The Complete Fables Read online

  ‘We have lived our lives for nothing, grown up simply in order to be cut down. For, more than all the other trees, we are exposed to the brutal blows of the axe.’

  Zeus replied to them:

  ‘You are yourselves to blame. For, if you did not produce the handle of the axe, if you were not so useful to carpenters and in agriculture, the axe would never fell you.’

  Certain people who are the authors of their own ills foolishly cast the blame on to the gods.

  100

  The Woodcutters and the Pine Tree

  Some woodcutters were splitting a pine tree, and thanks to the wedges that they had made of its wood, they split it easily. And the pine tree said:

  ‘I dread less the axe that cuts me than the wedges which came from me.’

  It is easier to endure blows from strangers than it is from those nearest to you.

  101

  The Silver Fir Tree and the Bramble

  The silver fir tree and the bramble were arguing together. The fir was boastful and said:

  ‘I am beautiful, slender and tall. I serve to construct the decks of warships and merchant ships. How dare you compare yourself to me?’

  The bramble replied:

  ‘If you would but remember the axes and saws that cut you, you too would prefer the life of a bramble.’

  You mustn’t become too proud in life of your reputation, for the lives of the humble are without danger.

  NOTE: There are translation problems with this fable, due to the fact that the Greek word stegē can mean both ‘roof and ‘deck’ (of a ship), and due to the fact that a temple is a naos, with Attic variants, and a warship is a naus, but with a declension varying wildly in different dialects and at different periods.

  In the fable we have a genitive plural, naōn. Assuming that Chambry did not alter this reading in the preparation of his text, it could simply mean ‘of temples’. But in certain declensions, such as one of the Doric declensions, it can mean ‘of warships’. However, we have no way of knowing, without recourse to the manuscripts, whether the word might not have been the Attic neōn. Babrius rewrote this fable and spoke of the fir tree making a crossbeam or rafter (melathron) of a roof and the keel (tropis) of a ship. But these expressions are not found anywhere in the Aesop fable. S. A. Handford, in the earlier Penguin (140), spoke of ‘temple roofs and ships’. Professor Chambry, whose edition seems to have been used by Handford, opted for the translation – in French, of course – of ‘the roofs of temples and of ships’. But we have decided that ships don’t really have roofs, and that silver fir is not the best choice for the massive roof beams of a temple. And, since the text goes on to mention merchant ships [ploia], it seems a translation of ‘the decks of warships and merchant ships’ makes more sense than ‘the roofs of temples and merchant ships’ and, furthermore, this is the kind of use of pine which seems more reasonable.

  102

  The Stag at the Spring and the Lion

  A stag, oppressed by thirst, came to a spring to drink. After having a drink, he saw the shadowy figure of himself in the water. He much admired his fine antlers, their grandeur and extent. But he was discontented with his legs, which he thought looked thin and feeble. He remained there deep in reverie when suddenly a lion sprang out at him and chased him. The stag fled rapidly and ran a great distance, for the stag’s advantage is his legs, whereas a lion’s is his heart. As long as they were in open ground, the stag easily outdistanced the lion. But they entered a wooded area and the stag’s antlers became entangled in the branches, bringing him to a halt so that he was caught by the lion.

  As he was on the point of death, the stag said:

  ‘How unfortunate I am! My feet, which I had denigrated, could have saved me, whereas my antlers, on which I prided myself, have caused my death!’

  And thus, in dangerous situations it is often the friends whom we suspect who save us, while those on whom we rely betray us.

  103

  The Hind and the Vine

  A hind, pursued by huntsmen, hid herself under some vines. Since these vines were a little overgrown, she thought that she was perfectly hidden and she began to nibble at the vine leaves. As the leaves rustled, the huntsmen, who had returned, thought rightly that they had their quarry hidden beneath the vines. They killed the hind with a chance arrow aimed into the leaves. She was pierced to the heart, and as she expired she spoke these words:

  ‘I have only myself to blame; for I ought not to have damaged that which could have saved me.’

  This fable shows that those who do harm to their benefactors are punished by God.

  104

  The Hind and the Lion in a Cave

  A hind was being pursued by some hunters and came to the entrance of a cave. Unknown to the hind, a lion was inside. She went inside to hide herself but was seized by the lion. As it killed her, she cried out:

  ‘How ill-fated I am! In fleeing from men I have thrown myself into the grasp of a ferocious beast!’

  Men, fearing a lesser danger, sometimes throw themselves into a greater one.

  105

  The Hind Afflicted by Deformity

  A hind, rendered congenially disabled by being born with only one eye, went to the seashore to browse, turning her good eye to the land to watch out for hunters and the blind eye towards the sea, from whence she expected no danger. But some boatmen-poachers were sailing along that part and they caught sight of her, adjusted their course, and mortally wounded her.

  While rendering up her life she said to herself:

  ‘Truly I am wretched; I was watching the land which I believed was full of danger and expected no harm from the sea, which has been much more perilous.’

  It is thus that often our anticipation is mistaken: the things which seem troublesome to us turn to our advantage, and those things which we hold beneficial show themselves to be injurious.

  106

  The Kid on the Roof of the House, and the Wolf

  A kid who had wandered on to the roof of a house saw a wolf pass by and he began to insult and jeer at it. The wolf replied:

  ‘Hey, you there! It’s not you who mock me but the place on which you are standing.’

  This fable shows that often it is the place and the occasion which give one the daring to defy the powerful.

  107

  The Kid and the Wolf Who Played the Flute

  A kid, lagging behind the rest of the flock, was being pursued by a wolf. He turned round and said to it:

  ‘I know, wolf, that I am destined to be your meal; but so that I do not die without honour, play the flute and let me do a dance.’

  While the wolf played and the kid danced, some hounds came running up at the din and gave chase to the wolf. The latter, turning to the kid, said:

  ‘It is only what I deserve, for being a butcher it is not my job to be a piper.’

  Thus, when one does something without considering the circumstances, one loses even that which is already within one’s grasp.

  108

  Hermes and the Sculptor

  Hermes, wishing to know how esteemed he was among men, betook himself, under the guise of a mortal, to the workshop of a sculptor. Espying a statue of Zeus, King of the Gods, he asked:

  ‘How much?’

  The sculptor replied:

  ‘One drachma.’

  Hermes smiled and asked:

  ‘How much is the statue of Hera, Queen of the Gods?’

  ‘It is more expensive,’ was the reply.

  Hermes then noticed a statue of himself. He presumed that, being both the messenger of Zeus and the god of profit-making, he was held in the highest esteem with men. He asked the price.

  The sculptor responded:

  ‘Oh, if you buy the first two, I’ll throw that one in for free.’

  Let this be a lesson to a vain man who has no consideration for others.

  109

  Hermes and the Earth

  Zeus, King of the Gods, having fashioned the first man and th
e first woman, told Hermes to take them to Earth and show them where they should dig in order to grow their food. Hermes completed this mission, but Earth resisted the idea. Hermes insisted, and said that this was on the orders of Zeus.

  ‘Oh well,’ said Earth, ‘let them dig as much as they like; they will pay with their sighs and with their tears.’

  The fable fits those who borrow with ease and who pay with difficulty.

  110

  Hermes and Teiresias

  Hermes wanted to put to the test the prophetic powers of the blind sage, Teiresias of Thebes, and to see if his practice of divination of the future by the signs of birds really worked. So he disguised himself as a mortal and stole Teiresias’s cattle from the countryside and hid them. Then he returned to the house of Teiresias and told him that his cattle had disappeared.

  Teiresias took Hermes with him to the outskirts of the city in order to observe some augury of the flights of birds relating to the theft.

  ‘What bird do you see?’ asked Teiresias.

  Hermes said he saw an eagle which had just flown past from left to right.

  ‘That doesn’t concern us,’ said Teiresias. ‘Now what bird do you see?’ he asked.

  This time Hermes saw a sea-crow, or chough, perched on a tree. The chough raised its eyes to heaven, then leaned towards the sun and uttered its cry to him.

  When he had this described to him, Teiresias commented:

  ‘Ah, well! This chough swears by the earth and by the sky that it is up to you alone to return my cattle.’

  One could apply this fable to a thief.

  NOTE: Teiresias was a legendary blind prophet who often foretold the future by signs given by the flights of birds, which were described to him by his daughter, since he couldn’t actually see them himself. He was famous all over Greece, though he lived before the time of Homer.

  Hermes was the god of profit-making and trade, but also of thieves and knavery. This fable is only comprehensible in Greek; the wit involved depends upon puns and also a Greek begging tradition. Beggars used to carry a chough around, hence the Greek verb ‘to chough’ which means ‘to collect or beg for the chough’ and also ‘to gather’ – both referring to Hermes’s act in stealing the cattle and also acting as a subtle insult to Hermes by calling him not a thief but a beggar. But also, the cry of the chough in Greek would be rendered kaph which is a form of kap, an abbreviation of the word for retail trader and knave or cheat. The bird’s cry, therefore, served to identify Hermes to Teiresias, who was then able to recognize the true situation and make a clever reply. Most Greeks would have recognized all these double meanings and thought the fable very witty. It may not be a coincidence that in the ancient Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, kappi is an important bird call as well.

  111

  Hermes and the Artisans

  Zeus, King of the Gods, charged Hermes to pour over all the artisans the poison of lies. Hermes pulverized it and, making an equal amount for everyone, he poured it over them. But when he got as far as the cobbler he still had plenty of the poison left, so he just took what remained in the mortar and poured it over him. And since then all artisans have been liars, but most of all the cobblers.

  The fable applies to a man who adheres to falsehood.

  112

  The Chariot of Hermes and the Arabs

  One day, Hermes drove across the entire Earth a chariot filled with lies, villainy and fraud. And he distributed a small portion of his cargo in each country he visited. But when he arrived in the country of the Arabs, the chariot suddenly broke down. The Arabs believed he was carrying a precious cargo and so they stole the contents of his chariot. Hermes was then unable to carry on into the countries of other peoples.

  More than all other people the Arabs are liars and cheats. Indeed, there is not even a word for ‘truth’ in their language.

  NOTE: Arabia and the Arabs are mentioned in Greek as early as the fifth century BC, by the historian Herodotus. Since the Greeks had so little direct knowledge of the Arabs, it is strange that they should have had such a strong opinion about them. This fable may originate from a Greek settlement in Syria or Asia Minor or, more likely still, in Egypt, since contact with Arabs was not so unusual there. Arabs will find this fable offensive, and should avert their eyes.

  113

  The Eunuch and the Sacrificer

  A eunuch consulted a sacrificer and begged him to make a sacrifice for him so that he could become a father.

  The sacrificer told him:

  ‘When I viewed the sacrifice, I prayed that you would become a father. But when I see you in person, you do not even appear to be a man.’

  114

  The Two Enemies

  Two men who loathed each other were sailing in the same boat. One took up his position at the stern and the other at the prow. A storm blew up and the boat was on the point of sinking. The man at the stern asked the helmsman which part of the vessel would go down first. ‘The prow,’ he said. ‘Then,’ replied the man, ‘death will no longer be sad for me, if I can see my enemy die first.’

  This fable shows that many people are not in the least disturbed at the harm that befalls them, provided they can see their enemies’ downfall first.

  115

  The Adder and the Fox

  An adder was carried along on a clump of thorn shrubs by the current of a river. A fox who was passing by, seeing this, cried out to him:

  ‘The worth of a vessel is its master!’

  This concerns the bad man who surrenders himself to perverse ventures.

  NOTE: The fox’s ironical remark was doubtless a common saying at the time which he has cruelly applied to the pathetic adder being swept away. This kind of malicious humour was thought frightfully clever. This fable is thus a very good example of the continual preoccupation of the humour in the fables with ‘scoring’ at the expense of someone else’s misfortune.

  116

  The Adder and the File

  An adder slithered into a blacksmith’s workshop and begged the gift of some alms from the tools. Having had something from some of them, she then went over to a file and begged it to give her something too.

  ‘You’re a fine one,’ replied the file, ‘believing that you can get something from me. For I am in the habit of taking from everyone, not giving.’

  This fable goes to show that it is folly to expect to extract anything from the miserly.

  117

  The Adder and the Water-snake (or Hydra)

  An adder regularly went to drink at a spring. A water-snake [hydra] who lived there was annoyed that the adder was not content with his own territory but encroached on hers, and she wanted to stop him. As the feud festered, the two decided upon a battle plan. Whoever was victorious would have ownership of the land and the spring.

  They fixed the day and the frogs, who hated the water-snake, looked for the adder and plucked up the courage to promise to take his side.

  The battle began, and the adder struggled with the water-snake, while the frogs, unable to do anything more, made great croaks. The adder achieved the victory but he reproached them. He said they had promised to fight with him but during the battle, instead of coming to his aid, they did nothing but sing.

  The frogs replied: ‘Know well, friend, that we don’t help with our arms and legs but only with our voices.’

  This fable shows that when one needs physical assistance, helpful words serve no purpose.

  118

  Zeus and Shame

  When Zeus fashioned man he gave him certain inclinations, but he forgot about shame. Not knowing how to introduce her, he ordered her to enter through the rectum. Shame baulked at this and was highly indignant. Finally, she said to Zeus:

  ‘All right! I’ll go in, but on the condition that Eros doesn’t come in the same way; if he does, I will leave immediately.’

  Ever since then, all homosexuals are without shame.

  This fable shows that those who are prey to love lose all shame.
r />   119

  Zeus and the Fox

  Zeus, King of the Gods, marvelling at the fox’s intelligence and flexibility of spirit, conferred upon him the kingship of the beasts. However, he wanted to know whether, in changing his status, the fox had also changed his habit of covetousness. So, while the new King of the Animals was passing by in a palanquin, Zeus released a cockchafer beetle in front of his eyes. Unable to control himself upon seeing the cockchafer flit around his palanquin, the fox leaped out and, in defiance of all propriety and regal conduct, made attempts to catch it.

  Zeus, indignant at this behaviour, placed him again in his former humble state.

  This fable shows that those who come from nothing, though they may seem brilliant on the outside, do not change their inner nature.

  120

  Zeus and the Men

  Having made men, Zeus entrusted Hermes with pouring over them some intelligence. Hermes, making equal quantities, poured for each man his portion. Thus it happened that the short men, covered by their portion, became sensible people, but the tall men, not being covered all over by the mixture, had less sense than the others.

  This fable applies to a man of great stature but of small spirit.

  121

  Zeus and Apollo

  Zeus and Apollo were competing at archery. When Apollo took up his bow and let fly his arrows, Zeus took a stride forward, covering the same distance as Apollo’s arrow.