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his
contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise
plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap,
he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run
up in time to save the race. Then said the Tortoise:
"Plodding wins the race."
The Old Man and Death
An old labourer, bent double with age and toil, was gathering
sticks in a forest. At last he grew so tired and hopeless that he
threw down the bundle of sticks, and cried out: "I cannot bear
this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would only come and take
me!"
As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared and said to
him: "What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call me."
"Please, sir," replied the woodcutter, "would you kindly help
me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?"
We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.
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