Chapter 46 An eagle and a fox had lived together for a long time as good neighbors. The eagle’s nest was on top of a high tree; and the fox’s lair, was at the foot of it. One day, however, while the fox was away, the eagle could not find any food for her young […]
Chapter 45 Some pigeons had long lived in fear of a hawk, but since they had always kept on the alert and stayed near their dovecote, they had consistently managed to escape their enemy’s attacks. Finding his sallies unsuccessful, the hawk now sought to use cunning to trick the pigeons.“Why,” he once asked, “do you
Chapter 44 A swallow built her nest under the eaves of a court of justice, and before her young ones could fly, a serpent slid out of his bole and ate them all up. When the poor bird returned to her nest and found it empty, she began to wail in a most pitiful way.
Chapter 43 After putting on a lion’s skin, an ass roamed about and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he encountered. Upon meeting a fox, he tried to scare him as well, but once Reynard* heard his voice, he said, “I would’ve been frightened, too, but your braying gave you away.”Those who assume
Chapter 42 A wolf looked into a hut and saw some shepherds enjoying a joint of mutton in great comfort.“If they had caught me enjoying such a supper,” he remarked, “there’d certainly be hell to pay.”Men often tend to condemn others for the very things that they themselves practice.
Chapter 41 A lion, worn out with age, lay stretched out on the ground, utterly helpless and gasping its last breath. A boar, who wanted to satisfy an old grudge, approached him and attacked him with his tusks. Next a bull decided to seek his revenge and gored him with his horns. Realizing that the
Chapter 40 An ant went to a fountain to quench his thirst, but he tumbled in and began to drown. Fortunately, a dove happened to be sitting on a nearby tree and saw the ant’s predicament. So she plucked a leaf off the tree and let it drop into the water. The ant climbed on
Chapter 39 A crow watched an eagle swoop down with majestic air from a nearby cliff, descend upon a flock of sheep, and then carry off a lamb in his talons. The whole thing looked so graceful and easy that the crow was eager to imitate it. So, he swept down upon a large, fat
Chapter 38 During a severe winter, a farmer was trapped in his snowed farmhouse. When he found that he could not procure any food from outside, he began consuming his own sheep. As the hard weather continued, he began to eat his goats. And finally – for there was no break in the weather –
Chapter 37 Many years ago, a mighty rumbling was heard from a mountain, which was said to be in labour. Thousands of people flocked from far and near to see what it would produce. After a long time of waiting in anxious expectation – out popped a mouse!A loud and flashy beginning often ends in
Chapter 36 One day, after a wolf had killed a sheep and was carrying it home to his den, he met a lion, who immediately grabbed the sheep from the wolf and dragged it away. Standing at a safe distance from the lion, the wolf howled at the lion and told him that he should
Chapter 35 There was once a man who owned a horse and an ass. Whenever he took trips, he tended to spare the horse and put all the burden on the ass’s back. Since the ass had been ailing for some time, he asked the horse one day to relieve him of part of his
Chapter 34 One day a lion entered a farmyard, and the farmer shut the gate, intent on catching him. When the lion discovered that he could not get out, he began at once to attack the sheep and then the oxen. So the farmer, now scared about his own life, opened the gate, and the
Chapter 33 A lion and an ass agreed to go out hunting together and after some time had passed, they came to a cave where wild goats were dwelling. The lion took his position at the mouth of the cave while the ass entered and began to kick, bray, and make a great fuss to
Chapter 32 While crossing a river, a fox was driven by the current into a narrow gorge and lay there exhausted for a long time, unable to get out. To add to his misfortune, a swarm of horseflies settled all over his body and began bothering and stinging him. A hedgehog, who came wandering in