Aesop's Fables (Penguin Classics) - Aesop [5]
XVIII
The Wolf and the Lamb
While lapping water at the head of a running brook, a wolf noticed a stray lamb some distance down the stream. Once he made up his mind to attack her, he began thinking of a plausible excuse for making her his prey.
“Scoundrel!” he cried, running up to her. “How dare you muddle the water that I am drinking!”
“Please forgive me,” replied the lamb meekly, “but I don’t see how I could have done anything to the water since it runs from you to me, not from me to you.”
“Be that as it may,” the wolf retorted, “but you know it was only a year ago that you called me many bad names behind my back.”
“Oh, sir,” said the lamb, “I wasn’t even born a year ago.”
“Well,” the wolf asserted, “if it wasn’t you, it was your mother, and that’s all the same to me. Anyway, it’s no use trying to argue me out of my supper.”
And without another word, he fell upon the poor helpless lamb and tore her to pieces.
A tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny. So it is useless for the innocent to seek justice through reasoning when the oppressor intends to be unjust.
XIX
The Bear and the Fox
A bear used to boast of his excessive love for humankind, saying that he never touched or mauled a human corpse.
The fox observed with a smile, “I would be more impressed by your kindness if you never ate a human being alive.”
We should not wait until a person dies before showing our respect.
XX
The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox
A dog and a cock set out on their travels together, and by nightfall they found themselves in a forest. So the cock flew up into a tree and perched himself on a high branch, while the dog dozed below at the foot. When day finally dawned, the cock, as usual, crowed very loudly and drew the attention of a fox, who thought he would make a meal out of him. So he approached the tree and spoke to the cock from beneath the branches: “You’re such a good little bird and most useful to your fellow creatures. So, why don’t you come down, and we can sing our matins and rejoice together?”
“Go to the foot of the tree, my good friend,” replied the cock, “and tell my sacristan to toll the bell.” But when the fox approached the foot of the tree, the dog promptly jumped up and made a quick end of him.
He who lays traps for others is often caught by his own snare.
XXI
The Cock and the Jewel
A cock was scratching the ground in a farmyard in search of food for himself and his hens, when he happened to turn up a jewel. Feeling quite sure that it was something precious, but not knowing exactly what to do with it, he remarked, “You’re undoubtedly a very fine thing for those who appreciate your worth. But I’d rather have one grain of delicious barley than all the jewels in the world.”
The value of an object is in the eyes of the beholder.
XXII
The Sea Gull and the Hawk
A sea gull, who was more at home swimming on the sea than walking on land, liked to catch live fish for its food. One day the gull pounced upon a fish, and as he tried to swallow it, he choked, burst a gullet, and lay down on the shore to die. A hawk, who was passing by and saw him, thought he was a land bird like himself. Consequently, he offered him no other comfort than, “It serves you right! What business is it of birds of the air to seek food from the sea?”
XXIII
The Fox and the Lion
A fox had never seen a lion before, and when he finally encountered one for the first time, he was so terrified that he almost died of fright. When he met him the second time, he was still afraid but managed