1、Page1Translated by George Fyler Townsend The Wolf and the Lamb WOLF, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not tolay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to theLamb the Wolfs right to eat him. He thus addressed him:“Sirrah, last year you grossly insulted me.“ “Indeed,“
2、 bleated the Lamb in amournful tone of voice, “I was not then born.“ Then said the Wolf, “You feed in my pasture.“ “No, good sir,“ replied the Lamb, “I have not yet tasted grass.“ Again said the Wolf, “You drink of mywell.“ “No,“ exclaimed the Lamb, “I never yet drank water, for as yet my mothers mi
3、lk is both food and drink to me.“ Upon which the Wolf seized him and ate him up, saying, “Well! I wont remain supperless, even though you refute every one of my imputations.“ The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny. The Bat and the Weasels A BAT who fell upon the ground and was caught
4、by a Weasel pleaded to be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that hewas not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortlyafterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught byanother Weasel, whom he likewise entr
5、eated not to eat him. TheWeasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assuredhim that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second time escaped. It is wise to turn circumstances to good account. The Ass and the Grasshopper AN ASS having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highl
6、yenchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody,demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them suchbeautiful voices. They replied, “The dew.“ The Ass resolved thathe would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger. The Lion and the Mouse A LION was awakened from sl
7、eep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, whenthe Mouse piteously entreated, saying: “If you would only sparemy life, I would be sure to repay your kindness.“ The Lionlaughedand let him go. It happened shortly after this that theLion was caught
8、 by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the round.The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim “You ridiculed the idea ofmy ever being able to help you,expecting to receive from me any repay ment of your favor; I nowyou know that it is possib
9、le for even aMouse to con benefits on a Lion.“ Page2The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller A CHARCOAL-BURNER carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors andthat their housekeeping e
10、xpenses would be lessened. The Fullerreplied, “The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned,for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken againwith your charcoal.“ Like will draw like. The Father and His Sons A FATHER had a family of sons who were perpetually quarrelingamong
11、themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by hisexhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustrationof the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day toldthem to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, heplaced the faggot into the hands of each of them in su
12、ccession,and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into hissons hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then ddressedthem in these words: “My sons,
13、 if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.“ The Boy Hunting Locusts A BOY was hunting for locusts. He had caught a goodly nu
14、mber,when he saw a Scorpion, and mistaking him for a locust, reachedout his hand to take him. The Scorpion, showing his sting, said:If you had but touched me, my friend, you would have lost me, and all your locusts too!“ The Cock and the Jewel A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens, fo
15、und aprecious stone and exclaimed: “If your owner had found thee, andnot I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world.“ Page3The Kingdom of the Lion THE BEASTS of the f
16、ield and forest had a Lion as their king. Hewas neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentle as a king could be. During his reign he made a royal proclamation for a general assembly of all the birds and beasts, and drew up onditionsfor a universal league, in which the Wolf and the La
17、mb, the Pantherand the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag, the Dog and the Hare, shouldlive together in perfect peace and amity. The Hare said, “Oh, how Ihave longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their placewith impunity by the side of the strong.“ And after the Hare said this, he ran for h
18、is life. The Wolf and the Crane A WOLF who had a bone stuck in his throat hired a Crane, for alarge sum, to put her head into his mouth and draw out the bone. When the Crane had extracted the bone and demanded the romisedpayment, the Wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed:“Why, you have su
19、rely already had a sufficient recompense, inhaving been permitted to draw out your head in safety from themouth and jaws of a wolf.“ In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if youescape injury for your pains. The Fisherman Piping A FISHERMAN skilled in music took his flute and his n
20、ets to theseashore. Standing on a projecting rock, he played several tunesin the hope that the fish, attracted by his melody, would oftheir own accord dance into his net, which he had placed below. At last, having long waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, andcasting his net into the sea, made an
21、 excellent haul of fish. When he saw them leaping about in the net upon the rock he said:“O you most perverse creatures, when I piped you would not dance,but now that I have ceased you do so merrily.“ Hercules and the Wagoner A CARTER was driving a wagon along a country lane, when thewheels sank dow
22、n deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefiedand aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utterloud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and thus addressed him: “Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pray to
23、 me for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, ordepend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain.“ Self-help is the best help. The Ants and the Grasshopper THE ANTS were spending a fine winters day drying grain ollectedin the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passedby
24、and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired ofhim, “Why did you not treasure up food during the summer? Hereplied, “I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing.“ They then said in derision: “If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed
25、in the winter.“ Page4The Traveler and His Dog A TRAVELER about to set out on a journey saw his Dog stand atthe door stretching himself. He asked him sharply: “Why do you stand there gaping? Everything is ready but you, so come with meinstantly.“ The Dog, wagging his tail, replied: “O, master! I amqu
26、ite ready; it is you for whom I am waiting.“ The loiterer often blames delay on his more active friend. The Dog and the Shadow A DOG, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh inhis mouth, saw his own shadow in the water and took it for thatof another Dog, with a piece of meat double his
27、 own in size. Heimmediately let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the otherDog to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: thatwhich he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; andhis own, because the stream swept it away. The Mole and His Mother A MOLE, a creature blind from bi
28、rth, once said to his Mother: “Iam sure than I can see, Mother!“ In the desire to prove to himhis mistake, his Mother placed before him a few grains offrankincense, and asked, “What is it? The young Mole said, “Itis a pebble.“ His Mother exclaimed: “My son, I am afraid that youare not only blind, bu
29、t that you have lost your sense of smell. The Herdsman and the Lost Bull A HERDSMAN tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf fromthe fold. After a long and fruitless search, he made a vow that,if he could only discover the thief who had stolen the Calf, hewould offer a lamb in sacrifice to Her
30、mes, Pan, and the GuardianDeities of the forest. Not long afterwards, as he ascended a small hillock, he saw at its foot a Lion feeding on the Calf. Terrified at the sight, he lifted his eyes and his hands to heaven, and said: “Just now I vowed to offer a lamb to the Guardian Deities of the forest i
31、f I could only find out who had robbed me; but now that I have discovered the thief, I would willingly add a full-grown Bull to the Calf I have lost, if I may only secure my ownescape from him in safety.“ The Hare and the Tortoise A HARE one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of theTortoise,
32、 who replied, laughing: “Though you be swift as thewind, I will beat you in a race.“ The Hare, believing her assertion tobe simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the dayappointed for the race the two started together.
33、The Tortoise neverfor a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At lastwaking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoisehad reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after herfat
34、igue. Slow but steady wins the race. Page5The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree, and Bramble THE POMEGRANATE and Apple-Tree disputed as to which wasthe most beautiful. When their strife was at its height, a Bramble from the neighboring hedge lifted up its voice, and said in a boastful tone: “Pray, my dear fri
35、ends, in my presence at least ceasefrom such vain disputings.“ The Farmer and the Stork A FARMER placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caughta number of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them hetrapped a Stork that had fractured his leg in the net and was earnestly beseeching the Fa
36、rmer to spare his life. “Pray saveme, Master,“ he said, “and let me go free this once. My brokenlimb should excite your pity. Besides, I am no Crane, I am a Stork,a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and slave for my father and mother. Look too, at my feathers- they are not the leastlik
37、e those of a Crane.“ The Farmer laughed aloud and said, “It maybe all as you say, I only know this: I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you must die in their company.“ Birds of a feather flock together. The Farmer and the Snake ONE WINTER a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with
38、 cold.He had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming itsnatural instincts, bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortalwound. “Oh,“ cried the Farmer with his last breath, “I am rightly served for pitying a scoundrel.“ Th
39、e greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful. The Fawn and His Mother A YOUNG FAWN once said to his Mother, “You are larger than adog, and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your horns as a defense; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds frightenyou so?“She smiled, and said: “I know full well, my son, that all you sayis true. I have the advantages you mention, but when I hear eventhe bark of a single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away asfast as I can.“ No arguments will give courage to the coward.Page6
