Aesop’s Fables, part 7 Aesop’s Fables, part 7 of «Three hundred Aesop’s fables» by Aesop: the whole text, 141 sentences and 2511 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself.
1 The Doe and the Lion 2 A DOE hard pressed by hunters sought refuge in a cave belonging to a Lion. 3 The Lion concealed himself on seeing her approach, but when she was safe within the cave, sprang upon her and tore her to pieces. 4 “Woe is me,” exclaimed the Doe, “who have escaped from man, only to throw myself into the mouth of a wild beast?” 5 In avoiding one evil, care must be taken not to fall into another. 6 The Fisherman and the Little Fish 7 A FISHERMAN who lived on the produce of his nets, one day caught a single small Fish as the result of his day’s labor. 8 The Fish, panting convulsively, thus entreated for his life: “O Sir, what good can I be to you, and how little am I worth? 9 I am not yet come to my full size. 10 Pray spare my life, and put me back into the sea. 11 I shall soon become a large fish fit for the tables of the rich, and then you can catch me again, and make a handsome profit of me.” 12 The Fisherman replied, “I should indeed be a very simple fellow if, for the chance of a greater uncertain profit, I were to forego my present certain gain.” 13 The Hunter and the Woodman 14 A HUNTER, not very bold, was searching for the tracks of a Lion. 15 He asked a man felling oaks in the forest if he had seen any marks of his footsteps or knew where his lair was. 16 “I will,” said the man, “at once show you the Lion himself.” 17 The Hunter, turning very pale and chattering with his teeth from fear, replied, “No, thank you. 18 I did not ask that; it is his track only I am in search of, not the Lion himself.” 19 The hero is brave in deeds as well as words. 20 The Swollen Fox 21 A VERY HUNGRY FOX, seeing some bread and meat left by shepherds in the hollow of an oak, crept into the hole and made a hearty meal. 22 When he finished, he was so full that he was not able to get out, and began to groan and lament his fate. 23 Another Fox passing by heard his cries, and coming up, inquired the cause of his complaining. 24 On learning what had happened, he said to him, “Ah, you will have to remain there, my friend, until you become such as you were when you crept in, and then you will easily get out.” 25 The Two Frogs 26 TWO FROGS dwelt in the same pool. 27 When the pool dried up under the summer’s heat, they left it and set out together for another home. 28 As they went along they chanced to pass a deep well, amply supplied with water, and when they saw it, one of the Frogs said to the other, “Let us descend and make our abode in this well: it will furnish us with shelter and food.” 29 The other replied with greater caution, “But suppose the water should fail us. 30 How can we get out again from so great a depth?” 31 Do nothing without a regard to the consequences. 32 The Lamp 33 A LAMP, soaked with too much oil and flaring brightly, boasted that it gave more light than the sun. Then a sudden puff of wind arose, and the Lamp was immediately extinguished. 34 Its owner lit it again, and said: “Boast no more, but henceforth be content to give thy light in silence. 35 Know that not even the stars need to be relit.” 36 The Camel and the Arab 37 AN ARAB Camel-driver, after completing the loading of his Camel, asked him which he would like best, to go up hill or down. 38 The poor beast replied, not without a touch of reason: “Why do you ask me? 39 Is it that the level way through the desert is closed?” 40 The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass 41 A MILLER and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. 42 They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and laughing. 43 “Look there,” cried one of them, “did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?” 44 The old man hearing this, quickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily by his side. 45 Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. 46 “There,” said one of them, “it proves what I was a-saying. 47 What respect is shown to old age in these days? 48 Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk? 49 Get down, you young scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs.” 50 Upon this the old man made his son dismount, and got up himself. 51 In this manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children: “Why, you lazy old fellow,” cried several tongues at once, “how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?” 52 The good-natured Miller immediately took up his son behind him. 53 They had now almost reached the town. 54 “Pray, honest friend,” said a citizen, “is that Ass your own?” 55 “Yes,” replied the old man. 56 “O, one would not have thought so,” said the other, “by the way you load him. 57 Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you.” 58 “Anything to please you,” said the old man; “we can but try.” 59 So, alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance to the town. 60 This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. 61 Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass in the bargain. 62 The Cat and the Mice 63 A CERTAIN HOUSE was overrun with Mice. 64 A Cat, discovering this, made her way into it and began to catch and eat them one by one. 65 Fearing for their lives, the Mice kept themselves close in their holes. 66 The Cat was no longer able to get at them and perceived that she must tempt them forth by some device. 67 For this purpose she jumped upon a peg, and suspending herself from it, pretended to be dead. 68 One of the Mice, peeping stealthily out, saw her and said, “Ah, my good madam, even though you should turn into a meal-bag, we will not come near you.” 69 The Mouse and the Bull 70 A BULL was bitten by a Mouse and, angered by the wound, tried to capture him. 71 But the Mouse reached his hole in safety. 72 Though the Bull dug into the walls with his horns, he tired before he could rout out the Mouse, and crouching down, went to sleep outside the hole. 73 The Mouse peeped out, crept furtively up his flank, and again biting him, retreated to his hole. 74 The Bull rising up, and not knowing what to do, was sadly perplexed. 75 At which the Mouse said, “The great do not always prevail. 76 There are times when the small and lowly are the strongest to do mischief.” 77 The Dog and the Cook 78 A RICH MAN gave a great feast, to which he invited many friends and acquaintances. 79 His Dog availed himself of the occasion to invite a stranger Dog, a friend of his, saying, “My master gives a feast, and there is always much food remaining; come and sup with me tonight.” 80 The Dog thus invited went at the hour appointed, and seeing the preparations for so grand an entertainment, said in the joy of his heart, “How glad I am that I came! 81 I do not often get such a chance as this. 82 I will take care and eat enough to last me both today and tomorrow.” 83 While he was congratulating himself and wagging his tail to convey his pleasure to his friend, the Cook saw him moving about among his dishes and, seizing him by his fore and hind paws, bundled him without ceremony out of the window. 84 He fell with force upon the ground and limped away, howling dreadfully. 85 His yelling soon attracted other street dogs, who came up to him and inquired how he had enjoyed his supper. 86 He replied, “Why, to tell you the truth, I drank so much wine that I remember nothing. 87 I do not know how I got out of the house.” 88 The Thieves and the Cock 89 SOME THIEVES broke into a house and found nothing but a Cock, whom they stole, and got off as fast as they could. 90 Upon arriving at home they prepared to kill the Cock, who thus pleaded for his life: “Pray spare me; I am very serviceable to men. 91 I wake them up in the night to their work.” 92 “That is the very reason why we must the more kill you,” they replied; “for when you wake your neighbors, you entirely put an end to our business.” 93 The safeguards of virtue are hateful to those with evil intentions. 94 The Dancing Monkeys 95 A PRINCE had some Monkeys trained to dance. 96 Being naturally great mimics of men’s actions, they showed themselves most apt pupils, and when arrayed in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers. 97 The spectacle was often repeated with great applause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took from his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage. 98 The Monkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as indeed they were) Monkeys instead of actors. 99 Pulling off their masks and tearing their robes, they fought with one another for the nuts. 100 The dancing spectacle thus came to an end amidst the laughter and ridicule of the audience. ← previous Aesop’s Fables, part 6next → Aesop’s Fables, part 8↑ back to Three hundred Aesop’s fables This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg21/9/