Jean de La Fontaine

“ To say the least, You would yourself have eat the sheep, Which, eat by me, the village weep. Now, truly, on your faith confess, Should I, as man, love flesh the less? Why, man, not seldom, kills his very brother; What, then, are you but wolves to one another? Now, everything with care to scan, And rogue with rogue to rate, I'd better be a wolf than man, And need not change my state.' Thus all did wise Ulysses try, And got from all the same reply, As well from great as small. Wild liberty was dear to all; To follow lawless appetite They counted their supreme delight. ”

“ Let's trust the ox.' 'Let's trust,' replied The crawling beast, well gratified. So said, so done; The ox, with tardy pace, came on And, ruminating o'er the case, Declared, with very serious face, That years of his most painful toil Had clothed with Ceres' gifts our soil-- Her gifts to men--but always sold To beasts for higher cost than gold; And that for this, for his reward, More blows than thanks return'd his lord; And then, when age had chill'd his blood, And men would quell the wrath of Heaven, Out must be pour'd the vital flood, For others' sins, all thankless given. ”

“ Their pride has more insanity; More silliness our vanity. Let's shadow forth our own disease-- Well worth a hundred tales like these. A rat, of quite the smallest size, Fix'd on an elephant his eyes, And jeer'd the beast of high descent Because his feet so slowly went. Upon his back, three stories high, There sat, beneath a canopy, A certain sultan of renown, His dog, and cat, and concubine, His parrot, servant, and his wine, All pilgrims to a distant town. The rat profess'd to be amazed That all the people stood and gazed With wonder, as he pass'd the road, Both at the creature and his load. ”

“ The prince enlarged, in an oration set, Upon the mis'ries that befall the great. The shepherd deem'd it best to cast Off thought of all misfortune past, And each to do the best he could, In efforts for the common weal. 'Did ever a repining mood,' He added, 'a misfortune heal? Toil, friends, will take us back to Rome, Or make us here as good a home.' A shepherd so to speak! a shepherd? What! As though crown'd heads were not, By Heaven's appointment fit, The sole receptacles of wit! As though a shepherd could be deeper, In thought or knowledge, than his sheep are! ”

“ Upon their faith, they would not flinch, They promised him, a single inch. 'We'll choke,' said they, 'the murderous glutton Who robbed of us of our Robin Mutton.' Their lives they pledged against the beast, And Willy gave them all a feast. But evil Fate, than Phoebus faster, Ere night had brought a new disaster: A wolf there came. By nature's law, The total flock were prompt to run; And yet 'twas not the wolf they saw, But shadow of him from the setting sun. Harangue a craven soldiery, What heroes they will seem to be! ”

“ So uniformly is it true, A stratagem is best when new. The hunter, had himself been hunted, So apt a trick had not invented; Not that his wit had been deficient;-- With that, it cannot be denied, Your English folks are well-provision'd;-- But wanting love of life sufficient, Full many an Englishman has died. One word to you, and I must quit My much-inviting subject: A long eulogium is a project For which my lyre is all unfit. The song or verse is truly rare, Which can its meed of incense bear, And yet amuse the general ear, Or wing its way to lands afar. ”

“ As to the scope of Aesop's plan, [3] I fail as little as I can. If this my rhymed and measured speech Availeth not to please or teach, I own it not a fault of mine; Some unknown reason I assign. With little strength endued For battles rough and rude, Or with Herculean arm to smite, I show to vice its foolish plight. In this my talent wholly lies; Not that it does at all suffice. My fable sometimes brings to view The face of vanity purblind With that of restless envy join'd; And life now turns upon these pivots two. Such is the silly little frog That aped the ox upon her bog. ”

“ When, slap, the savage made him feel His talons, newly arm'd with steel, By perching on his nasal member, As if it had been senseless timber. Outshriek'd the wight; but peals of laughter, Which threaten'd ceiling, roof, and rafter, From courtier, page, and monarch broke: Who had not laugh'd at such a joke? From me, so prone am I to such a sin, An empire had not held me in. I dare not say, that, had the pope been there, He would have join'd the laugh sonorous; But sad the king, I hold, who should not dare To lead, for such a cause, in such a chorus. The gods are laughers. ”

“ IX.--THE WOLF AND THE FOX. Whence comes it that there liveth not A man contented with his lot? Here's one who would a soldier be, Whom soldiers all with envy see. A fox to be a wolf once sigh'd. With disappointments mortified, Who knows but that, his wolfship cheap, The wolf himself would be a sheep? I marvel that a prince [16] is able, At eight, to put the thing in fable; While I, beneath my seventy snows, Forge out, with toil and time, The same in labour'd rhyme, Less striking than his prose. ”

“ For laws of right and justice cry, The guiltiest alone should die.' 'Sire,' said the fox, 'your majesty Is humbler than a king should be, And over-squeamish in the case. What! eating stupid sheep a crime? No, never, sire, at any time. It rather was an act of grace, A mark of honour to their race. And as to shepherds, one may swear, The fate your majesty describes, Is recompense less full than fair For such usurpers o'er our tribes.' Thus Renard glibly spoke, And loud applause from flatterers broke. Of neither tiger, boar, nor bear, Did any keen inquirer dare To ask for crimes of high degree ”

“ Flourish also in my scene Tyrants, villains, mountebanks, Beasts incapable of thanks, Beasts of rash and reckless pranks, Beasts of sly and flattering mien; Troops of liars, too, I ween. As to men, of every age, All are liars, saith the sage. Had he writ but of the low, One could hardly think it so; But that human mortals, all, Lie like serpents, great and small, Had another certified it, I, for one, should have denied it. He who lies in Aesop's way, Or like Homer, minstrel gray, Is no liar, sooth to say. ”

“ The lion, for his kingdom's sake, In morals would some lessons take, And therefore call'd, one summer's day, The monkey, master of the arts, An animal of brilliant parts, To hear what he could say. 'Great king,' the monkey thus began, 'To reign upon the wisest plan Requires a prince to set his zeal, And passion for the public weal, Distinctly and quite high above A certain feeling call'd self-love, The parent of all vices, In creatures of all sizes. To will this feeling from one's breast away, Is not the easy labour of a day; 'Tis much to moderate its tyrant sway. ”

“ To exercise the wit Of those who on astrology have writ? To help us shun inevitable ills? To poison for us even pleasure's rills? The choicest blessings to destroy, Exhausting, ere they come, their joy? Such faith is worse than error--'tis a crime. The sky-host moves and marks the course of time; The sun sheds on our nicely-measured days The glory of his night-dispelling rays; And all from this we can divine Is, that they need to rise and shine,-- To roll the seasons, ripen fruits, And cheer the hearts of men and brutes. ”

“ A certain wolf, in point of wit The prudent fisher's opposite, A dog once finding far astray, Prepared to take him as his prey. The dog his leanness pled; 'Your lordship, sure,' he said, 'Cannot be very eager To eat a dog so meagre. To wait a little do not grudge: The wedding of my master's only daughter Will cause of fatted calves and fowls a slaughter; And then, as you yourself can judge, I cannot help becoming fatter.' The wolf, believing, waived the matter, And so, some days therefrom, Return'd with sole design to see If fat enough his dog might be. ”

“ So thinks your highness,--while your wrath Its cradle for its coffin hath. Achilles no such conquest knew-- In this a hero less than you. That name indeed belongs to none, Save those who have, beneath the sun, Their hundred generous actions done. The golden age produced such powers, But truly few this age of ours. The men who now the topmost sit, Are thank'd for crimes which they omit. For you, unharm'd by such examples, A thousand noble deeds are winning temples, Wherein Apollo, by the altar-fire, Shall strike your name upon his golden lyre. The gods await you in their azure dome ”

“ In short, him first, of all his crew, The world as Caesar knew; And care was had, lest, by a baser mate, His noble blood should e'er degenerate. Not so with his neglected brother; He made whatever came a mother; And, by the laws of population, His race became a countless nation-- The common turnspits throughout France-- Where danger is, they don't advance-- Precisely the antipodes Of what we call the Caesars, these! Oft falls the son below his sire's estate: Through want of care all things degenerate. For lack of nursing Nature and her gifts. What crowds from gods become mere kitchen-thrifts! ”

“ Necessity, ingenious mother, Brought forth what help'd them from their pother. As still there was a chance to save their prey,-- The spunger yet some hundred yards away,-- One seized the egg, and turn'd upon his back, And then, in spite of many a thump and thwack, That would have torn, perhaps, a coat of mail, The other dragg'd him by the tail. Who dares the inference to blink, That beasts possess wherewith to think? Were I commission'd to bestow This power on creatures here below, The beasts should have as much of mind As infants of the human kind. ”

“ The sparrow, less discreet than he, With dagger beak made very free. Sir Cat, a person wise and staid, Excused the warmth with which he play'd: For 'tis full half of friendship's art To take no joke in serious part. Familiar since they saw the light, Mere habit kept their friendship good; Fair play had never turn'd to fight, Till, of their neighbourhood, Another sparrow came to greet Old Ratto grave and saucy Pete. Between the birds a quarrel rose, And Ratto took his side. 'A pretty stranger, with such blows To beat our friend!' he cried. 'A neighbour's sparrow eating ours! ”

“ Some seek for jokers; I avoid. A joke must be, to be enjoy'd, Of wisdom's words, by wit employ'd. God never meant for men of sense, The wits that joke to give offence. Perchance of these I shall be able To show you one preserved in fable. A joker at a banker's table, Most amply spread to satisfy The height of epicurean wishes, Had nothing near but little fishes. So, taking several of the fry, He whisper'd to them very nigh, And seem'd to listen for reply. The guests much wonder'd what it meant, And stared upon him all intent. ”

“ I had the Phrygian quit, Charm'd with Italian wit; [21] But a divinity Would on Parnassus see A fable more from me. Such challenge to refuse, Without a good excuse, Is not the way to use Divinity or muse. Especially to one Of those who truly are, By force of being fair, Made queens of human will. A thing should not be done In all respects so ill. For, be it known to all, From Sillery the call Has come for bird, and beast, And insects, to the least; To clothe their thoughts sublime In this my simple rhyme. In saying Sillery, All's said that need to be. ”

“ Pray don't forget, but keep this mark in view, Lest fate should curse my happy nest by you.' At length God gives the owl a set of heirs, And while at early eve abroad he fares, In quest of birds and mice for food, Our eagle haply spies the brood, As on some craggy rock they sprawl, Or nestle in some ruined wall, (But which it matters not at all,) And thinks them ugly little frights, Grim, sad, with voice like shrieking sprites. 'These chicks,' says he, 'with looks almost infernal, Can't be the darlings of our friend nocturnal. ”

“ But, bidding mysteries adieu, I try my powers upon this fable new. 'Dear wolf,' complain'd a hungry fox, 'A lean chick's meat, or veteran cock's, Is all I get by toil or trick: Of such a living I am sick. With far less risk, you've better cheer; A house you need not venture near, But I must do it, spite of fear. Pray, make me master of your trade. And let me by that means be made The first of all my race that took Fat mutton to his larder's hook: Your kindness shall not be repented.' The wolf quite readily consented. 'I have a brother, lately dead: Go fit his skin to yours,' he said. ”

“ Or, if by chance some few Should find their fate Conceal'd in the bait, The happier still are you; For envied is the death that's met At the hands of sweet Annette.' This eloquence not effecting The object of his wishes, Since it failed in collecting The deaf and dumb fishes,-- His sweet preaching wasted, His honey'd talk untasted, A net the shepherd seized, and, pouncing With a fell scoop at the scaly fry, He caught them; and now, madly flouncing, At the feet of his Annette they lie! O ye shepherds, whose sheep men are, To trust in reason never dare. ”

“ The fox must get More cunning yet, Or leave enough to buy a pig. With little care And any fare, He'll grow quite fat and big; And then the price Will be so nice, For which, the pork will sell! 'Twill go quite hard But in our yard I'll bring a cow and calf to dwell-- A calf to frisk among the flock!' The thought made Peggy do the same; And down at once the milk-pot came, And perish'd with the shock. Calf, cow, and pig, and chicks, adieu! Your mistress' face is sad to view; She gives a tear to fortune spilt ”

“ A richer lesson none can give-- The sovereign antidote for sorrow-- ENJOY!--'I will.'--But when?--'To-morrow.--' Ah! death may take you on the way, Why not enjoy, I ask, to-day? Lest envious fate your hopes ingulf, As once it served the hunter and the wolf. The former, with his fatal bow, A noble deer had laid full low: A fawn approach'd, and quickly lay Companion of the dead, For side by side they bled. Could one have wished a richer prey? Such luck had been enough to sate A hunter wise and moderate. Meantime a boar, as big as e'er was taken, Our archer tempted, proud, and fond of bacon. ”

“ Thus far the fable's clear as light; But, if we take a nearer sight, There lurks within its drapery Somewhat of graceless sophistry; For who, that worships e'en the glorious sun, Would not prefer to wed some cooler one? And doth a flea's exceed a giant's might, Because the former can the latter bite? And, by the rule of strength, the rat Had sent his bride to wed the cat; From cat to dog, and onward still To wolf or tiger, if you will: Indeed, the fabulist might run A circle backward to the sun.-- But to the change the tale supposes,-- In learned phrase, metempsychosis. ”

“ Within a coach the dead was borne, A robe around him duly worn, Of which I wot he was not proud-- That ghostly garment call'd a shroud. In summer's blaze and winter's blast, That robe is changeless--'tis the last. The curate, with his priestly dress on, Recited all the church's prayers, The psalm, the verse, response, and lesson, In fullest style of such affairs. Sir Corpse, we beg you, do not fear A lack of such things on your bier; They'll give abundance every way, Provided only that you pay. The Reverend John Cabbagepate Watch'd o'er the corpse as if it were A treasure needing guardian care ”

“ For thus, he said, 'an early date Would see the sisters alienate Their several shares of the estate. No motive now in maidenhood to tarry, They all would seek, post haste, to marry; And, having each a splendid bait, Each soon would find a well-bred mate; And, leaving thus their father's goods intact, Would to their mother pay them all, in fact,'-- Which of the testament Was plainly the intent. The people, who had thought a slave an ass, Much wonder'd how it came to pass That one alone should have more sense Than all their men of most pretence. ”

“ A double image sometimes shows How vice and folly do oppose The ways of virtue and good sense; As lambs with wolves so grim and gaunt, The silly fly and frugal ant. Thus swells my work--a comedy immense-- Its acts unnumber'd and diverse, Its scene the boundless universe. Gods, men, and brutes, all play their part In fields of nature or of art, And Jupiter among the rest. Here comes the god who's wont to bear Jove's frequent errands to the fair, With winged heels and haste; But other work's in hand to-day. A man that labour'd in the wood Had lost his honest livelihood ”

“ For fools the mark of wrath are not So much, I'm sure, as pity. 'That man,' say they, and feed their hope, 'Raised cabbages--and now he's pope. Don't we deserve as rich a prize?' Ay, richer? But, hath Fortune eyes? And then the popedom, is it worth The price that must be given?-- Repose?--the sweetest bliss of earth, And, ages since, of gods in heaven? 'Tis rarely Fortune's favourites Enjoy this cream of all delights. Seek not the dame, and she will you-- A truth which of her sex is true. ”

“ The gods, in anguish, he invokes; His faithless hostess rudely mocks; He struggles up, she struggles down. A kite, that hovers in the air, Inspecting everything with care, Now spies the rat belike to drown, And, with a rapid wing, Upbears the wretched thing, The frog, too, dangling by the string! The joy of such a double haul Was to the hungry kite not small. It gave him all that he could wish-- A double meal of flesh and fish. The best contrived deceit Can hurt its own contriver, And perfidy doth often cheat Its author's purse of every stiver. [15] Aesop. ”

“ It hence appears there are on earth That have the simple power of thought Where reason hath no knowledge wrought. And on this wise an equal power I'd yield To all the various tenants of the field; Not reason such as in ourselves we find, But something more than any mainspring blind. A speck of matter I would subtilise Almost beyond the reach of mental eyes;-- An atom's essence, one might say, An extract of a solar ray, More quick and pungent than a flame of fire,-- For if of flame the wood is sire, Cannot the flame, itself refined, Give some idea of the mind? ”

“ He praised her beauties, this and that, And saw there nothing of the cat. In short, by passion's aid, he Thought her a perfect lady. 'Twas night: some carpet-gnawing mice Disturb'd the nuptial joys. Excited by the noise, The bride sprang at them in a trice; The mice were scared and fled. The bride, scarce in her bed, The gnawing heard, and sprang again,-- And this time not in vain, For, in this novel form array'd, Of her the mice were less afraid. Through life she loved this mousing course, So great is stubborn nature's force. In mockery of change, the old Will keep their youthful bent. ”

“ Dog, shepherd, sheep, all homeward fled, And left a single sheep in pawn, Which Renard seized when they were gone. But, ere upon his prize he fed, There crow'd a cock near by, and down The scholar threw his prey and gown, That he might run that way the faster-- Forgetting lessons, prize and master. How useless is the art of seeming! Reality, in every station, Is through its cloak at all times gleaming, And bursting out on fit occasion. Young prince, to your unrivall'd wit My muse gives credit, as is fit, For what she here hath labour'd with-- The subject, characters, and pith. ”