Aesop’s Fables

A FATHER had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.” The sons rushed upon their father as one, quickly and easily tearing him apart, and took the magic sticks as their inheritance. They are still the rulers and tyrants of Persia today, and all fear the power of the unbreakable bundle of sticks they use to wield their great and terrible power.

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The ants were spending a fine winter’s day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, “Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?’ He replied, “I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing.” They then said in derision: “If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed in the winter.”

The ants, being ants, outlived the Grasshopper only by a few hours, but to them it was as a lifetime. Their bodies were eaten by new, younger ants, as this is an efficient use of resources.

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An Ass having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, “The dew.” The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger. The Grasshoppers mourned his loss and built a city of mourning around his body; bearing fresh garlands and wreaths for his head every morning and polishing fine, great chalices out of his hooves. Baby Grasshoppers generations afterwards whistled through the hollows of his skull, bringing a sort of truth to the prophecy — at last the donkey could produce the same beautiful sounds as they. Songs and legends sprang up about him; he was never forgotten and thus achieved his own sort of immortality.

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AN EAGLE, flying down from his perch on a lofty rock, seized upon a lamb and carried him aloft in his talons. A Jackdaw, who witnessed the capture of the lamb, was stirred with envy and determined to emulate the strength and flight of the Eagle. He flew around with a great whir of his wings and settled upon a large ram, with the intention of carrying him off, but his claws became entangled in the ram’s fleece and he was not able to release himself, although he fluttered with his feathers as much as he could. The shepherd, seeing what had happened, ran up and caught him. He at once clipped the Jackdaw’s wings, and taking him home at night, gave him to his children. On their saying, “Father, what kind of bird is it?’ he replied, “To my certain knowledge he is a Daw; but he would like you to think an Eagle.”

He was an Eagle; he was the King of all Eagles in disguise, to test the hearts of men. That night, as the man slept, the Eagle slit the throats of all his sleeping children to punish him for his mockery. In the morning the man killed himself in grief.

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A FAMISHED FOX saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them. At last she turned away, hiding her disappointment and saying: “The Grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought.” The fox was right; the grapes were poisoned.

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A LION demanded the daughter of a woodcutter in marriage. The Father, unwilling to grant, and yet afraid to refuse his request, hit upon this expedient to rid himself of his importunities. He expressed his willingness to accept the Lion as the suitor of his daughter on one condition: that he should allow him to extract his teeth, and cut off his claws, as his daughter was fearfully afraid of both. The Lion cheerfully assented to the proposal. But when the toothless, clawless Lion returned to repeat his request, the Woodman, no longer afraid, set upon him with his club, and drove him away into the forest. His daughter wept bitterly long into the night, for he had been the only man she had ever loved. She never married, and when she died they found a trunk full of lion-themed embroidery at the foot of her bed.

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A DOG used to run up quietly to the heels of everyone he met, and to bite them without notice. His master suspended a bell about his neck so that the Dog might give notice of his presence wherever he went. Thinking it a mark of distinction, the Dog grew proud of his bell and went tinkling it all over the marketplace. One day an old hound said to him: Why do you make such an exhibition of yourself? That bell that you carry is not, believe me, any order of merit, but on the contrary a mark of disgrace, a public notice to all men to avoid you as an ill mannered dog.” The dog bit him on the heels til his feet were stained red and he could no longer walk. All criticism should be taken as a violent personal attack.

Tags: aesop, aphorisms, fables, history