Fables by Aesop (e book reader pdf txt) ๐
Description
Whether itโs the benefits of taking it slow and steady (โThe Tortoise and the Hareโ), the necessity of invention (โThe Crow and the Pitcherโ), or the problems of cognitive dissonance (โThe Fox and the Grapesโ), Aesop has a fable for every occasion. Aesop lived in Greece in the 6th century BCE, far enough in the past that itโs become impossible to ascribe all these fables to him. Some were certainly retellings of older myths, some share their roots in collections of fables from India and further afield, and many were added well after his time. However, they all share a certain quality of prose that marks them out as belonging to the collection regardless of authorship. Itโs that quality, combined with their insight into the human character, that has meant that theyโve stood the test of time for twenty-five centuries.
This collection is the 1912 translation by V. S. Vernon Jones, comprising two hundred and eighty-four of the fables.
Read free book ยซFables by Aesop (e book reader pdf txt) ๐ยป - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: Aesop
Read book online ยซFables by Aesop (e book reader pdf txt) ๐ยป. Author - Aesop
Jupiter was about to marry a wife, and determined to celebrate the event by inviting all the animals to a banquet. They all came except the Tortoise, who did not put in an appearance, much to Jupiterโs surprise. So when he next saw the Tortoise he asked him why he had not been at the banquet. โI donโt care for going out,โ said the Tortoise; โthereโs no place like home.โ Jupiter was so much annoyed by this reply that he decreed that from that time forth the Tortoise should carry his house upon his back, and never be able to get away from home even if he wished to.
The Dog in the MangerA Dog was lying in a Manger on the hay which had been put there for the cattle, and when they came and tried to eat, he growled and snapped at them and wouldnโt let them get at their food. โWhat a selfish beast,โ said one of them to his companions; โhe canโt eat himself and yet he wonโt let those eat who can.โ
The Two BagsEvery man carries Two Bags about with him, one in front and one behind, and both are packed full of faults. The Bag in front contains his neighboursโ faults, the one behind his own. Hence it is that men do not see their own faults, but never fail to see those of others.
The Oxen and the AxletreesA pair of Oxen were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along the highway, and, as they tugged and strained at the yoke, the Axletrees creaked and groaned terribly. This was too much for the Oxen, who turned round indignantly and said, โHullo, you there! Why do you make such a noise when we do all the work?โ
They complain most who suffer least.
The Boy and the FilbertsA Boy put his hand into a jar of Filberts, and grasped as many as his fist could possibly hold. But when he tried to pull it out again, he found he couldnโt do so, for the neck of the jar was too small to allow of the passage of so large a handful. Unwilling to lose his nuts but unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears. A bystander, who saw where the trouble lay, said to him, โCome, my boy, donโt be so greedy: be content with half the amount, and youโll be able to get your hand out without difficulty.โ
Do not attempt too much at once.
The Frogs Asking for a KingTime was when the Frogs were discontented because they had no one to rule over them: so they sent a deputation to Jupiter to ask him to give them a King. Jupiter, despising the folly of their request, cast a log into the pool where they lived, and said that that should be their King. The Frogs were terrified at first by the splash, and scuttled away into the deepest parts of the pool; but by and by, when they saw that the log remained motionless, one by one they ventured to the surface again, and before long, growing bolder, they began to feel such contempt for it that they even took to sitting upon it. Thinking that a King of that sort was an insult to their dignity, they sent to Jupiter a second time, and begged him to take away the sluggish King he had given them, and to give them another and a better one. Jupiter, annoyed at being pestered in this way, sent a Stork to rule over them, who no sooner arrived among them than he began to catch and eat the Frogs as fast as he could.
The Olive-Tree and the Fig-TreeAn Olive-tree taunted a Fig-tree with the loss of her leaves at a certain season of the year. โYou,โ she said, โlose your leaves every autumn, and are bare till the spring: whereas I, as you see, remain green and flourishing all the year round.โ Soon afterwards there came a heavy fall of snow, which settled on the leaves of the Olive so that she bent and broke under the weight; but the flakes fell harmlessly through the bare branches of the Fig, which survived to bear many another crop.
The Lion and the BoarOne hot and thirsty day in the height of summer a Lion and a Boar came down to a little spring at the same moment to drink. In a trice they were quarrelling as to who should drink first. The quarrel soon became a fight and they attacked one another with the utmost fury. Presently, stopping for a moment to take breath, they saw some vultures seated on a rock above evidently waiting for one of them to be killed, when they would fly down and feed upon the carcase. The sight sobered them at once, and they made up their quarrel, saying, โWe had much better be friends than fight and be eaten by vultures.โ
The Walnut-TreeA Walnut-tree, which grew by the roadside, bore every year a plentiful crop of nuts. Everyone who passed by pelted its branches with sticks and stones, in order to bring down the fruit, and the tree suffered severely. โIt is hard,โ it cried, โthat the very persons who enjoy my fruit should thus reward me with insults and blows.โ
Comments (0)