IC-NRLF B M IDE 3DM $ . AESOP AND HYSSOP Aesop and Hyssop Being Fables Adapted and Original with the Morals Carefully Formulated By William Ellery Leonard Duplex libelli dos est: quod risum movet, Et quod prudenti vitam consilio monet. Phaedrus But ye that holden this tale a folye, As of a fox, or of a cok and hen, Taketh the moralitee, good men. Chaucer. Chicago The Open Court Publishing Co. 1912 COPYRIGHT BY THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING CO. IQI2 I f/Z DEDICATION TO LUDWIG LEWISOHN To you, judicious and discerning In wit, in poetry, and learning, I dedicate these random pages. Here is the wisdom of the ages; No insight of the Galilean, No visions to the empyrean; But clever perspicacity Of honest old sagacity, That Man has often found amusing And in his conduct failed of using. For, though the tales were made for reasons, As fitting special times and seasons, Yet, even as men are more than nations, They still have divers applications. They go by name of TEsop briefly Since /Esop didn t write them chiefly. For some are earlier, some later. You ll note, professor, how I cater To current times and tastes, by adding Felicities of puck-and-padding. iii JESOP AND HYSSOP Thus Phaedrus, La Fontaine, and Gay* did; But I ve done wiselier than they did: Their aim finesse and delicacy Mine is the mischievous and racy. At times indeed I m frolicksomer Than diner-out or traveling drummer. (The mock address to babes and sucklings Should aid the older reader s chucklings.) And where some stupid predecessor Quite missed the moral, O professor, I ve set it down, and would submit it To your decision if I ve hit it. And sundry fables are provided That (fust between ourselves, sir) I did Entirely new, and, to my thinking, As good as JEsop s in the inking, That critics even of some pretensions Will scarce detect as my inventions. W. E. L. * I mentioned the distinguished Gay Because the rhyme was on my way. In truth, his Fables, if you ll look, Are not derived from JEsop s book. Although the manner was suggested, He didn t borrow as the rest did. I add this note, as my relation To culture and to education Might be imperilled, should men say, "The fellow doesn t know his Gay." (I ve read all books in belletristic, Composed of old by that or this stick.) . . iv PREFACE PREFACE. Children, old Plato tells how Socrates, Condemned to death, in prison took his ease By turning ZEsop s Fables all the day Into some homely verses. In this way, I too, a lesser man than he, in pain And, as it were, in prison, try again His remedy for sorrow (for of late I lost forevermore my friend and mate, And need a little smiling). So you see Wise .ffisop set to homely rhymes by me. And I ll be glad if in this exercise, Begun for my own easement, your young eyes Find something for instruction and surprise. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Part I. Fables Adapted from -ZEsop. PAGE The Gnat and the Bull 3 The Fox and the Crow 3 The Manslayer 4 The Frog and the Fox 4 The Wasp and the Snake 5 The Monkey and the Dolphin . 6 The Swallow and the Court of Justice 6 The Mountain in Labor 7 The Lion and the Mouse 7 The Ass in the Lion s Skin 8 The Kid and the Wolf 8 The Hares and the Frogs 9 The Travelers and the Plane Tree 9 The Serpent and the Eagle 10 The Bat and the Weasels 11 The Frogs who Desired a King 11 The Hare and the Tortoise 12 The Old Man and Death 13 The Dog and his Image 13 The One-Eyed Doe 14 The Ass and the Image of the God 15 The Peacock and the Crane 16 The Frogs and the Sun 16 The Ass and the Grasshoppers - 17 The Milk-Maid and her Pail 17 vii AND HYSSOP PAGE The Lion and the Dolphin 18 The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse 18 The Ass and his Shadow 19 The Fox and the Grapes 20 The Fatal Nuptials 20 The Porcupine and the Snakes 21 The Crab and the Fox 21 The Kites and the Horse 21 The Hen and the Golden Eggs 22 The Oak and the Reeds 22 The Dove and the Crow 23 The Dogs and the Hide , 23 The Geese and the Cranes 23 The Lamp 24 The Mule 24 The Crow and the Pitcher 25 The Mice in Council 25 The Bee and Zeus 26 The Gods and Momus 27 The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk 28 The Fox and the Crane 29 The Astronomer 30 The Old Woman and the Water-Jar 31 The Fishermen 31 The Hunter and the Woodman 32 The Cocks and the Eagle 32 The Flea and the Ox 33 The Viper and the File 34 The Fox and the Mask 34 The Wolf and his Shadow 35 The Dog in the Manger 35 The Thirsty Pigeon 36 The Seaside Travelers 36 The Two Frogs 37 The Three Tradesmen 38 The Heifer and the Ox 39 The Wild Boar and the Fox 39 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE The Man and the Satyr 40 The Bear and the Fox 41 The Tunny and the Dolphin 41 The Kid and the Wolf 42 The Boar and the Ass 42 The Two Monkeys 43 The Aethiop 44 The Mice and the Weasels 44 The Eagle and the Kite 45 The Wolf and the Crane 45 The Belly and the Members 46 The Monkey and the Camel 47 The Gnat and the Lion 47 The Wolf and the Lamb 48 The Thief and the Innkeeper 49 The She-Goats 50 The Man and his Sweethearts 50 The Sire and Sons 51 The Husbandman and his Sons 52 The Grasshopper and the Owl 52 The Dame and her Maids 53 Zeus and the Camel 53 The Trees and the Rustic 54 The Villager and the Snake 55 The Mouse and the Bull 55 The Sick Kite 56 Cupid and Death 56 The Eagle and the Arrow 57 The Tail-less Fox 58 The Ass and his Driver 58 The Ants and the Grasshopper 59 The Cock and the Jewel 59 The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller 60 The Boy Hunting Locusts 60 The Mole and his Mother 61 Hercules and the Wagoner 61 The Fisher Piping 62 JESOP AND HYSSOP PAGE The Traveler and his Dog 62 The Swallow and the Crow 63 The Cowherd and the Bull-Calf 63 The Fawn and his Mother 64 The Farmer and the Stork 65 The Kingdom of the Lion 65 The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree and Bramble 66 The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion 67 The Flies and the Honey-Pot 67 The Man and the Lion 68 The Tortoise and the Eagle 68 The Farmer and the Cranes 69 The Oxen and the Axle-Trees 70 The Sick Lion 70 The Raven and the Swan 71 The Lioness 71 The Bear and the Travelers 72 The Boasting Traveler 72 The Goat and the Goatherd 73 The Lion in Love 73 The Boy and the Filberts 74 The Laborer and the Snake 75 The Miser 75 The Ass and the Mule 76 The Wolf in Sheep s Clothing 77 The Porker, the Sheep, and the Goat 77 The Fox and the Goat 78 The Ass and the Lap-Dog 79 The Shepherd-Boy and the Wolf 80 The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox 81 The Snapping Dog 81 The Oxen and the Butchers 82 The Horse and the Groom 83 The Boys and the Frogs 83 The Salt-Pedlar and the Ass 84 Elegiacs on the Wolves and the Sheep 84 The Sick Stag 85 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE The Jackdaw .. 86 The Vine and the Goat 88 The Ox and the Frog 88 The Philosopher Cautioned 89 The Fly and the Bald Man 90 The Cat and Aphrodite 92 The North Wind and the Sun 93 The Stag at the Pool 94 The Miller, his Son, and their Ass 95 The Swan and the Goose 97 The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow 98 The Fox and the Hedgehog 99 The Widow and the Sheep 100 The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Sprat 100 The Two Pots 101 The Crab and its Mother 102 The Olive and the Fig-Tree 103 The Fox and the Lion 103 The Cat and the Birds 104 The Wolf and the Shepherds 106 The Hen and the Viper s Eggs 106 The Puppy and the Oyster 107 The Fox and the Bramble 107 The Fisher and the Little Fish 108 The Wasp, the Partridge, and the Farmer 109 The Ass and the Horse 110 The Boy and the Nettles 110 The Partridge and the Fowler Ill The Bald Knight Ill The Rose and the Amaranth 112 The Mother and the Wolf 113 The Fowler and the Ring-Dove 114 The Oaks and Jupiter 115 The Bull, the Lioness, and the Wild-Boar Hunter . . 115 The Fox and the Monkey 116 The Lion and the Four Bulls 116 The Ass and the Thistle . .117 AND HYSSOP PAGE Hermes and the Sculptor 118 The Lark and the Farmer 119 Part II. Original Fables. The Bear and the Owl 123 The Bald Man and the Bee 123 The Lion, the Lioness, and Her Kinsfolk 124 The Nightingale and the Owl 125 The Crows and the Ear of Corn 125 The Man and the Hen and the Ostrich Egg 126 The Two Dogs and the Peaceful Man 127 The Dog and the Kettle 128 The Man and the Squirrels 129 The Toad 130 The Parrot 131 The Corpuscle and the Phagocyte and the Strepto coccus 132 The Geese of Athabasca 133 The Duck and the Nightingale 137 The Poodle and the Pendulum 138 The Shingle 139 The Flug and the Lion 143 The Ephemeris 145 The Ass and the Sick Lion 146 The Nightingale, the Prairie Dogs, the Owls, and the Snakes 147 The Cow and the Ostrich 148 The Lion in Pain 149 The Stag and his Friends 149 La belle dame sans merci 151 The Pigeon and the Sparrow 151 The Sine and the Tangent 152 The Cat, the Raven, and the Public 153 Epilogue 155 xii PART I. FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP. Mankind will still remember .ffisop, Though mountains melt and oceans freeze up. EXPLANATORY NOTE. A consideration of the three following facts, to wit, 1. that the hyssop was a plant furnishing a twig used in ancient purificatory rites, 2. that a small flexible twig is a switch, and 3. that a switch (especially of birch or young maple) is still used for purificatory rites, will lead the reader to perceive a fourth fact, to wit, 4. that "Hyssop" in our title deftly adumbrates the purificatory effect this work is to produce on the moral nature of mankind. Compare: "Bells and Pomegranates," "Sesame and Lilies," FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP THE GNAT AND THE BULL. Upon a Bull s horn once there sat A consequential little Gnat. And, as he was about to fly, He buzzed unto the Bull, "Goodbye, May I go now?" "You tiny Hum," Said Bull, "I didn t know you d come." Moral. Some people in their lives and labors Seem larger to themselves than to their neighbors. THE FOX AND THE CROW. A seely Crow sate perched upon a tree, A bit of stolen flesh within her beak. Up strolled the Fox as hungry as could be, And sate thereunder and began to speak: "How beautiful thou art, thy back how sleek, Thy poise how graceful. If thy voice and words Were only equal, thou wert queen of birds." The seely Crow, most anxious to refute This slight reflection on her vocal flaw, Tilted her neck, and, standing on one foot, Opened her mouth and gave a glorious "caw." The flesh fell down, as Mr. Fox foresaw: &SOP AND HYSSOP. Moral. "Miss Crow, albeit your voice is lacking, it Is still a little better than your wit." THE MANSLAYER. A Man of Egypt once upon a time Committed murder rightly deemed a crime And, being chased in a stupendous hurry By all the dead man s kin throughout the territory, He hastened first to Nile s deserted shore. Here on the sands he heard a Lion roar, And in new terror clambered up a tree. Here in the branches, hissing frightfully, A coiling Serpent clung. With chattering teeth He jumped into the river underneath. HERE, basking with a twinkle and a smile, Floated a just and hungry Crocodile, Who ate him, head and heel, with eager slaughter. Moral. Nature herself to bad folks gives no quarter, Whether they take to Earth or Air or Water. THE FROG AND THE FOX. A Frog leapt grandly from a lake and sat Upon a hummock on a little mat Of oozy moss and made to every beast Of field and forest, lying west and east, His proclamation: "I m a great physician; I ll cure all ills, whatever your condition." FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP And this he uttered in a voice so grand, In words so big you scarce could understand, That all the beasts admired his brainy head. At last the Fox in indignation said: "O Frog, how can you have the impudence Thus to beguile the world of all its sense? For how can you with those thin lantern jaws, Those loose bow-legs and slimy little paws, That meagre face and that blotched skin impure, Set up in hopes the rest of us to cure Of our infirmities, you boggled elf." Moral. The wise Fox says: "Physician, heal thyself." THE WASP AND THE SNAKE. The Serpent slept upon his coiled tail; The supple Wasp, as slender as a nail, Seated himself upon the Serpent s head, And undertook for fun to sting him dead. The Serpent, writhing in exceeding pain, Saw coming up a heavy-laden wain, And placed his head within the wagon rut, And made his peace with all the Gods, and shut His blood-shot eyes. "My enemy," he saith, "And I shall go together down to death." Moral. Children, now show your casuistic skill: Did Serpent Wasp or Wasp the Serpent kill? 5 JBSOP AND HYSSOP. THE MONKEY AND THE DOLPHIN. A merchant, going on a lengthy trip, Took for his own amusement on the ship A Monkey. Sailing off the Grecian coast, The merchant, Monkey, crew, and ship were tossed Amid a violent tempest down the main. A Dolphin, seeing in the waves and rain The Monkey swim and thinking him a man (As all good dolphins aid whene er they can Our genus homo), rescued from the brine And bore him shoreward squatted on his spine. And when the Dolphin came in sight of land Not far from Athens, he did then demand Of his base burden, if he were of breed Athenian, and the Monkey said, "Indeed, And from a noble family come and see us." The Dolphin asked him if he knew Piraeus (That harbor famous since the world began). The Monkey, thinking that he meant a man, Replied, "Indeed? we re bound by family ties." The Dolphin, angry at such monstrous lies, Drowned the pretender hard by Salamis. Moral. Be what you are and shun an end like this. THE SWALLOW AND THE COURT OF JUSTICE. A Swallow builds her nest within the wall Of Athens Court of Justice, famous hall, 6 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP And hatches seven young. Two Serpents crawl From out their hole and quickly eat them all. Moral. Let s have our Judges subject to recall. THE MOUNTAIN IN LABOR. A Mountain was in great distress and loud She roared and rumbled, till there rushed a crowd Of peasants, kings, and princes, looking at her And wondering what of all things was the matter, When mid her pangs there issued from her side A Mouse who gave one little squeak and died. Moral. The moral here is learned and occult The bigger fuss, the smaller the result. THE LION AND THE MOUSE. A Lion, dreaming in his pride of place, Was waked by Mouse who ran across his face. Rising in wrath he caught and was about To claw and kill, when little Mouse cried out: "O spare my life and I ll repay you well." The Lion laughed and loosed him It befell A little later that some hunters bound This king of beasts with ropes upon the ground; When Mouse, who knew him by his roar, in glee Came up and gnawed the ropes and set him free. JESOP AND HYSSOP. Moral. Scorn no man s friendship, howso small he be. THE ASS IN THE LION S SKIN. An Ass put on a Lion s skin and went About the forest with much merriment, Scaring the foolish beasts by brooks and rocks, Till at the last he tried to scare the Fox. But Reynard, hearing from beneath the mane That raucous voice so petulant and vain, Remarked, "O Ass, I too would run away, But that I know your old familiar bray." Moral. That s just the way with asses, just the way. THE KID AND THE WOLF. Standing aloft on the Roof of a shed, a Kid was reviling, Out of the reach of disaster, a Wolf in the fields underneath him. "Sirrah," responded the Wolf looking up, "I hear thee, but mind thee Never a bit for it isn t thyself but the Roof that is talking." Moral. Often enough tis the Place that gives us our bumptious behavior. 8 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE HARES AND THE FROGS. The Hares, oppressed with sense of their timidity, And wearied by alarms, with much avidity At last determined to compose their troubles By leaping headlong down amid the bubbles Of a deep lake. But as they neared the bogs, From off the bank there jumped a thousand Frogs, All helter-skelter in a fright tremendous. Then cried a Hare, "What reason we should end us, When here are other creatures still more fearful?" Moral. Behold your neighbor s case and you ll be cheerful. THE TRAVELERS AND THE PLANE TREE. Two Travelers, worn by heat of June, Lay down upon their backs at noon Beneath the branches of a Plane. And as its shade revived again Their sweltering heads and aching knees, One said to other: "Of all trees The Plane s most useless, for it bears No fruit, as apples, peaches, pears; And from its pithy wood you scarce Could make a tent-pole or a stool." The Plane replied: "Ungrateful fool, Had I not kept from you the sun, Both you and he had been undone." JESOP AND HYSSOP. Moral. Mankind will ever be despising Its greatest blessings tis surprising, THE SERPENT AND THE EAGLE. A Serpent and an Eagle on the hill Fought one the other with intent to kill. The Serpent had the bird around the neck, Who thus could neither claw with foot, nor peck With gasping beak, and would have shortly died, Shorn of his soaring strength and lofty pride, Had not a countryman come up and spied And loosed the gleaming coil from throat and feet, And set the Eagle free. The Serpent beat With fangs in fury on the drinking horn (Which the good countryman had always worn Strapped to his belt), and let the poison fly That he might venge himself upon the sly. But when the rustic was about to sip, Ignorant of danger with a careless lip, The Eagle struck his hand with wing and bore The horn within his talons down the shore. Moral. When strength and skill with gratitude combine, The end, dear child, is something very fine. 10 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP THE BAT AND THE WEASELS. A Bat who fell upon the ground was caught By Mr. Weasel. Bat his life besought; But Weasel said, "Not so, for on my word I m the sworn enemy of every bird." The Bat assured him that no bird was he, But just a mouse so Weasel let him be. Then shortly after fell the Bat once more And other Weasel caught him. "I implore, O do not eat me." But this Weasel cries, "I have one vast antipathy for mice." The Bat assured him that no mouse was he, But just a Bat so Weasel let him be. Moral. One must be shifty in extremity. THE FROGS WHO DESIRED A KING. The Frogs, lamenting that they had no king, Sent their ambassadors to mighty Zeus, Beseeching. The Olympian God, who marked Their green simplicity, in jest cast down A ponderous log splashing into the lake. The Frogs in terror hid their heads afar Deep in the shadowy waters mid the roots Of sallows and of flags. But when once more The billows were composed and that great log Lay motionless, they did despise their fears, 11 JESOP AND HYSSOP. And swam about, or sat thereon asquat, Until they came to feel the indignant blush At such a lumpish sovereign, and sent A second embassy to mighty Zeus, The Olympian God appointed them an Eel, For potentate. But when they saw how sleek, How fat, how empty of all policy, His Eelship was, they were aggrieved again And sent again an embassy to Zeus: The Olympian, ruffled from the Olympian calm By foolish plaint reiterated, sent In wrath the Heron of the stalking thighs And long swift bill. And day by fatal day This new king, like the King of Terrors, preyed Upon the congregation of the Frogs, Until the croaking in that ancient lake Did cease forever, both at rising sun And when the first star lies above the hill. Moral. O Mortals, O unhappy humankind, Complain not overmuch unto the Gods. THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE. One day a Hare unto a Tortoise said: "Laborious back, short feet and empty head! You are the slowest crawler on the earth." The Tortoise blinked and answered him in mirth: "Though you be swift as wind and one who mocks, I ll beat you, sir." "Agreed." They called the Fox 12 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP To choose the course and fix the goal. The day Approached. The racers started on their way Together. Tortoise never stopped, but stepped With even pace, though slow. The Hare he slept Midway amid the clover, trusting ever His native swiftness more than all endeavor, And woke at last to find the Tortoise there Beyond the goal. Moral. Now child, don t be a Hare. THE OLD MAN AND DEATH. An aged Man, employed in cutting wood And carrying faggots for a livelihood To Corinth s market, being out of breath And worn, sat down and called aloud on Death. Death hastened at his summons down the road : "Why callest me?" "That, lifting up my load, Thou may st replace it on my shoulders." Moral. I ve The same propensity to stay alive. THE DOG AND HIS IMAGE, A Dog, who clenched between his teeth a bone, Was crossing, as it chanced, a bridge alone, 13 &SOP AND HYSSOP. Intent upon a thicket where he might Unseen indulge his canine appetite: When looking down beside the plank he spied His Image in the water magnified. "Another Dog, and a more tempting bone; In size," he thinks, "at least two times my own. He makes a savage spring with opened jaws And loses both the edibles, because: Moral. One must acquaint oneself with Nature s laws. THE ONE-EYED DOE. I sing a little tale of woe About a gentle little Doe That comes into my mind. It had the habit of surprise, Besides four legs, two ears, two eyes, Of which the one was blind. So it would always grazing be Close to the cliff beside the sea Its good eye landward cast. For thus it mused: "My danger lurks In hounds and hunters evil works And not in Ocean s vast." But sorrow, sorrow! Boatmen came By chance, and, taking certain aim, 14 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Did shoot her from the sea; And as she died, she sobbed and said, "O I was fearfully misled, And now I cease to be." Moral. The moral here is literary, And yet I think it ought to carry: Had Wordsworth sung this song, It would have been less energetic, But surely ten times more pathetic, And fifty times as long. THE ASS AND THE IMAGE OF THE GOD. An Ass once carried, tied upon his back, A God s gold Image on a crimson sack, Meant for the Temple out beyond the walls. From street to street the population falls Adoring on its hands and knees. The Ass, Flattered indeed that this had come to pass, Bristled with pride and gave himself such airs He stopped stone-still. The driver whips and swears Until the silly creature brays and begs And draws his ropy tail between his legs And drops his ears, and moves along again. Moral. It is stupidity that makes us vain. 15 1ESOP AND HYSSOP. THE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE. A Peacock, spreading his resplendent tail, Mocked at the ashen plumage of the Crane: "Your lanky wings how pitiful and pale, Beside the gold and purple in the grain Of these my regal robes." "But I regain The heights of heaven soaring to the sun, While still your Lordship struts about the plain Beside the dunghill," said the wiser one. Moral. The fabulist would teach you by these words: Fine feathers, children, do not make fine birds. THE FROGS AND THE SUN. Once when the Sun declared he d take a wife, The little Frogs were frightened for their life, And raised their voices clamoring to the sky. Zeus, bothered by their croaking, grumbled, "Why This new complaint that makes my God s ears tingle?" One ansv/ered: "Sire, the Sun, now being single, Still parches up our marshes and compels Us miserably to die by arid wells And withered water-cresses on dry stones, Where come the cats and feed upon our bones What, then, will be our future state when once He shall beget a family of Suns?" 16 FABLES ADAPTED FROM /ESOP Moral. Whether begetting offspring is a blessing Depends, T. R., on whom you are addressing. THE ASS AND THE GRASSHOPPERS. An Ass, who hears some Grasshoppers At song and chirp, his joy avers, Demanding what the food may be That gives their voice such melody. They tell him "dew." The ambitious Ass Eats dew. . . . Moral. and dies of hunger in the grass. THE MILK-MAID AND HER PAIL. A farmer s daughter, carrying from the field A Pail of foaming milk upon her head: "The money that this morning s milk will yield Will buy a hundred eggs or more," she said; "The eggs will hatch me chickens, white and red, Full ninety-five, allowing for mischances I ll sell them when the poultry price advances. "And in a year I ll buy a gorgeous gown And go to all the feasts and junketings, And set the fellows crazy through the town, Proposing to me round my train and strings And jaunty hat. But I will spread my wings 17 1ESOP AND HYSSOP. And give like this my head a toss and flirt." She ceased Moral. and saw her milk amid the dirt. THE LION AND THE DOLPHIN. A Lion, roaming by the wild seashore, Beheld a Dolphin lift his silver head Above the shining waves. The Lion said: "Let s form a treaty of alliance, for, As I am king of beasts forevermore Upon the land, so thou of all that s bred In ocean s deeps." The Dolphin bellowed A brave assent unto the Lion s roar. But when the Lion, fighting with a bull, Shrieked for the watchful Dolphin somewhat later, Because the king of fishes couldn t pull With fins o er land, this Lion called him traitor. Moral. The moral is aesthetic: I am able To make a sonnet out of .ffisop s fable. THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE. The Country Mouse invited his new friend, The Town Mouse, to come up the road and spend A day with him. And as they roamed the bare Plough-lands and nibbled at the random fare Of wheat stalks and the roots by hedge-rows dug, 18 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP The Town Mouse chattered with a perky shrug Of his fore-shoulder blades: "I m quite askance; The life you live here is the life of ants. Come back with me, my friend, and you shall find Dainties and luxuries of every kind." The Country Mouse returned with him to town ; Whereat the Town Mouse in his pride took down Raisins, and figs, and honey, bread and pease, Barley and beans, and bits of yellow cheese. The Country Mouse, delighted at such cheer, Began lamenting his own fate so drear And meagre when the Butler with a hamper Bowled through the room, and both away did scamper, Squeaking into a narrow dusty crack. And then no sooner had they both crawled back To feast once more, when frightened by the Cook, Who came to get some sugar, they betook Their little selves to refuge once again. At last the Country Mouse remarked: "How vain, My friend, your luxuries, while here we shake And have the tempting smell but may not take. Give me my plough-lands and my roots poor cheer, Moral. But one can eat, and eat it without fear." THE ASS AND HIS SHADOW. A Traveler, who d hired him an Ass, Sat down beneath its shadow in the grass 19 &SOP AND HYSSOP. To cool himself. The Owner, who desired To do the same, declared the man had hired The Ass, but not the Shadow. Whilst they fought The Ass ran off, nor was thereafter caught. Moral. Those people who will make so much ado About the Shadow lose the Substance too. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A famished Fox did chance to spy Some ripe grape clusters hanging high. She leapt, she pawed the tree, she screeched, But not a single grape she reached. She turned away and said, "I guess They re after all a sour mess." Moral. When things go wrong, O Fox or Man, Philosophize the best you can. THE FATAL NUPTIALS A Lion, grateful to a Mouse for aid, "Whate er thou wilt, I ll do for thee," he said. The ambitious Mouse, "Then make thy daughter mine In marriage." "Yes, the lady shall be thine." But on the nuptial day the giddy bride, The royal virgin, by her father s side 20 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Approaching, set her paw upon her spouse Unwittingly and so no more of Mouse. Moral. Ambition ruins many a humble house. THE PORCUPINE AND THE SNAKES. A Porcupine, who wished a sheltered spot, Prevailed on Snakes to let him share their grot. The Snakes, ere long by bristling quills annoyed, Asked Porcupine to leave. "But I ve enjoyed My housing here and think I d like to stay; If you re unhappy, go yourselves away." Moral. It s well, kind people, to reflect and see On whom we lavish hospitality. THE CRAB AND THE FOX. A Crab, forsaking in disgust the sands Along the shore, went up the meadow lands For feeding grounds. A famished Fox who saw Pounced down and ate him head and tail and claw. Moral. Contentment with our lot s a wholesome law. THE KITES AND THE HORSE. The Kites of old time had the gifts of song, Even such as to their cousin swans belong; 21 1ESOP AND HYSSOP. But, once enchanted by the Horse s notes, In imitation they so strained their throats That the vain effort to achieve a neigh Took all their native talent quite away. Moral. The search for benefits imagined, ends In loss of present good, my little friends. THE HEN AND THE GOLDEN EGGS. A cottager and wife possessed a Hen Who laid each day a golden Egg again; So each one thought that in its fair inside A lump of gold there surely must abide. And thus they killed it in the hope of gain, And found no more than entrails, quite as plain As fill the insides of all mortal chicks. The foolish pair were in a silly fix. Moral And thus tis ever with the Get-rich-quicks. THE OAK AND THE REEDS. A mighty Oak, uprooted by the blast, Among the Reeds along the stream was cast, And thus it spake: "O Reeds, so weak and light, How comes it that the winds don t crush you quite?" The Reeds replied: "You struggle and contend And are destroyed but we have learned to bend." 22 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Moral. By stooping you may conquer in the end. THE DOVE AND THE CROW. A Dove in cage was boasting to the Crow How large the family she hatched "Not so; The more you have of offspring, the more woe, Since all within this prison must abide." Moral. This seems to argue for race-suicide. THE DOGS AND THE HIDE. Some famished Dogs one morning spied Within a stream a bullock s hide Laid there to steep. Not being versed In diving and in fetching, first To drink the river up they tried, And shortly one by one they burst And one by one they died and died. Moral However much you need an object, Consider with some sense your project. THE GEESE AND THE CRANES. The Geese and Cranes together fed one day In the same meadow; when there walked that way 23 1ESOP AND HYSSOP. A fowler with a snare. The Cranes thereat Flew off, as being light of wing and swift; The heavy Geese were captured. Moral. And the drift Of this old fable is: don t be too fat. THE LAMP. A Lamp that soaked a deal of oil and flared Beyond the wont of tapers thereabout "I m more refulgent than the sun" declared- When came a puff of wind and blew it out. Its owner chided, lighting it again: Moral "Learn thou to shine in silence, as is fit; A boasting beacon is a thing in vain Nor sun nor stars require to be relit." THE MULE. A Mule, quite frolicsome from too much corn And all too little work, cavorted round And boasted to himself: "O I was born Of some high-mettled sire, a swift and sound Racer whose virtues I indeed inherit For I m his own child both in speed and spirit. But on the next day, driven hard and far, And feeling very weary in his thighs, 24 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP With drooping ears he cursed his evil star: "This sorry business opens both my eyes My father after all was but an Ass." Moral It s well to know our pedigree and class. THE CROW AND THE PITCHER. A thirsty Crow approached a water-jar, And, squinting with some fervor down the neck, Discovered that the water lay too far For him to reach: however much he d peck And twist his pudgy head, the dusky hollow Would yield his black throat not a single swallow. At last, with patient walking to and fro, He gathered up a pile of stones hard by, And dropped them in the pitcher down below, Until the water rose to where twas high Enough for easy suction through his beak. Moral. I m sure this crow was something of a freak. THE MICE IN COUNCIL. The Mice in eager council sat Discussing gravely this and that How best to tell, in time to scat To their retreats, The coming of the subtle cat Who springs and eats. 25 JESOP AND HYSSOP. And they concluded they could tell Most expeditiously and well By hanging round her neck a bell, Whose tinkle-tinkle Would warn them to be off pell-mell A clever wrinkle. . . . Save that in all the council there No Mouse was found the deed to dare. And so their schemes dissolved in air. Moral. The wide world teems With silly councils everywhere And silly schemes. THE BEE AND ZEUS. The Queen-bee soared from out the dews Of Mount Hymettus. Her ascent Was toward Olympus to present Some golden honey unto Zeus. Pleased with the sweets, the Olympian said, "Whate er thou wilt, I ll give and bring." The Queen-bee, "Give me, pray, a sting That I may strike the mortal dead Who pilfers in my hives." And Zeus, Though grieved (because he loved the race That worshiped him with upturned face), Dared not the bold request refuse. 26 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP But so contrived that, when the bee Thereafter should employ the sting, The dart within the wound would cling And cause its owner s death. Moral. We see That evil wishes do not boost Their base devisers very high, But sooner, later, back they fly, And come, like chickens, home to roost. THE GODS AND MOMUS. According to an ancient piece of news, The first of all mankind was made by Zeus, The first of bulls by green Poseidon, and The first of houses by Athene s hand. Now when the three devices were complete, A quarrel rose regarding which was best, And all agreed to come before the seat Of Momus, mighty judge, for him to test The work of each. He, envious of their skill, Finds fault with all. He scorns The bull, as fashioned very ill, Because Poseidon had not set the horns Below the eyes, that thus the creature might See better where to butt and put to flight. And Zeus he showed had blundered in the man, In that he had not placed the heart outside, So all good people can, 27 JESOP AND HYSSOP. Without deception, know his evil pride. And wise Athene s artifice was such As could not be condemned too much: For every house should on four wheels be set, That, if a neighborhood became disgusting, The household might remove, and get A better site with little readjusting. The Gods, indignant at such vile rascalities, And legal technicalities, Cried out: "Shall Momus Remain to overcome us Of justice thus to cheat and scrimp us! " And pitched him forth from out Olympus. Moral. All modern thinkers, save our doubting Thomases, Are well aware how many, many Momuses Sit handing down decisions base and bold Let s imitate the sturdy Gods of old. THE MOUSE, THE FROG, AND THE HAWK. A Mouse, whose home had always been Among the stubble and the green, Conceived a friendship for a Frog, Who lived within the pool and bog. The sleek Amphibian one day Enticed the foolish Mouse away, And with a string of water-cress, His evil self he did address To binding fast the Mouse s thigh 28 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Unto his own upon the sly. Then on the bank, a son of sin, He croaked and dove jocosely in, And down among the rushy roots Methinks he squints and squats and scoots. The hapless Mouse, as being tied And never used to water, died; And on the surface bobbed and floated, With legs upturned and belly bloated. A Hawk observed the morsel there, And swooped and bore it off in air. The frenzied Frog, as being tied Unto the Mouse, he also died, And added something to the feast When Hawk had finished with the beast. Moral. Tie no one to you with a string, And never do a wicked thing. THE FOX AND THE CRANE. A Fox, with reprobate design, Invited home a Crane to dine, And getting out a dish of stone, The shallowest he chanced to own, Poured into it a mess of soup. The long-necked Crane began to stoop; But every mouthful from his bill Would bubble, sputter off, and spill; At which the Fox, who knew a jest, Laughed with complacency and zest. 29 1ESOP AND HYSSOP. The Crane, who wandered hungry home, Thereafter asked the Fox to come, And set a flagon on the ground With narrow neck and bowl profound ; And easily inserting then His head, he drank and drank again. The Fox, unable to compete, Admitted the retort was neat. Moral. You may be smart, but when you re through, Others may be as smart as you. THE ASTRONOMER. An absent-minded old Astronomer Was walking in the fields one summer night, Gazing upon ten thousand stars that were, In all their silent beauty, gleaming bright; And, full of exaltation and delight, With concentrated eyes and upturned chin, He stumbled on a well and tumbled in. And there he stood in water to his ears, Grasping in vain against the mossy side And roaring madly in his pain and fears For rope and bucket; when a neighbor hied, And, with more truth than charity, replied: Moral. "Of what avail to spy the heavens out, When you can t see what s here on earth about?" 30 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP THE OLD WOMAN AND THE WATER-JAR. A poor old Lady found an empty Jar, Which lately had been filled with prime old wine. She placed it to her nose, now near, now far, Now tilting this way and now that: "Divine And most delectable it must have been, Since such a lovely perfume lurks within." Moral. Sweet is the memory of a good deed done, And long twill live when he who did it s gone. THE FISHERMEN. Some Fishermen let down their nets and trawled ; And shortly toward the land they rowed and hawled, The weight so heavy that they praised their luck And sang for glee : on shore, they saw the truck A tangled mass of weeds and sand and stones. The Fishers filled the ambient air with groans, Until the white-haired eldest said: "My mates, Let us no longer thus bewail our fates; Sorrow was ever sister-twin of Mirth; It is no marvel that we sons of earth, After the joy a moment since we had, Should now have something for to make us sad." Moral. Tis true tis certain, and certainly too bad. 31 JESOP AND HYSSOP. THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN. A Hunter, used to shooting craven sparrows, Marched round the forest with his bow and arrows, And seeing there a Woodman at an oak With sturdy ax, strolled up to him and spoke: "O honest Woodman, can you tell me where To find the lion s footprints or his lair?" The Woodman: "Yonder on a kid he feasts Forthwith I ll bring you to the King of Beasts Himself." The Hunter, turning pale, replied, With chattering teeth and palpitating side: "O never mind, sir; what I seek and lack Is not the lion, but the lion s track." Moral. Some men are boldest in an enterprise Before they re conscious where the danger lies. THE COCKS AND THE EAGLE. Two Cocks were fighting long and hard For mastery of the farmer s yard, Till one at last with bloody crest Skulked vanquished off to hide and rest Behind a bucket by the fence. The victor with more pride than sense Flew upward, lighting on a wall And stretched himself, as lord of all, With flapping wings and crowing neck. An Eagle saw the living speck 32 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP From out his travels in the blue, And on this Cock-a-doodle-doo Did pounce, and in his talons lift To his high nest along the clift. The beaten Cock he tottered out And reigned thereafter round about. Moral. Pride goes before a fall, no doubt. THE FLEA AND THE OX. A Flea remarked unto an Ox, Who trudged uphill with load of rocks: "What ails you, sir, that, huge and strong, You thus endure to suffer wrong, And slave from day to day for men, And sleep at night in noisome pen, Whilst I, though smaller than a pea, A miserable little flea, Feed on their flesh and suck their blood, And get a jolly livelihood?" The Ox replied: "The care I get, The food I cat s the nicest yet; In gratitude I bear these boulders Besides, men pat me on the shoulders." "Ah woe indeed," exclaimed the Flea; "This very patting don t agree, When men employ it, sir, on me It breaks my wings, it gives me shocks, And sometime it may slay me, Ox." 33 1ESOP AND HYSSOP. Moral. It all depends on who is who, And on the person s point of view. THE VIPER AND THE FILE. A Viper wriggled o er A blacksmith s floor, And sought among the tools to light On something for his ravenous appetite. He set his fangs to work upon a File; But with an iron smile Remarked the savage Tool: "O Viper, you re a fool, If you expect to gather aught of one Whose business always is to take And never once to make Return to any creature underneath the sun." Moral. You can t expect to get a meal, Poor beggar, from a soul of steel. THE FOX AND THE MASK. A curious Fox went rummaging about an actor s attic, And saw, among the properties prepared for use dramatic, A painted mask; whereat he said, the pleasing ob ject pawing, 34 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP "O what a beauteous head it is!" then broke in loud guffawing, When, turning it upon its face, he noticed what was lacking. Moral. A house where heads are void of brains is scarcely worth ransacking. THE WOLF AND HIS SHADOW. A Wolf, who roamed the mountain side, Beheld his Shadow stretching wide, Considerably magnified, Because twas nearing eventide. Then said the Wolf, the while he eyed That shadow with increasing pride: "Why thus should I in fear abide Of lion s roar or lion s stride Could I not eat him hair and hide?" Meanwhile the hungry Lion spied This most complacent Wolf and tried The matter out the Wolf he died, And dying, mournfully he cried: Moral. "Woe worth the fool self-satisfied." THE DOG IN THE MANGER. A savage Dog sat growling in a manger, With curling lip presaging bites and danger. 35 MSOP AND HYSSOP. The hungry Oxen at a distance gazing, Remarked with sorrow: "This is quite amazing- He will not eat the hay, and yet his plan Is to prevent those eating it who can." Moral. Such meanness is unworthy dog or man. THE THIRSTY PIGEON. A thirsty Pigeon saw a cup Upon a tavern sign-board painted; She whirred along to drink it up And banged her silly pate and fainted. The tavern-keeper brought her in, As something good to bake and season- Mora/. O child, before your woes begin, Control your appetites by reason. THE SEASIDE TRAVELERS. Two Travelers, gazing down the bay, Observe an object far away: "A stately ship that s sailing home With treasure, spite of wind and foam." But as it nearer comes, they see A stately ship it cannot be. 36 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP "A bounding skiff some fisher lad Is steering, stocked with hawl of shad." But as it nearer comes, they see A bounding skiff it cannot be. "A turtle of prodigious weight We ll have a soup at any rate." But as it nearer comes, they see A turtle, too, it cannot be. The wild waves toss it up the beach A paltry stick; yet it can teach: Moral I. That in our hopes we re often lax About our scrutiny of facts; Moral II. That often our anticipations Confuse the truth of life s relations; Moral III. That men with such a visual twist Should seek at once an oculist. THE TWO FROGS. Two Frogs, a Cart, a Pond, a Ditch Have given me the scribbler s itch. And I will write of land and water, Of sage advice and sudden slaughter: The Frog who in the ditch abode Was warned to quit the dangerous road By Frog whose home was in the pond Some paces in the reeds beyond, 37 JESOP AND HYSSOP. And still refusing (saying that He liked his present habitat), He found his belly, legs and head Beneath a cart so widely spread That what was left of him was dead. The other Frog, though smit with grief, Yet found at length some slight relief In meditating by a stone How such a fate was not his own. Moral I. Two Frogs, a Cart, a Pond, a Puddle I This life is such an awful muddle. Moral II. So, Children, learn to read and live By parsing this my narrative. THE THREE TRADESMEN. A mighty city stood besieged, and all Its people gathered in the city hall To choose the proper substance for a wall. A Mason called for bricks; a Carpenter Stood out for timber; but the Tanner: "Sir, Leather s the thing, unless I greatly err." Moral. The zeal of men to serve the state depends Confoundedly upon their private ends. 38 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE HEIFER AND THE OX. A Heifer, seeing hard at work an Ox Chained to a plow and getting many knocks, Jeered as he frisked about the fertile loam. But shortly after at the harvest-home The owner took from off the Ox the yoke, And bound the Heifer with a cord and spoke: "I lead thee to the altar, and will call The priest to slay thee for the festival." Moral. Self-satisfaction endeth in a fall. THE WILD BOAR AND THE FOX. A wild Boar stood beneath a tree And sharpened tusks against the bark. A passing Fox, who failed to see The aim of such activity, Essayed the following remark: "O what an idiot you be No hound nor hunter is in sight." To which the Boar: "Advisedly For it would never do for me To wait and fix them during fight." Moral. This fable teaches cogently "In time of peace prepare for war" 39 &SOP AND HYSSOP. But, child, I hope you don t agree; For tis a precept certainly All Christian people should abhor. THE MAN AND THE SATYR. A Man and Satyr, growing fond, Arranged between themselves a bond; And in all sorts of wind and weather Began to walk and eat together. One winter morn outside the house Man tucked his hands within his blouse; Then drew them up before his lips And blew upon the finger tips. The curious Satyr he demands: "Why this?" The Man: "To warm my hands." That afternoon indoors they sate At table, each by steaming plate. The Man, attempting a few sips, Raises the dish unto his lips, And blows until the liquids quaver In little ripples neath his slaver. The uncouth Satyr with a whoop: "Why this?" The Man: "To cool my soup." Whereat the Satyr twitched an ear: "I guess I d better disappear; I can no longer stay with thee Moral. For one who with the self-same breath Blows hot and cold (the Satyr saith) Can never be the friend for me." 40 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE BEAR AND THE FOX. A Bear stood up with neck atwist: "Behold I m a philanthropist; Of all the beasts there s none who can Prove such a high regard for man I won t even handle his dead body." To whom the Fox: "That s rather shoddy- We d much prefer you d eat and ruin The dead and not the living, Bruin." Moral. This fable shows by its inanity A lapse in JEsop s usual sanity. THE TUNNY AND THE DOLPHIN. A Tunny, once by Dolphin rude Around and round the bay pursued, Was flung by wind and wave and left To gasp upon a barren cleft. With glassy eye he chanced to light On Dolphin in the self-same plight. "I die," he moaned, "and yet with joy For you die with me too, my boy." Moral. Revenge is sweet, aye even in death That s what the heathen Tunny saith. Perhaps tis true, perhaps tis funny, 41 JESOP AND HYSSOP. And still twas wicked of the Tunny. Though pard ning the untutored fish, I d never harbor such a wish. THE KID AND THE WOLF. A Kid, who had wandered away from the lambs, Was chased by a Wolf, who desired her hams; And turning, she said : "Mister Wolf, in a minute You ll open your mouth, and I will be in it; But please, ere I die, will you pipe me a tune To which I may dance by the light of the moon?" And so twas agreed. But the beautiful sounds Aroused in the distance the shepherd and hounds. The Wolf as he scampered: Moral. "When wisdom is riper, A beast who s a butcher will never turn piper." THE BOAR AND THE ASS. A little Ass with little sense, But plenty of impertinence, Remarked with impish mockery And ears that flapped consumedly, Unto the Boar, the lord of Swine: "Your humble servant, brother mine." The solemn Boar, as somewhat nettled, In equanimity unsettled, 42 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP With noble snout began to dip To give the Ass s flank a rip, But stifling passion, satisfied Resentment, as he thus replied: "You spavined shank, you hide, you husk, I will not foul my glorious tusk By making such a creature bleed, Though twere an easy feat indeed." Moral. True dignity will never bend With its inferiors to contend. THE TWO MONKEYS. The monkey has two young at birth, they say. The partial mother Is wont to throw the one of them away And keep the other. But once it chanced a Monkey mama s mite, Too closely pressed, In an excess of Simian delight, To hairy breast, Was done to death for lack of needful air. The sister-twin, Meantime neglected, sojourned with a bear, Who d brought her in, And with small tenderness, but honest sense, Nursed her and fed, Until she grew to wholesome corpulence And lustihead. 43 JESOP AND HYSSOP. Moral. Whatever lesson in this tale you find, Its ancient maker Was certainly, according to my mind, A nature-fakir. THE AETHIOP. A man, who bought a slave, contended His dusky color could be mended, As due to diet and to dirt. He stripped the negro, shoe and shirt, And dosed him well with chalk within, And rubbed and drubbed and scrubbed his skin. And sank exhausted, void of hope. Moral. Howe er you try with douse or dope, You cannot change the Aethiop. THE MICE AND THE WEASELS. In olden times the Mice and Weasels waged A desperate warfare, shedding blood on blood O er field and bank, and still the Weasels won. The armies of the miserable Mice Chose out new captains, famous for descent And craft and counsel, who should marshal all, Battalioned for victory. And now The Herald Mouse went challenging the Host, 44 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Whilst the proud captains bound their heads with straw Insignia of office, shining marks Of hope and inspiration for the troops. The battle scarce begun, the Mice again Were whelmed in rout, and sped into their holes. The captains, owing to their bristling crests, Could enter not, and, captive to the foe, Squeaked down the Weasels throats to sombre death. Moral. The trappings of our military lords Are mad pomposities that end in doom. THE EAGLE AND THE KITE. An Eagle bolted down a fish so big it burst her crop; And round her dying on the shore, a Kite began to hop: "No bird of air, should seek its fare from out the alien sea." Moral. O mind your proper business and achieve longev ity. THE WOLF AND THE CRANE. A Wolf, with a bone in his throat, for a sum Once hired a Crane in a hurry to come. 45 JESOP AND HYSSOP. The Wolf on his haunches sat frightened and still; The Crane then inserted his surgical bill, And, extracting the sliver, demanded his pay. The Wolf with a grin: "O Crane, go away It s surely enough that I left you alone, When you stood with your head inside of my own." Moral In serving the wicked, child, hope for no gains, And be glad if you come out alive for your pains. THE BELLY AND THE MEMBERS. The Members of the Body once rebelled against the Belly: "What use for us to labor thus to feed you jam and jelly, And grind you corn both night and morn, and broil you little chickens? No more we ll work for such a shirk who treats us like the dickens." And soon the Members, having done exactly as they stated, Began to wither one by one, and, much debilitated, The hands, the feet, the eyes, too late repented of their folly. Moral. If men will strike, they re very like to do the same, by golly. 46 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP THE MONKEY AND THE CAMEL. The beasts of the forest invited the beasts Of the hills and the plains to partake of a feast; And after the dinner a Monkey advances, And round in the center he dances and dances, Retiring with grace. The applause was so loud An envious Camel stepped forward and bowed: Careering, careening, cavorting, he jumps, Now kicking his legs, now arching his humps. The beasts of the forest, the hills, and the plains They drub him and club him away for his pains. Moral. If only our public were half as severe With camels and humbugs of art around here! THE GNAT AND THE LION. A Gnat unto a Lion spoke: "Your boasted strength is but a joke You bite with teeth, you scratch with nails Like any woman when she rails." And sounding then his horn, he goes Directly to the Lion s nose, Where all Zoologists declare Is neither bristle, down, nor hair A tender spot. And here he stings. The frenzied Lion madly flings His paws about his face, and bleeds From his own misdirected deeds. 47 &SOP AND HYSSOP. The Gnat he buzzes forth a paean And soars into the empyrean. But shortly after, being tangled In cobwebs, he was mauled and mangled ; And murmured : "What a fate is my own ! Here I who put to flight a Lion Must perish by a wretched Spider And find a petty grave inside her." Moral. The greatest danger often lies In little things that we despise. THE WOLF AND THE LAMB. A Wolf, encountering a wildered Lamb, Astray and helpless, far from fold and dam, Declared: "Sirrah, last year you baa-ed at me; For this I think I will be eating thee." "O no indeed," the Lamb began to mourn; "Last year, believe me, Wolf, I wasn t born." "You feed in pastures that belong to me; For this, then, Lambkin, I ll be eating thee." "O no indeed," the creature cried; "alas For up to now I ve never tasted grass." "But of my well you drink, and this shall be Sufficient reason for my eating thee." "O no indeed, I ve drunk no water yet; My mother s milk is all the drink I get." Whereat the Wolf he seized and ate and said: "But still I won t go supperless to bed." 48 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Moral. The tyrant ever finds his last excuse, When logic fails him, in some private use. THE THIEF AND THE INNKEEPER. A Thief, intent his trade to ply, Comes up before a hostelry, Where, lounging on a bench outside Beneath the sign-board swinging wide, The host, removing then his feet, Invites the man to take a seat. The willing Thief begins to quote Amusing tale and anecdote, Observing with expectant eye The Tavern-keeper s scarlet coat. And then he seems to yawn and growl With something of a wolfish howl. "Why yawn you thus, my brother, why?" "I ll tell you," says the Thief, "but first Please hold my arms, for I am curst With fits of yawning now and then A judgment on some ancient crime, It may be, sir however, when The fit is on a second time, I turn into a wolf, a beast That snaps around and bites at men." Whereat the Tavern-keeper rising (Considering the case surprising), Attempted to depart. The Thief, 49 &SOP AND HYSSOP As if in terror, begged relief, With hand upon the scarlet coat, And yawned and howled again by rote. The Host he fled and left behind The garment, as the Thief designed, In wild credulity and fear. Moral. Don t swallow every yarn you hear. THE SHE-GOATS. The She-goats having by request from genial Zeus obtained The favor of a sightly beard, the He-goats they complained. "O let them keep the empty badge," the king of gods replied; "So long as still in strength and skill your fame is magnified." Moral. O do not let the suffragette disturb your peace and pride. THE MAN AND HIS SWEETHEARTS. A Man, approaching middle life, Courted together for his wife A younger and an older dame. The latter, being filled with shame To have a lover at her ears 50 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Her junior by so many years, Plucked one by one his black hairs out. The former, in distress about A galant verging on decay, Plucked by permission all the gray. And there he stood, unhappy soul, As bald as any upturned bowl. The Ladies left him with chagrin. Moral. When with complacence you begin To please all men or maids at once, You ll end by pleasing none, you dunce. THE SIRE AND SONS. A Sire, whose Sons were most litigious, With tempers sullen and prodigious, Now having failed in exhortation, Devised this simple illustration: He gives to each of all the six In turn a bundle, child, of sticks, And bids them break them if they can. In vain they try. The learned Man Unties the bundle, giving then To each a single stick; again They try and snap them all at once. Whereat he speaks : "You see, my Sons, Moral. United, ye will all prevail; Divided, ye will surely fail." 51 1ESOP AND HYSSOP THE HUSBANDMAN AND HIS SONS. A Husbandman, upon the point of death, Unto his Sons around the sofa saith: "My vineyard hides a treasure bright and big." Whereat the Sons with mattocks dig and dig. They get no gold; Moral. but when the fall had come What rich red clusters at the harvest-home! THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE OWL. That blinking astronomic fowl, The knowing mathematic Owl That feeds by night and sleeps by day, Was much disturbed by roundelay Of Grasshopper. "You wretched purp. And will you never cease to chirp?" The more he scolded and entreated The louder was the song repeated. "My pretty little chatterer" (He then began to flatter her), "Since now I cannot sleep, because You choose to sing without a pause (A song, believe me, sweeter, higher, Than even god Apollo s lyre), I m going to drink some nectar that Athene from Olympus vat Drew off not long ago for me 52 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP And if you like, come here and be My guest awhile." The Grasshopper Had never yet been thirstier; And so with merry thanks flew up. But, scarcely perched upon the cup, The Owl seized her with a will And dead she hung across his bill. Moral. Thus too much flattery may kill. THE DAME AND HER MAIDS. A bustling Dame was used to call Her maids for work in kitchen, hall, And barnyard every morning at The crowing of her rooster. That Displeased the Wenches, and the Cock They slaughter on the chopping-block, And think that now within their beds They ll rest in peace their sleepy heads. The furious Dame compelled them soon To rise at midnight with the moon. Moral. A rash attempt to end our troubles Troubles doubles, troubles doubles. ZEUS AND THE CAMEL. The Camel went to Zeus and said : "The bull has horns upon his head, 53 &SOP AND HYSSOP The tiger claws upon his foot, The boar a tusk, and even the newt A tongue that darts, the bee a sting But, Zeus, I haven t anything, Except my miserable humps On which my Arab driver jumps I can t attack, defend I can t." Then Zeus: "I m not disposed to grant My gifts to such extravagant Impertinence; and soon the shears Shall crop, you silly beast, your ears." Moral. Dissatisfaction with your lot Diminishes the goods you ve got. THE TREES AND THE RUSTIC. A Rustic Fellow to the greenwood went, And looked about him. "What is your intent?" Inquired the Beech. "A stick of wood that s sound To serve as handle for the ax I ve found." The Trees politely grant a piece of ash; Which having fitted, he begins to thrash And lay about him stroke by villain stroke; And Beech and Ash and Hickory and Oak He fells, the noblest of the forest there, And leaves a wilderness of stump and weed. Moral. Of all concessions unto private greed, Ye Forests and ye Waterways, beware. 54 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE VILLAGER AND THE SNAKE. A Villager in frosty winter found A frozen Snake near death upon the ground Beneath a hedge. He picks her up and sets Upon the hearth. The genial warmth she gets Soon thaws her out; and now with flaming eyes She rears her head, she darts her tongue, she flies At wife and children, hissing round the room. The goodman comes, and with inverted broom He smites her back and sends her to her doom. Moral. Beware, good fellow, for the family s sake, What sort of people home with you you take. THE MOUSE AND THE BULL. A Bull was bitten by a Mouse; in fury, As judge and executioner and jury, He bellowed after her; the Mouse, however, Reached home in safety, being spry and clever. The Bull around her hole amid the stubble Dug madly with his horns; but all his trouble Being in vain, he crouched beside and slept. The Mouse peeped out and furtively she crept Along his flank and bit him on the ear, Alert, as rose the Bull, to disappear And murmur tauntingly: 55 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Moral. "Thus mischief springs, O great and strong one, from the little things." THE SICK KITE. A Kite, almost at point of death, Unto his grieving mother saith: "O mourn not rather pray the deities." "O child of mine, how sad for me it is To know there s not in field or city A god or goddess who ll have pity. For is there one you ve not estranged The while so merrily you ranged By filching from the altar, even When smoked the sacrifice to heaven?" Moral. Make friends, my friend, in your prosperity, If in your woes you hope for charity. CUPID AND DEATH. The paukie lad ane simmer day The skellum Cupid, squattlin lay Ramfeezled wi his jinkin play By slap and heath Aboon a cave which bogles say Belangs auld Death. 56 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 3ESOP His bonnie arrows frae the quiver Hae faun, alake, amang the ither The bluidy darts Death hurls foriver Frae ivery airt On mortal s craigie, wame, an liver, An doup an heart. And sae at last it maun befa When Cupid wakes and gaes awa , He gathers up some darts frae a ; And likewise Death, When back he hirples to his ha , Takes hafflins baith. Moral. And sae it is we see the auld Aft smit by Luve outowre the cauld, Poor deils in thraws ayont the fauld, In vera hell; And aft the birkies young and bauld By Death himsel . THE EAGLE AND THE ARROW. A fallen Eagle, pierced along the heart, Saw his own feathers on the fatal Dart. Moral. To our disasters we contribute part. 57 1ESOP AND HYSSOP THE TAIL-LESS FOX. A Fox, whose tail an ugly trap Had sundered from his rump with snap, Chagrined and horrified at seeing Himself no more a normal being, And ridiculed by all the pack, Determined to make good the lack: "My brother Foxes, you ll prevail More speedily without the tail A needless weight, besides in essence A base and hideous excrescence." The Foxes wink to one another: As if to say: Moral. "Our woeful brother Would get some comfort could he see Us as unfortunate as he. * THE ASS AND HIS DRIVER. An Ass, along the highway goaded, Disconsolate and heavy-loaded, Wishing he had ne er been colted, With sudden desperation bolted Off unto a precipice s Brink, whereunder an abyss is A bottom piled with jagged stones, On which to rest for aye his bones. The eager Owner of the Pack-ass 58 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Seized the tail of that poor Jackass, Who gave a sudden lurch, however, And rendered vain the man s endeavor. Releasing expeditiously The creature s latter end, said he: Moral. "Although to conquer you may boast, Forsooth you conquer to your cost." THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPER. The Ants one winter day were drying grain, Collected in the summer not in vain. A famished Grasshopper desired to take, He said, a little for his stomach s sake. The Ants inquired: "Why didst thou nothing store On those warm days in bounteous months of yore?" The Grasshopper: "I had no leisure then; I sang, and having sung, I sang again. * Moral. "Who sings all summer," thus an old Ant said, "In winter dances supperless to bed." THE COCK AND THE JEWEL. A Cock, who for himself and hens Was scratching down along the fence, Unearthed a precious stone ; whereat 59 JESOP AND HYSSOP Philosophizing: "Look at that Now, if a Man had found it, he Had been beside himself with glee And set it in a ring of gold, Or to some wealthy princess sold. But I do pass it by with scorn I d rather have one barley-corn." Moral. Thus market values fall or rise From what we spurn or what we prize; But who shall undertake to query Why tastes to such degree will vary? THE CHARCOAL-BURNER AND THE FULLER. A Charcoal-burner to his friend The Fuller: "Live with me; we ll spend Less money and be better neighbors And have companionship in labors." The Fuller: "Such suggestions frighten; For whatsoever I should whiten, You d blacken horridly and spoil." Moral. Be independent in your toil. THE BOY HUNTING LOCUSTS. A Boy, who d caught a goodly lot Of Locusts for his mother s pot, Espied, half-hidden from the sun, 60 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Beneath a leaf a Scorpion; Whereon his eye so poorly focussed, He thought it was another Locust. But as he reached, the grewsome thing Wriggled out and showed its sting: "My boy, had you but touched me, you Had lost me and your Locusts too." Moral. Yet don t, when danger lurks, expect To be thus warned of your neglect. THE MOLE AND HIS MOTHER. A little Mole remarked: "Ha, ha, I m sure that I can see, mamma." To prove to him his lack of sense, His Mother set before his head A paltry grain of frankincense: "What s that?" "A pebble round and red."- "Not only blind, my son, but you Have lost your power to smell things too." Moral. Conceit, when challenged, often shows Us lacking both in eyes and nose. HERCULES AND THE WAGONER. A Carter drove his rumbling wain Along a rough and rugged lane, When sank the wheels deep down a rut. 61 1ESOP AND HYSSOP He oped his mouth, his eyes he shut, And roared aloft for Hercules To come and lift his axle-trees. The Giant came, but thus began: Moral. "Your shoulder to the wheel, my man ; Goad on your bullocks; cease to pray Till you have tried the nearer way." THE FISHER PIPING. A Fisher piped out o er the sea: "Ye Fishes, dance up here to me." But finding that his flute was vain, He cast his net along the main; And making quite a haul, observed How every Fish was much unnerved, And on the rock bounced here and there- Whereat the Man: "Well, I declare; You beasts perverse, you wouldn t dance The while I piped and gave the chance; But now I ve ceased, you dance indeed." Moral. Be very good and you ll succeed. THE TRAVELER AND HIS DOG. A Traveler, about to jog, Saw yawning by the door his Dog; 62 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP And chided sharply, being heady: "Come everything but you is ready; Tis many an hour after dawn Too late for dogs or men to yawn You lazy Creature, come instanter." The Dog began to leap and canter, With tail awagging fast and faster: "I was so weary waiting, Master." Moral. Man, being not by birth acute, His fault to others doth impute. THE SWALLOW AND THE CROW. The Swallow with the Crow disputed About their plumage. Crow refuted: "In spring you have some pretty feathers, But mine protect me in all weathers." Moral. The value of a thing consists In doing that for which the thing exists. THE COWHERD AND THE BULL-CALF. A Cowherd tending on the wold, Lost a Bull-calf from the fold, And swore he d catch the thief and give Him cause at once to cease to live; And being too a pious man, 63 JESOP AND HYSSOP He vowed a kid to Hermes, Pan, And all the Forest Deities. Soon after, up a hill he ran, And at the foot beyond he sees A Lion feeding on the Calf. He roars with a sardonic laugh: "And now indeed I vow a Bull I need a whole Olympus-ful Of gods and goddesses for help This beast will slay me like a whelp." Moral. At first we brag and then we yelp. THE FAWN AND HIS MOTHER. A Fawn unto his Mother said: "You re bigger, swifter, sturdier bred Than any Dog and have a head Supplied with horns. Then, why this fright, When once the hounds appear?" "You re right; But at a single bark my feet Begin themselves their own retreat. Tis most lamentable and silly; But fly I have to, willy-nilly." Moral. No arguments will ever put Courage in a coward s foot. 64 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP THE FARMER AND THE STORK. A Farmer laid some nets around Upon his newly seeded ground And trapped a flock of thievish Cranes Among them too a Stork whose shin Was fractured, tangled in the gin: "O save me, Master; note my pains; I err not as those others err I have a goodly character I am my father s stay and mother s My plumes are different from the others A Stork I am and not a Crane." But to this incoherent strain The Farmer said: "It may be so But I know all I need to know: Moral. I found you by these robbers, who Are soon to die and with them you." THE KINGDOM OF THE LION. A Lion was king of the Beasts no tyrannical Monarch his folk to imprison and manacle, Not given to wrath, but so gentle and sensible That indeed in a Lion twas incomprehensible. He published a summons for every Animal; And when they arrive, and he s able to scan em all, He proclaimeth a league and a peace so benig- nantly 65 1ESOP AND HYSSOP That even the Wolf stops growling indignantly And no longer pursueth the lambkin malignantly, While Panthers by Kids, and Tigers by Antelopes Lie together as quiet as squashes by cantelopes. Then the Hare: "How I ve longed for this grand opportunity, When the Weak by the Strong take their place with impunity." Moral. Yet Reformers who argue for such a society Are lacking absurdly in sense for variety, And favor indeed with the zeal of stupidity The petulent offspring of sloth and timidity. THE POMEGRANATE, APPLE-TREE AND BRAMBLE. The Apple-tree and Pomegranate Gave each the other tit for tat: "I am more beautiful than thou" "But I am rarer, anyhow." A Bramble from a neighboring hedge (The ancient Fabulists allege) Reproved with consequential air: "Dear friends, for heaven s sake forbear At least before my presence thus To make so petulant a fuss." Moral. When rivals grow obstreperous, The peace-maker is apt to say Almost as silly things as they. 66 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION. The Ass and Fox on hunting trip Arranged a helpful partnership. They met a Lion on the rocks, Too hungry to be safe. The Fox, To save himself from such a box, Promised Lion to contrive The means to capture Ass alive, Provided Lion promised him Immunity of life and limb. The Lion pledged; and Fox s wit Enticed the Ass into a pit. The Lion, evil epicure, Perceiving Ass was now secure, Devoured the Fox, and from the dirt Dragged up the Ass for his dessert. Moral. O Zeus, thou moral explicator, Who slew the traitor by the traitor, Why didst thou force the harmless Ass To such a miserable pass? THE FLIES AND THE HONEY-POT. A Jar of Honey chanced to spill Its contents on the window-sill In many a viscous pool and rill. 67 1ESOP AND HYSSOP The Flies, attracted by the sweet, Began so greedily to eat, They smeared their fragile wings and feet. With many a twitch and pull in vain They gasped to get away again, And died in aromatic pain. Moral. O foolish creatures that destroy Themselves for transitory joy. THE MAN AND THE LION. A Man and Lion on their travels tried Each to convince the other in his pride Of strength and prowess given to him alone; And as they passed a statue carved in stone, Labelled "A Lion strangled by a Man," The fellow said: "How strong we are, you can From this conceive." The Lion he replied: "Had but a Lion there the chisel plied, The Man had been beneath the Lion s paws." Moral. "The point of view" is still the saving clause. THE TORTOISE AND THE EAGLE. A Tortoise, basking in the sun, Maintained his fate a dreadful one: "Ye swift birds, floating in the sky, 68 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Who ll teach poor Tortoise how to fly?" The Eagle answered: "That will I." And, being promised, as a fee, The riches of the old Red Sea, He bore the Tortoise up on high, Then loosed his talons and she fell Upon a crag and cracked her shell, Uttering as a dying yell: "O what had I to do with wings And clouds and such aerial things, When, as a lumbering beast by birth, I ve scarcely learned to crawl o er earth." Moral. Know your place and what you re worth. THE FARMER AND THE CRANES. The Cranes began to peck and eat On plough-lands newly sown with wheat. The angry Farmer, brandishing Around his head an empty sling, Contrived to scare them off a while. But when they marked the harmless wile, Why, back they flocked and ate and ate And let the man vociferate. Twas then he filled the sling with stones And all the Cranes they died with groans: Moral. "Though many a man prefer to bluff, It doesn t prove he lacks the stuff." 69 1ESOP AND HYSSOP THE OXEN AND THE AXLE-TREES. A heavy wagon down a country lane Was hauled by Oxen bent with toil and pain. Loud groaned the Axle-trees and creaked the Hubs; Whereat the Oxen: "You infernal Dubs; You make the racket; we perform the work." Moral. The biggest outcry issues from the shirk. THE SICK LION. A Lion, through infirmities No longer fit his food to seize, Lies down within his den and feigns That death s about to end his pains. The beasts come one by one to see, Expressing heartfelt sympathy. And Lion reaches forth a paw, And tucks them well within his maw. A Fox, who notes the trick, to save His hams remains outside the cave, Inquiring how he feels to-day. "O fair to middling; but I pray, Why won t you, Reynard, nearer walk And here within sit down and talk?" "So many prints of feet I ken That lead into your dusky den, But none of any out again." 70 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Moral. Well armed is he against surprises Who learns from other folks demises. THE RAVEN AND THE SWAN. A Raven saw a snow-white Swan, Its plumage gleaming in the dawn; And thinking that the color came From frequent washings, tried the same, Leaving the altars in the village, Whereon his food he used to pillage, To make his home by pool and lake. This proved, it seems, a sad mistake Since soon he died for simple lack Of food his feathers still as black. Moral. Though you may change your habitat, Yourself you change not ponder that. THE LIONESS. Each female beast in language bitter Denounced her female neighbor s litter, And boasted with conceited yelps How large the number of her whelps. They rushed unto the Lioness: "And you perhaps will settle this? And by the way, how many sons Do you produce at birth at once?" 71 JESOP AND HYSSOP "But one, and yet that one, in fine," She laughed, "is large and leonine ; And when your whelps are grown, they ll see To their confusion" Moral. Quality ! THE BEAR AND THE TRAVELERS. Two Travelers upon a mountain path Were once confronted by a Bear in wrath; The one he clambered up a tree with vim And sate contentedly upon a limb; And so the other dropped and held his breath, Lying upon his paunch and feigning death. The Bear came up and nosed about his head, And (as a Bear will never touch the dead) He snorted off. Then from the tree the other, Descending nimbly, jested: "Well, my brother, What was it he was whispering in your ear?" "Why, he advised me not to travel here And Moral. on all travels to avoid the chum Who will desert one when disasters come." THE BOASTING TRAVELER. A man returning from his travels, told Of his adventures strange and manifold 72 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP Among the rest, he could recall, he said, How once at Rhodes he had astonished The populace by jumping farther than Had ever jumped before a god or man, And many a witness could aver it true Whereat a bystander: "No need for you To summon witnesses. Our own abodes Right here around you feign that these are Rhodes; Then make your jump for us." Moral. These verses show How one should deal with braggadocio. THE GOAT AND THE GOATHERD. A Goatherd in a fit of scorn Cracked with a stone a Nanny s horn. Unskilled to mend with paste or plaster, He begged her not to tell his master. "You re quite as silly, sir, as violent The horn will speak, though I be silent." Moral. Man oft repents of what he did For wicked deeds cannot be hid. THE LION IN LOVE. A Lion to a Woodcutter: "Your daughter, may I marry her?" 73 &SOP AND HYSSOP The father, loath and yet suspecting He d suffer violence by rejecting, Agreed by contract with the clause To draw his teeth and cut his claws To which the Lion gave assent (Love blinding him to the intent). When next the Beast awooing came, As harmless as a cat and tame, The Woodcutter he seized an axe And gave him sundry sudden whacks. Moral. A lover, who to win a wife Surrenders all he s got in life, Deserves to lose He s too romantic ; His lack of reason drives me frantic. THE BOY AND THE FILBERTS. A Youngster, greedy for the Filberts, grasped Deep down a pitcher with his hand and clasped His fingers and his thumb around so many He seemed in danger of not getting any For narrow was the neck and big the fist. And there he stuck in tears, until his mother (The dame was something of a physicist) Remarked: "Drop half, and then you can untwist Your hand, my son, and save yourself the other." Moral. Don t grab too much at once, my Christian brother. 74 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE LABORER AND THE SNAKE. A Snake from out his hole beneath The cottage porch upon the heath Crawled up and bit the infant son, Who died from what the Snake had done. The furious father with his flail Missed the head, and mashed the tail. And afterwards, for fear the Snake On him might lethal vengeance take, Set down some bread beside the hole, To pacify and to cajole. The Serpent hissed: "Between us twain Henceforth no peace can be, tis plain: Whene er we meet, we will remember You your Son and I my Member." Moral. It sometimes happens that a feud Imperils Christian brotherhood. THE MISER. A Miser bartered everything His house, his horse, his dog, his ring, (And even his daughter, I ve been told) For one enormous lump of gold; The which he hid within a hole Beside a wall. To glad his soul Each morn and eve he went and took 75 1ESOP AND HYSSOP A silent, solitary look. A peasant in the fields nearby, Observing, filched it on the sly. And next when came the Miser there, He beat his breast and tore his hair. A friend advised: "Put there a stone And gaze and call it all your own, And fancy that s the lump of gold Twill serve you quite as served the old." Moral. It was a very sage adviser That made this comment to the Miser. THE ASS AND THE MULE. A Muleteer and Mule and Ass Were trudging up a mountain pass. The Ass, his load extraordinary, Desired the Mule a part to carry. The Mule refused the small request; And Ass, with trembling legs and breast, Sank down to his eternal rest. The Muleteer, not knowing what To do in such a desert spot, Piled on the Mule, besides the load The Mule was bearing up the road, The Ass s pack, the Ass s hide. The Mule with much contrition cried: 76 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Moral. "A fellow service once neglected May bring us troubles unsuspected. THE WOLF IN SHEEP S CLOTHING. Once on a time a Wolf, a vicious, Decided twould be expeditious To case himself inside the skin That once a Sheep had wandered in. Thus clad, he pastured on the wold, Unmarked among the seely fold; Thus clad, among the Sheep he sate That night behind the wicker gate. The shepherd came with lantern dim, And with his knife he slaughtered him, Supposing him the Sheep that he d Intended for to dress and bleed And take to market on the morrow. Moral. Seek a harm and find a sorrow. THE PORKER, THE SHEEP, AND THE GOAT. A Pig was shut within the fold That chanced a Sheep and Goat to hold. And once the Shepherd handling him With violence by an ear and limb, 77 JSSOP AND HYSSOP He grunted and he squeeked, he did. Whereat the Sheep and Goat they chid " Tis most annoying all this fuss You see, he often handles us, And we don t carry on, sir, thus." "He handles you for milk or wool, But me when he begins to pull, He handles for my very life; And there s a difference and a knife." Moral. When we are destined for the pot, Such idle comments please us not From those who have an easier lot. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A Fox once fell into a well, And how t escape he couldn t tell ; When came a Goat with thirsty throat And saw him down there half afloat. And on the brink he stopped to think: "And is the water good to drink?" The Fox his fright concealed and plight "O yes, the water here s all right." The Goat jumps in and barks his shin A victim of the Fox s sin. "But now if you will only do What I herewith instruct you to, We ll both be free you set your knee Against the wall like this," said he, 78 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP "And up your back I ll make my track, And save you by a simple knack." Then o er his horn the Fox in scorn Did climb and leave the Goat forlorn. Moral. Oft, when we aid another soul, At last he leaves us in the hole. THE ASS AND THE LAP-DOG. An Ass observed his master s pet, The Lap-dog, and began to fret: "I tread the mill to grind the grain; I drag the plow, the log, the wain; I feed on water, hay, and oats; I sleep in stall among the goats While he, he rolls upon his back, Or paws a tit-bit in a sack, Or leaping on his master s knee Snaps a sugar-plum in glee; He laps a spoon of Chian wine; He takes his naps on cushions fine Besides, I hate his silken ears." Whereat the Ass his own he rears, In sudden hope these things to alter: He breaks away from cord and halter; Into his master s house he reels With fawning neck and frisking heels, And smashes tables, dishes, chairs, 79 JSSOP AND HYSSOP And kicks the baby up the stairs. And, mindful of the poodle s trick, He takes his Master unawares And gives his cheek a whacking lick, His fore-hoofs on the shoulder laid. The Serfs, by hubbub strange dismayed, Rush in, and bang with stones and staves : Till back into the barn he raves. And after he has had a chance To think it over, thus he pants: Moral. "O honest toil should never itch To imitate the idle rich." THE SHEPHERD-BOY AND THE WOLF. A Shepherd-boy beside a stream "The Wolf, the Wolf/ was used to scream, And when the Villagers appeared, He d laugh and call them silly-eared. A Wolf at last came down the steep "The Wolf, the Wolf, my legs, my sheep." The creature had a jolly feast, Quite undisturbed, on boy and beast. Moral. For none believes the liar, forsooth Even when the liar speaks the truth. 80 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP THE LION, THE MOUSE, AND THE FOX. A Lion, fatigued by the heat of the day, Asleep in his cave composedly lay, When a Mouse, o er his mane and his ears on its way, Awoke him to fury; and round in the den He roared and he reached without finding her, when A Fox came along and lifting his brows: "Majestical Lion, afraid of a Mouse!" "It isn t I fear her but such a proceeding Provokes me, as showing no shimmer of breeding." Moral. It s the pert little creatures around us so unctious That make us grandees of the world so rambunc tious. THE SNAPPING DOG. A Dog, who ran at people s heels by stealth And snapped, imperiling their peace and health, One morning found about his neck a bell, Suspended by his master, to compel Due notice of his coming everywhere. The Dog began to give himself an air, And tinkled with it round the market-place. An old Hound said: "Why flaunt you your dis grace 81 &SOP AND HYSSOP Sign of that evil nature you inherit As if insignia of an order of merit?" Moral. Some dogs who make a noise and get a name Mistake their notoriety for fame. THE OXEN AND THE BUTCHERS. The Oxen gathered on a day, Resolving how at once to slay The Butchers men whose trade to them It seemed but natural to condemn. When one, the chief in gravity, Arose, a bold and bovine Nestor: "Though these same Butchers," stated he, "Us even unto death do pester, They slaughter us with skilful knives And little pain our wretched lives Would be more wretched with such satyrs As less experienced operators, Who d gash and hack and choke our breath And keep us half the day in dying And that would be a double death. For surely there is no denying, Though Butchers perished, tis our grief That men will never lack for beef." Moral. This evil world is full of tricks, And life itself s a pretty fix 82 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP Our luck consists in clearing out By what s the least protracted route. THE HORSE AND THE GROOM. A Groom, whose fancy went aroaming, Spent his mornings currycombing, But stole the oats and sold for ale. At last the Horse : "Good master, hail But if you wish my coat to shine, You ll feed me more and groom me less." Moral. You can t succeed in any line, My friend, unless you have success. THE BOYS AND THE FROGS. Some boys did pelt the Frogs with stones And banged them on the brains; And laughed to hear the dying groans Of Rana Pipiens. Till one petitioned with a croak, His head above the water: "Stop, Boys, for what s to you a joke, To us, to us is slaughter." Moral. O Heedless Harry, Tom, and Dick, O little Paul and Percy, Renounce your murderous stone and stick, And join a Band of Mercy. 83 &SOP AND HYSSOP THE SALT PEDLAR AND THE ASS. An Ass was trudging inland from the sea, A load of salt upon his weary back, When, as he crossed a ford, he slipped and fell. Arising, he observed complacently The weight was almost melted from the sack And life was brightening up for him a spell. . . . The Pedlar headed round, and at the brine Refilled the pannier. In the stream again, The Ass on purpose sank and sloughed the load; And with a bray, triumphant, asinine, Bounced up and on. The angry master then Returned once more along the seaward road And bought a string of sponges. At the ford The Ass, who still would play the knave, fell ill Only to rise with burden multiplied. Moral. For tis a regulation of the Lord That sponges hold a deal of water, till They re squeezed or dried. ELEGIACS ON THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP. (Friends of the classical mUse, I desire to show you a clever Sample of verse of the sort critics forbid us to write, 84 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Cunning indeed as I am to pry with the lyrical lever Rhymes from the rocks of Parnass, rhythms of ancient delight.) "Come, and we ll end this implacable hatred be tween us forever," Argued the Wolves with the Sheep, planning a meal for the night; "Surely the Dogs, the malicious, who bark at our honest endeavor, Darken your judgment of Wolves, fill you ab surdly with fright". . . So in a moment the Dogs they released, and after wards never Needed a warning again, Sheep of the heath and the height. . . Bleating their last, as the Wolves their succulent vitals dissever Stomach and bowels and brain, kidney and liver and light. O you would surely have shouted: Moral "How ghastly, Mamma! did you ever See on your travels before ugh! such a hor rible sight?" THE SICK STAG. A sick Stag, gathering up some food, Sought out a corner of the wood. 85 1ESOP AND HYSSOP His comrades came, solicitous His cure and ailment to discuss, While each one helped himself until The Creature starved to death. Moral. And thus The Kantian ethics, the "good will," Divorced from common sense, may kill. (Or if that Moral s too abstruse, This may be nearer to your use: A Man himself from Foes defends But Heaven must save him from his Friends.) THE JACKDAW. Said Zeus with most Olympian words: "I will appoint a king of Birds The Bird most beautiful to see, By Styx I vow it, shall be he." The day arrived for the convention, And Birds too numerous to mention From rivers, fields, and woods, and hills Herons, Hawks, and Whippoorwills, Ducks, Flamingoes, and Crossbills, Warblers, Robins, Sandpipers, Eagles, Veeries, Woodpeckers, Juncos, Orioles, Purple Crackles, Cooing Cuckoos, Geese with cackles, Peacocks, Quails, and Ringdoves all The list enthusiasts may recall From Whitman s "Leaves," or student sees 86 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP In standard ornithologies (As Audubon s or Chapman s) flew Gold or black, or white or blue, Speckled wing or crested head, Belly brown or gold or red, Such as Chaucer would have sung In his merry antique tongue Perched about on balustrade Or stalked along the colonnade In courts of marble, onyx, jade. Among them Zeus remarked the Jackdaw- Now no ordinary black Daw; Since, conscious of his ugliness, He d got himself another dress. From every by-way, green, and shaw, He d gathered up whate er he saw, And stuck his body, tail to head, With alien plumes the rest had shed. When in delight Zeus at the sight Had named this Creature king by right, Each Bird began to chirp, or cheep, Twitter, caw, or bark, or peep (According to the natural status Of his vocal apparatus), And rushing madly plucked with vim The feather that belonged to him And left the Daw his former state, Ridiculous to contemplate. All-seeing Zeus, in great chagrin At being thus-wise taken in, Dismissed the meeting. 87 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Moral. O my Son, Feathers are no cri-ter-i-on : They are indeed an idle show And borrowed too, for all you know. THE VINE AND THE GOAT. A Goat was nibbling on a Vine, On glossy leaves and tendrils fine: "Why wilt thou rend me thus, alas And is there then no good in grass? But when the vintage comes, I ll be, Thou bearded Goat, revenged on thee,- For at the altar twill be mine To furnish to the priest the wine Which he with pious lips and eyes Shall pour o er thee, thou sacrifice To Dionysos, god of grapes." Moral. From Nemesis, ye Jackanapes, This world affordeth few escapes. THE OX AND THE FROG. An Ox, his gullet for to cool, Once took a drink from out a pool. And shortly after, Madame Frog, Returning to her native bog, 88 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Missed a member of her family: "Where is your brother?" "O Mamma" (They croaked around her, jumping clammily) "The biggest Beast you ever saw Just now with monstrous cloven heel Crushed our Jimmy in the ooze And left him there a shapeless bruise, Without a head, a leg, a squeal." The Dame she swelled with furious puff: "Now am I, Froggies, big enough To meet and slay this murderer?" "O Mother, if you only were!" Moral. Some situations are immutable And, Nature, thou art quite inscrutable. THE PHILOSOPHER CAUTIONED. A sympathetic, peripatetic, erratic, emphatic old Philosopher, Standing on a bluff, Sees a vessel founder in the waves that pound her, And getting really cross over such a horrid toss over, Says : "This is pretty tough O Providence, subliminal and transcendental, That punishest one criminal and makest an acci dental 89 1ESOP AND HYSSOP End of all the rest the good, the better, and the best I My views on teleology, and cosmology, and theol ogy Are scattered galley-west." But while he speaks, he plants Unwittingly his foot Upon a neighboring nest Of busy ants. Now, one of evil brain and machinations vain, Clambers up his boot, And underneath his pants Upon his tender skin gets well its nippers in. Whereat he roars and jumps, and with his heel he thumps Till, crushed and smothered in the loam, All the poor ants are sent to their long home Except that single one Who all the harm had done. Moral. This is a most peculiar universe ; And that against which we are prone to curse Often by our own conduct we make worse. THE FLY AND THE BALD MAN. Upon a Bald Man s shining crown A winged fly alit: With legs apart and evil neck bent down, The Creature bit. 90 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP The Man, to slay the Insect, gave Himself a slap in vain Whereat the Fly: "And art thou such a knave As to disdain "Thy body, temple of thy soul That dwells, O Man, inside? Or hast thou never practised self-control?" The Man replied: "With my own self I ll make my peace, Knowing my own intent; And I ll repair ere long with cooling grease This accident. "But thou, but thou, pestiferous, I still would gladly drub, Impertinent, ill-favored little Cuss, Beelzebub, "Who vilely suckest human veins, Even though it bred Immedicable, self-inflicted pains To smite thee dead." Moral. This fellow s sorry fit of pique, Alas, too plainly tells How man prefers his vengeance for to wreak Before all else. 91 JESOP AND PIYSSOP THE CAT AND APHRODITE. A Cat observed a Youth, a stately, And followed, loving desperately Rubbing on his legs and bowing, Purring now, and now meowing (For even the chaste, when smit by Cupid, Are in their antics very stupid). Twas vain; and so with fancy flighty She begged a boon of Aphrodite: "Feline I, and he a human Change my form to that of woman!" The Goddess heard and lo, a lady As fair as any Sue or Sady, In whose shapely amorous fingers No remnant of a claw now lingers, From whose eyes the oblong iris Is gone, like -ffigypt and Osiris, On whose lips no whiskers tickle To still betray that cats are fickle, And from whose rump the tail is pulled (Or else of course no man were fooled). It was a clever metamorphosis; Indeed in Ovid s pages more fuss is Often made about a lesser. Well, then, the Youth he did address her Making the ancient vows erotic Which to repeat were idiotic; And soon by priest, an empty pated, The ill-assorted pair were mated. 92 I FABLES ADAPTED FROM SESOP But Aphrodite, the designing, As once they sat at home reclining, Let down a mouse athrough the ceiling, And sent him round the chamber squealing. The bride made after in a bee-line Sure indication of the feline. Moral. It is an olden saw and bitter: A change of form won t change the critter. THE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN. The North wind and the Sun, disputing which Has brought his power to the higher pitch, Do each agree to try the matter out Upon the cloak that wraps a man about Who chances now upon the horizon s verge. The North wind blows with a tremendous splurge, The while the Chap, at each more furious blast, Gathers anew the folds and makes more fast. The Sun, however, with his genial rays In patient silence round the shoulder plays Until the owner of his own free will Removes his cloak and sits by yonder hill Beneath a tree beside the water courses. Moral. Persuasion s far more forcible than Force is. 93 JESOP AND HYSSOP THE STAG AT THE POOL. A thirsty Stag beside a pool Who meant to drink a belly-ful Observed with pride and with dejection The outlines of his own reflection: His branching antlers he admired, His legs left much to be desired Calves scarcely thicker than a teat, And such ridiculous splay-feet. Just then a Lion hove in sight, Whereat the Stag he took to flight ; And whilst upon the open lea, He used his legs successfully; But, entering a wood, he caught Upon his antlers, quite distraught. The Lion clawed : His Hour had come Reminding us of Absalom. Moral 1. The things that we despise may give The very means whereby to live. Moral 2. The things we glory in may be Destructive of longevity. Moral 3. O let us learn to estimate Our functions at their proper rate. 94 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Moral 4. In this vile world of danger and abuse, The test of values is not looks but use. THE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR ASS. A Miller and his Son were driving Their chubby Ass, a sleek and thriving, To market with intent to sell. They passed some damsels by a well, Laughing, gossiping in troops: "Just look at yonder nincompoops," They cry, "who trudge on foot beside That beast that one at least might ride." The sire, a man to whom advice Was welcome, whatsoe er the price, Resented not the ladies titter, But set his son upon the critter; When presently they met a crowd Of gray-haired gentry, bent and bowed, Before an inn in grave debate: "There," argued one, "this proves the state Of this degenerate age Young Scamp, Get down from off that Ass and tramp, And give your sire a seat on him To rest his weary length of limb." The sire, a man to whom advice Was welcome, whatsoe er the price, Resenting not this speech upon His honest and obedient son, 95 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Effected the exchange of seats; When somewhat later on he meets A throng of little girls and boys, Who stop their play and make a noise : "Old Codger, lazy Miller you, You have an easy time, you do; You ride along, but little sonny Finds his travels far from funny." The Miller, one to whom advice Was welcome, whatsoe er the price, Resented not this juvenile Impertinence, but with a smile Contrived to have his offspring jump Behind and sit upon the rump. And now they d almost reached the town. A citizen was walking down: "Pray, clever friend, may I inquire That Ass, sir, do you own or hire?" "I own him, yes." "One wouldn t know it- The way you load him doesn t show it. Why, you are better fixed, you two, To carry him than he, sirs, you." The sire, a man to whom advice Was welcome, whatsoe er the price, Resented not his angry eye: "Perhaps so, sir; we can but try." Whereat they both alit and bound The Ass, upturned upon the ground, And passed a pole between his legs, And, like two carriers with kegs, Behind, before, along they swung, 96 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP The pole upon their shoulders hung. They struck the bridge. The citizens Came roaring round by fives and tens. The Ass, excited by the scandal, And grieved that thus his masters handle A faithful servant, brought to town Like garden truck, and upside down Burst his cords and broke the pole, And o er the rail with kick and roll Tumbled madly in the river, And passed from life with splash and shiver. The Miller and his Son, regretting, Trudged homeward petulantly fretting. Moral. Advice is good, but use your wit, And do not always follow it. THE SWAN AND THE GOOSE. A rich man bought a Swan and Goose, That for song, and this for use. It chanced his simple-minded cook One night the Swan for Goose mistook. But in the dark about to chop The Swan in two above the crop, He heard the lyric note and stayed The action of the fatal blade. Moral. And thus we see a proper tune Is sometimes very opportune. 97 &SOP AND HYSSOP THE EAGLE, THE CAT, AND THE WILD SOW. An Eagle made her nest In topmost branches of a lofty oak. A Cat began to climb and poke And found a place to rest Within a rotted hole Some half way up the bole (Bole, children, means the trunk), And, having lots of spunk, She kittened there to boot. But now A lumbering nine-farrow Sow Had taken hoggish shelter in a hollow at its foot. The Cat resolved by arts of perfidy To end each irksome, casual colony. Up to the Eagle then she went : "Destruction waits below for you and me The Sow you view each day in digging bent Will soon uproot our tree." She left the Eagle victimized, And down beside the Sow advised: "Look out; the Eagle there on top Intends, when you re away, to drop And seize your little pigs, my dear." Thus both the Eagle and the Sow in fear Remain at home and starve with all their teeny Cunning, innocent progeny. (This stupid story makes my head so sleepy, I m getting shaky in my orthoepy.) 98 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP At any rate the Cat and kittens fed For many days and fattened on the dead. Moral. It s easy to be clever, O my little pupils, // a man has never Any moral scruples. THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG. A Fox who swam across a torrent Was swept along by wave and current Into a dank and dark ravine, Where long he lay, until gangrene Set in and made him most unclean And wretched. (For upon the rocks He d gotten scratches, bruises, knocks.) Besides, the vile retreat was warm. So, soon there settled down a swarm Of sucking flies upon the Fox. The Hedgehog came commiserating, In kindly words his purpose stating: "I ll drive the horrid flies away." "No, gentle Hedgehog, let them stay. For these same flies are full of gore, So full they can t suck any more. They sting me little. I am freighted At present with the satiated. But should they leave, their hungry kin Would come, and stick their suckers in, And drink the blood that yet remains." 99 &SOP AND HYSSOP Moral. In times of trouble use your brains. THE WIDOW AND THE SHEEP. A certain Widow, poor and lonely, Had a sheep, her own and only. At shearing time to save expense Herself she clipped him by the fence, But chopped the flesh as well as wool. Whereat the Sheep with balk and pull: "O mistress, mistress, give me peace My blood adds nothing to the fleece. If tis my flesh that you desire, You may the skilful butcher hire; If tis my wool, the shearer s son Can do the operati-on." The Crone was obstinate and cracked And so she hacked and hacked and hacked, Until the creature bled to pieces In useless fragments, bones and greases ; Whilst the spoiled wool amid the ooze Dyed red the Widow s wooden shoes. Moral. An expert s service and advice Is likely to be worth the price. THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES, AND THE SPRAT. The Dolphins and the Whales were splashing, Lashing, dashing, smashing, crashing, 100 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP And round the rolling billows thrashing In battle piscine and mammalian The Whales were more sesquipedalian; The Dolphins in agility Displayed the more facility. We men, we like to watch a rumpus, When combatants don t stop to thump us,- Not so the tender-hearted Sprat. He raised his head, and where he sat Quite altruistical-ly gat A shock of sudden grief at that. "Don t pound each other to a jelly, But state to me the casus belli, And I ll adjudicate," he said. "Duck under your confounded head," They roar, "and hold your clappers to We d rather smite till all were dead Than once defer to such as you." Moral. When Whales and Dolphins have a spat, The peace tribunal is a Sprat; When Nations at each other peg, The peace tribunal is the Hague But which can better arbitrate, Is not quite certain up to date. THE TWO POTS. Two Pots adown a river pass. One is earthen, one is brass. The Earthen to the Other saith: 101 JESOP AND HYSSOP "Don t come nigh me you ll be my death, For if you bump, you ll thump and shiver All my person in the river, And that would be a sorry end." Moral. An equal makes the only friend. THE CRAB AND ITS MOTHER. A Crab unto her progeny: "Thou walkest so lop-sidedly; A steady gait and straight ahead Is more becoming and well-bred." "But, Mother, show me, if you can," Replied the young Crustace-an. The Mother s effort was an antic Pedantic, frantic, unromantic, A wriggling, wobbling, jerking, clawing With bulging eyes, and head see-sawing A work ill-fitted to inspire Respect, affection, or desire. The infant Crab replied distracted: "O Mama, Mama, how you acted!" Moral 1. Example is the only teacher For man or crab or any creature. Moral 2. Parents, avoid such exhibitions Before your children of conditions That mock your worthy expositions. 102 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE OLIVE AND THE FIG-TREE. The Olive ridiculed the Fig-tree: "Lo, Through all the year my bright green leaves I keep; But you, when winter winds begin to blow, Are shorn as any sheep." But on the Olive s foliage the snow Fell all one night, and with the morning sun The sparkling weight had bowed and cracked her so, The Olive was undone, Yet left unharmed the gaunt and sturdy Fig, Because it sifted to the earth below Through the interstices of branch and twig. O children, ye should know: Moral. The robes of luxury, the pomp of ease, Whereby mankind conceives himself so strong, May prove his ruin, as it did the tree s, When tempests come along. THE FOX AND THE LION. Lo, when the Fox on a day discovered the Lion the first time, Truly his cunning was gone, truly his terror was great; 103 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Yet, when he saw him again, he found that he hadn t a worse time, Feeling indeed, though alarmed, able to master his state. Then on occasion the third with a boldness surpris ing he waited, Walking a while by his side, telling the Lion the news. Moral. Children, recall that your terrors at last are often abated, After a season or so, after reflection and use. THE CAT AND THE BIRDS. A scrawny Cat whose food is failing, On hearing that some Birds are ailing, Procures a doctor s cap and cane And spectacles and leather box; Then, sauntering out through wind and rain, Upon the Avi-ary knocks: "For every ill, I have a pill." "We re very well and think we will Undoubtedly remain so, if You ll keep away," they say with sniff. Moral. Whate er your troubles, whether reelings, Or those dreadful tired feelings, Whether * * * *, whether bunyons, 104 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Stomach-ache from eating onions, Pickles, lobsters, milk at night, Or a pain in groin or light, Or the more insistent growls In the region of the * * * *, Palpitation of the heart, Tendency of skin to smart, Coated tongue, or blackheads, or Fistula, or running sore, Goitre, carbuncle, or sty, Wrinkles, rings around the eye, Whether rumblings in the ears, Or unmentionable fears That secretly do gnaw and vex us About the kidneys, solar plexus, Vermiform appendix, and Bladder, liver, pineal gland, Cortex, coccyx, and aorta But, as life is rather short, a Partial list will have to do; Although I might have added too Apoplexies in the brains, Knots and swellings in the veins, Symptoms of consumptions, dropsies. Fevers plain without autopsies Baldness, scrofula, myopic Eyesight but my major topic: Whate er your troubles, don t be lax In speedily avoiding quacks. 105 &SOP AND HYSSOP THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERDS. A passing Wolf who stopped before A Shepherds hut, through open door Spied them eating, each a glutton, Merrily a haunch of mutton. "What a clamor there would be, Should you shepherds once catch me Doing what you re doing there." Moral. Children, children, have a care: Do not loiter at the shops Sucking nasty lollypops; Do not fill your pants with worms, Lobsters, or echinoderms. THE HEN AND THE VIPER S EGGS. Hen once found the eggs of Viper, And exclaimed rejoicing: "I per- Ceive a chance for altruism." (Clever female witticism.) So she warmed them, so she nourished, And the little vipers flourished Till they swelled, and twitched and wriggled, Burst their shells and waggled-wiggled In the sands and round her toes, Up her back and long her nose Wormy, squirmy vipers. "Blast it," Said the Hen, quite flabbergasted. 106 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Moral. Ladies, ladies, don t attempt to Do the things you weren t meant to. Keep at home and hatch your chickens, Or you ll scamper like the dickens. THE PUPPY AND THE OYSTER. Mack, a. puppy fond of eggs, Waddles on his jointed legs Long the shore and spies an Oyster Where no fishwives, men, nor boys stir On the lonely sands where dog Can sun himself or bark or jog Unmolested. As the Puppy Feels the time has come to sup, he Swallows down the bivalve whole Dying soon with twitch and roll, From the torment in his stomach. Moral. O how silly and how dumb, Mack! Lo, not everything that s round Is an egg upon the ground. THE FOX AND THE BRAMBLE. A Fox, who long the cliffs would gambol, Once fell and caught upon a Bramble, And having pricked and torn his soles, He roared indignant rigmaroles: "Thou bush of a Satanic seed 107 JESOP AND HYSSOP That makes! me, the Fox, to bleed !" The Bramble patiently replied: "Were t not for me, you d soon have died Down there below the mountain-side." Moral. When remedies are rather drastic, We do not wax enthusiastic. THE FISHER AND THE LITTLE FISH. A Fisherman, who lived upon The paltry fish he chanced to get By sitting out there in the sun And whistling daily by his net, Once caught as issue of his sport At close of day one tiny short And ungrown Fishling, who convul sively began with panting breath: "Are you indeed not very dull To doom a fish like me to death, The smallest fish on sea or earth What can so small a fish be worth? "Wait till I ve got my growth, and now Return me quickly to the sea; And in a year or so, I trow, You ll find me much more good for thee A whopping, a surpassing fish, A rich man s dish, a rich man s dish." The Fisherman replied: 108 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP Moral. "I were Indeed a fool to throw away, For something I must long defer, Whatever I have got to-day Even though it be a shrimp like thee: So, one small Fish, thou lt come with me." THE WASP, THE PARTRIDGE, AND THE FARMER. The Wasps and Partridges, undone With thirst beneath the summer sun, Unto the Farmer come and ask A sip or two from out his flask. They promise to repay his favor: "We birds will dig around your vines And give your grapes a genial flavor." We Wasps will guard from thieves designs And scare the prowling urchins off." The Farmer then: "Enough, enough; I ve two yoke-oxen who have long Performed these services for me, Faithful, intelligent, and strong No such arch-promisers as ye. Tis fitter I give drink to them." Moral. Phrase for yourselves the apothegm. 109 2ESOP AND HYSSOP THE ASS AND THE HORSE. An Ass besought a noble Steed To spare him but a bit of feed. "If any s left when I have fed, Tis yours, my pretty Ass," he said. "And if you ll come this evening back To my own stall, I ll give a sack Of barley for noblesse oblige." "Sir Horse, indeed, I ll not besiege Your kindness further keep your barley." Moral. At high folks doors don t beg or parley. THE BOY AND THE NETTLES. A Youngster, by a Nettle stung, Ran home to mother screaming, flung Himself into her lap, and cried: "Mamma, I am transmogrified With anguish; yet I touched the thing So very gently." "Hence the sting," The philosophic dame replied; "My little son, next time you touch A Nettle, firmly grasp and clutch, And it will feel as soft as silk, And hurt no more than Ass s milk." Moral. This tale has good advice no doubt; And yet I d hate to try it out. 110 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP THE PARTRIDGE AND THE FOWLER. A Fowler caught a Partridge; but The Partridge begged him not to cut His head asunder, screaming : "Pray, Master, let me live my day! And for you I will entice Many Partridges." "Thou thrice Accursed creature," said the man; "Sizzle thou in baking pan! I ve less scruple now, pardee, In vigorously slaughtering thee, Who think st to save thy neck at cost Of thine own kin betrayed and lost." Moral. Bird, most base and cowardly, 1 wish I d had a Hack at thee. THE BALD KNIGHT. A Bald-pate Knight, a dwarfish Runt With flanging ears, went forth to hunt. A puff of wind blew off his wig And spun it like a whirligig Across the fields. His friend began To wink and laugh. The little Man, Reining his horse and rising high: "Aye, aye, I eye your eye, eye, eye ! And since you choose to gird me thusly, I answer you cacophanously ! 111 1ESOP AND HYSSOP What marvel that these borrowed hairs Should fly away so unawares, When those that once were truly mine Forsook me likewise ai, yai, yine!" Moral. Twas most unfortunate the wind And circumstances so combined To spoil the pleasure of Sir Runt That morning as he went to hunt; But no true courtier will condone His childish petulance of tone. THE ROSE AND THE AMARANTH. The Amaranth unto the Rose (Each growing in one garden-close) Wailed about her plain exterior Felt that Rose was much superior: "Glorious Flower, bright your bloom, Sweet your form and your perfume." "Amaranth, O Amaranth,". . Cried the hapless Rose with anth- Ropomorphic sense of doom, // no hand do pluck me, / Last one season, ere I die Thou, as proves thy name to men, Art immortal, ever free. Hast thou then no comprehen- Sibility sibility? Needest not to envy me." 112 FABLES ADAPTED FROM 1ESOP Moral. The more we re favored by the gods, The more we wail about the odds. THE MOTHER AND THE WOLF. A Wolf one morn in search of pottage, Bone, or bread-crust, passed a cottage, And heard the dame remark unto Her little girl-in-arms: "If you Don t stop your crying, I will pitch You out the window, after which The Wolf will come and eat you." "That," Observed the Wolf, " s worth waiting for." And so he squatted at the door, Till toward eve the Mother sat And crooned a lullaby and said: "If old Wolf come, if old Wolf come, We ll kill him dead, we ll kill him dead" Whereat the Wolf he scampered home, With hunger gaping and with cold. Then Mistress Wolf began to scold: "Why this, why this? you ve nothing then To stock the cupboard of our den? Why this?" "Because," the Wolf averred, Moral. "I trusted in a woman s word." 113 &SOP AND HYSSOP THE FOWLER AND THE RING-DOVE. A Fowler took his gun and went Into the woods on shooting bent; And on an oak limb up above Among the leaves he spied a Dove. He clapped his gun against his shoulder, And set his foot upon a boulder; But as his finger was about To pull the trigger and let out The lethal shot, an Adder which He trod upon began to twitch. It darted back and forth its head And through his calf its poison shed. In vain the Fowler dropped his gun ; And good Saint Patrick called upon; In vain he took a sudden swig From out a bottle brown and big. The moon arose, the winds were sighing, The Fowler lay a-mortifying. Moral. O roam the woodland and the wild, But do not shoot the birds, my Child ; For Mr. Audubon and others Have told us that they be our brothers. (And yet I wonder if the snake Was stinging for the Ring-dove s sake.) 114 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP THE OAKS AND JUPITER. The Oaks with melancholy air Complained to sovereign Jupiter: "We bear the load of life in vain; Of all the trees on hill or plain Birch or butternut or beech, Cherry-tree or pear or peach, Eucalyptus or allaxis We suffer most from hacks of axes." "The cause," replied the king of gods, "Is due to neither spites nor frauds, But lies within yourselves, my Oaks: For were you not a boon to folks, Above all woods for posts and rails, For roof-trees, handles, staves, and pails, No man would come in leathern boots With hacks of axes on your roots." Moral. Unusual gifts for doing good May cost us dearer than we would. THE BULL, THE LIONESS, AND THE WILD-BOAR HUNTER. A Bull once gored a Lion s Kitten. The Lioness was sorely smitten. A Wild-Boar Hunter said afar: "But think how many Dames there are 115 JESOP AND HYSSOP Who wail for offspring which you, you Did pounce upon and slay and chew." Moral. When Fate has got us by the croup, There s nothing left to do but stoop; And least of all it helps to know We used to handle others so. THE FOX AND THE MONKEY. A Fox and Monkey, bright and merry, Once traveled through a cemetery: "Behold these mighty monuments, Erected at such vast expense In honor of my ancestors" Exclaimed the Monkey on all fours. Replied the Fox : "You ve chosen well The subject of the tale to tell For all your ancestors are dumb And not a one of them can come To contradict." Moral. When with the wise, Be careful, Children, of your lies. THE LION AND THE FOUR BULLS. A Lion long with grief had viewed Four bulls who evermore pursued 116 FABLES ADAPTED FROM &SOP Their ways together, being friends Thus to conserve their mutual ends. Afraid all four to bid defiance, He strove to sunder the alliance. By divers whispers, hints, and shrugs (More potent far than charms and drugs) He soon fomented such suspicions As altered sadly old conditions. Each Bull went sulking off in huff And gave the Lion chance enough; And with his energetic paws He then prepared them for his jaws One after other. Moral. Two old saws: "Remain united or you lose;" And "Evil tongues can play the deuce." THE ASS AND THE THISTLE. An Ass, with good provisions laden (Prepared by housewife, cook, and maiden), Once walking out at harvesting The reapers dinners for to bring, Did by the path along the field Espy a thistle, and did yield To that old impulse asinine Upon the thistle for to dine. And thus reflected: "To be sure, How many a greedy Epicure 117 1ESOP AND HYSSOP His salivated lips would smack If his these viands in the sack I carry on my assy back. And yet to me the prickly thistles Are much more worth." Moral. See Paul s Epistles, Or any philosophic treatises, Like Socrates s, Epictetus s Or Emerson s, Aurelius s; Each one convincingly discusses The truth that pain and pleasure be Dependent on the inner me, And wrought through subjectivity. HERMES AND THE SCULPTOR. Hermes, determining to know how mortals Regarded him, once entered by the portals A Sculptor s studio. (He might, tis true Have entered by the window or the flue, Had he not ta en the stature of a man To hide his deity Olympian.) And having cast his eye about, he said: "How much for Zeus s and for Here s head Those busts o er yonder?" pointing to a shelf. "So, so, good, good " Then, near by them, himself Espying in marble, he remarked: "And this, I take it s rather dearer, since it is Image of Hermes, Messenger of Heaven, 118 FABLES ADAPTED FROM JESOP Through whom to thee prosperity is given." The Sculptor: "Well, if you will buy these other, About a price for that we needn t bother I ll fling you that one in for luck and jest." Hermes departed, silent and depressed. Moral. O gods and men, it hardly ever pays To go about a-snooping after praise. THE LARK AND THE FARMER. A Lark whose nest was in the field Which soon a ripened crop would yield, Instructed well her little brood, As forth she flew in search of food, To make report of every word That in her absence might be heard. When back she came, the Young Ones fell To chirping madly, and pell-mell To quiver round her: "Mama Lark, O fetch us off before tis dark ! The Farmer said unto his son: To-morrow early up and run To all the neighbors of the plain, That they may help us reap the grain. " The old Lark twittered: "Cease your sorrow; The grain will not be reaped to-morrow." Next day when back she flew again, The Young Ones chirped a like refrain: "O Mama Lark, O Mama Lark, 119 /ESOP AND HYSSOP O fetch us off before tis dark! The Farmer said unto his son: Of all our neighbors never one It seems can be depended on. To-morrow early up and run To all our cousins of the plain That they may help us reap the grain. " The old Lark twittered: "Cease your sorrow; The grain will not be reaped to-morrow." Next day when back she flew again, The Young Ones chirped a like refrain: "O Mama Lark, O Mama Lark, O fetch us off before tis dark! The Farmer said unto his son: With kin and neighbors I am done. To-morrow early up and bring Two sickles and the binding string; And we together will proceed To reap the grain. " The Old Lark: "We d Do well to quit this nest indeed." Moral. When men at last are forced by fate To work, they won t procrastinate. 120 PART II. ORIGINAL FABLES. Though ^sop, sage narrator, covered much, Some points on this our life he failed to touch. 121 ORIGINAL FABLES THE BEAR AND THE OWL. A famished Bear, whose foot was clenched Within a murderous engine, wrenched And bounced about in fright and pain Around the tree that held the chain, Emitting many a hideous howl. His state was noticed by an Owl, Who, perched above him fat and free, Philosophized from out the tree: "Of what avail this fuss and noise? The thing you need, my Bear, is poise." Moral. Such counsels are most sage, we know But often how malapropos! THE BALD MAN AND THE BEE. A Bald Man fished upon a bank: The air was hot ; the ground was dank ; No fish would bite; and large supplies Of woodticks, skeeters, fleas, and flies, In yonder marsh and meadow bred, Crawled unmolested o er his head, With many a tickle, sting and itch. He wouldn t budge, he wouldn t twitch; But, trusting in the universe, He fished away from bad to worse. At length it chanced a vicious Bee From out the thicket in his rear 123 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Sped forth with much alacrity And pierced him with its little spear Just where his cowlick used to be. The Bald Man slowly raised his hand: "Now that s enough, now that s enough For this, I d have you understand (He sweeps his pate), you ll all get off." Moral Though one may be an optimist, A Stoic, Christian Scientist, And fish or fiddle with assurance, There is a limit to endurance. THE LION, THE LIONESS, AND HER KINSFOLK. A Lion had a Lioness That got to ailing more or less. He walked with her in woodland air, He found a more salubrious lair, He foraged round for little lambs And cooked their juiciest, tenderest hams, He washed the plates and set on shelf, And put the cubs to bed himself. But just as she again was cheered, Her mother, sisters, aunts appeared With twenty different bottles, pills, And powders, naming twenty ills, Until the creature, weak and wan, From out this foolish world was gone. 124 ORIGINAL FABLES Moral. O Busy-Bodies at the door, How much you have to answer for! THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE OWL. A Nightingale, in song excelling all, And Owl, whose gifts were astronomical, Sat on the self-same night on self-same wall, And watched the self-same moon, and in their throats Fashioned from self-same air their sundry notes, Yet swapped no courtesies nor anecdotes, Each wishing other ruined, ripped, and rent. Moral. Children, men s hates are caused to large extent By such diversities of temperament. THE CROWS AND THE EAR OF CORN. Three Crows, whose nests were in a single tree, Long dwelt together in felicity, Exchanging visits, swapping odds and ends Of jest and fancy, as befitting friends; Till one fine eve a farmer passed beneath And dropped an Ear of Corn upon the heath From out his sack, which spied by all at once, All three together did upon it pounce; And not content with taking each a third, 125 &SOP AND HYSSOP Each Crow most avariciously averred The whole was his, as seen by him the first. Moral. O cruel lust of worldly goods accurst, How many bonds of friendship hast thou burst! THE MAN AND THE HEN AND THE OSTRICH EGG. A Man with jerk and crawl and stoop Emerged from out a chicken coop. And as he rose, a child might see That a distracted man was he. It wasn t that his face was grimy, It wasn t that his knees were slimy, It wasn t even his ruffled hair That gave him this distracted air. It was the terror in his eyes, His forehead knit in wild surprise, It was the frenzy in his whoop When rising from the chicken coop. He strode a rod and back again, He strode around from leg to leg His left arm held a cackling Hen, His right a monstrous Ostrich Egg, The circumstance was rather strange Twould almost any man derange. By rallying his nerves a bit, He halted to consider it. 126 ORIGINAL FABLES With feet akimbo, shock abated, Twas thus he ratiocinated: "I won t believe it after all; It surely isn t nat-ur-al." Moral 1. Don t trust too much, dear child to senses, However strong the evidences. Moral 2. A timely grasp on nature s laws May help us to discover flaws In many a theory, many a cause. Moral 3. Undue excitement we may end By reason, man s supernal friend. Moral 4. When one s belief is premature Reflection is the only cure. THE TWO DOGS AND THE PEACEFUL MAN. One day a Bull-dog and his Wife Fell to it in domestic strife And gave some lively exhibitions Of woeful marital conditions. It chanced the Peaceful Man did sally That moment down along the alley And in the interests of remating 127 JESOP AND HYSSOP Began at once expostulating; And getting each one by the scruff, The Peaceful man was rather gruff. The Dogs, at this intrusion nettled, Forthwith their differences settled, A common purpose now controlling. The Peaceful Man went raving, rolling With little heart to dilly-dally, And left two coat-tails in the alley. (And when one s robbed of raiment thusly He runneth rather ludi-crous-ly.) Moral. Avoid domestic interference, For it may ruin your appearance. THE DOG AND THE KETTLE. A Kettle, swinging on a crane, Sang a most contented strain, And puffed, as if with self-esteem, From out its nozzle jets of steam. A Dog, who dozed upon the settle, Was irritated by the Kettle; With thoughtless bounce he clasped its nose Between his teeth, as if to close At once its singing and existence. The Kettle offered no resistance Continuing unperturbed at ease The natural functions of its being: The Dog, however, turns and flees, 128 ORIGINAL FABLES As if all life s activities Concentered in the act of fleeing; And out along the village ditches In agonies he rolls and pitches, Imbedding now and then his face In some soft cooling oozy place. Moral. Before expressing too directly Whate er your hate of this or that is, Examine rather circumspectly The nature of the apparatus. THE MAN AND THE SQUIRRELS. A queer suburban Gentleman Was strolling with a palm-leaf fan, With philosophic step and slow, And pate a-nodding to and fro, Across the lawn that sloped you know Around his leafy bungalow. He marked the skipping Squirrels pause Upon their haunches with their paws Against their bosoms, each with head Atilt and bowed. And then he said: "I think I can explain the cause. All men perceive how great I am, And even the Squirrels here salaam; And could they speak, they wouldn t fail To add, O gracious Master, hail/ " 129 JESOP AND HYSSOP Whereat he tossed unto the dumb A largesse of a nut and crumb. Moral 1. O blest is he who can construe Whatever other people do, To suit his pride and point of view. Moral 2. And blest is he whose self-conceit Yet gives the hungry things to eat. THE TOAD. One glittering morning after rain, From crevice in the wall, again Into the middle of the road There pops and hops a hungry Toad. He snappeth, gulpeth worm on worm, And feels them tickle as they squirm Within his paunch, until its size (The while he squats with blinking eyes) Bulges out his knees and thighs. An ass comes on with sturdy stride: The Toad he thinks to move aside; Yet each attempt at hop and spring But sets his frame aquivering He cannot budge. . . .And with a thud The hoof imprints him on the mud. Moral. Whether your fare be worms or mutton, O Toad or Man, don t be a glutton. 130 ORIGINAL FABLES THE PARROT. A Parrot, shipped across the sea From Africa when young was he, Became a lonely widow s pet. The cage was by the window set; And in the sun the passers-by Could see the opal-jeweled eye, The scarlet tail, the ebon beak Thick-set against a whitish cheek, And that magnificence of gray On wing and back and breast, and they Remarked, "It is a splendid dream, A most successful color scheme. Psittacus erithacus, We re glad to have you here with us." The widow, both from sense of duty And natural pride, baptized him "Beauty. 1 will not dwell on Beauty s feats: The peanuts how he cracks and eats, A-perch and holding in his claw, Then gargling them into his maw With lifted head, beside the cup, The widow s always filling up The way he waddles round the floor When mistress opes his cage s door The words he speaks, so shrill and mystic, And preternatur ly linguistic I will not mention, for my aim Is to expound his fateful name. Ere many moons, there came o er him 131 1ESOP AND HYSSOP An itching in his every limb But whether caused by frequent bites Of horrid little parasites, Or by the harsh New England climate (That ruins many a lusty Primate, And hence might possibly nonplus A tender, an oviparous, A tropic bird), or by some particles In wretchedly digested articles, We have slight reason to suspect. At any rate, he clawed and pecked With all his passion, intellect, And sinews of his bill and foot, Upon his feathers to the root. Now Beauty s tail was but a stump That ill-concealed a tragic rump, Now Beauty s wing-bones both were bare, And ghastly purple was the skin That held his bulging gullet in, And in his eye a vacant stare ; And, as his remnants there he sunned, Men saw that he was moribund. Moral. Don t call your bird or offspring by A name his future may belie. THE CORPUSCLE AND THE PHAGOCYTE AND THE STREPTOCOCCUS/ A Corpuscle began to fight Absurdly with a Phagocyte: 132 ORIGINAL FABLES "Indeed," he said, "I m round and red, And keep a man from falling dead. I give him brains and nerve and muscle," Remarked the little red Corpuscle. The Phagocyte: "And I am white, And but for me you d perish quite; I go afloating round the serum, And when I spy the bugs I queer em; You owe your work, your freedom, joy To me, the Phagocyte, my boy." But then a stalwart Streptococcus Whose sterner functions needn t shock us Seeing his foe was occupied With learned questions on the side, Swooped down and bit him till he died. And then the red Corpuscle cried: "Nature appoints, as well she should, To each his task and each is good; Even though the Streptococcus be At last the best of all the three." Moral. The wretched Corpuscle has stated The moral which, if syndicated And widely pondered, might prevent Our present social discontent. THE GEESE OF ATHABASCA. Candidas anser. Lucretius, IV, 681. Somewhat southward from Alaska Lie the moors of Athabasca; 133 &SOP AND HYSSOP And in these bleak uncouth dominions So far detached from our opinions That none can ever misconstrue The tale I want to tell to you There gathered at the equinox Some eager migratory flocks Of ganders, geese, and goslings and The ganders had the upper hand, Debating with a gaping mouth On whom to choose to lead them south. In spite of casual disgressing They thought the matter was progressing, When all the geese began to flap With wings, and cackle too, and rap With bills on sundry sticks and stocks And crane their necks around the flocks. Their actions, though surprising, new, (Bizarre at times it may be, too), Betrayed such aim and fervor, surely One shouldn t chide them prematurely, And fiery hot as salamanders, They much impressed the puzzled ganders, Who paused and pondered in their pates, What their vociferating mates Intended by these frantic states. "Give us" they cry, "a chance to say Who tis shall guide us on our way ; Give us" they cry, "a voice, a voice Who shares the risk, should share the choice." And now and then from some old goose More deft, it seems, in logic s use, 134 ORIGINAL FABLES The ganders heard reflections meant To ridicule their government, As antiquated precedent, And divers observations tending To show how much it needed mending The more, since geese were different. One says: "Our judgment lacks in poise, And all we do is make a noise? But can t we tell as well as you Where trees are green and skies are blue?" Another: "You, sirs, should elect, Since tis your business to protect? Define protection. . . .more than skill In thrusting out an angry bill With anserine intent to kill. Our wings are weapons, sirs, as good When clasped around the little brood." Another: "Yes, the goslings, goslings? Now that s a point that s full of puzzlings For these our ganders Hear my queries ! Have we no business with the dearies? Have we no right at all to say Who s fit to lead them on the way?" And then a younger goose, an active And in her person most attractive, Remarked with widely parted lips That put her eyeballs in eclipse : "We wouldn t be so charming, pooh! If we should choose along with you? You wouldn t like to see us sniffle, And wrangle round O piffle, piffle : 135 &SOP AND HYSSOP The fact is, nature made us so That nothing we might undergo Could take that something from us which Oft gives your heartstrings such a twitch. And furthermore, you d better drop The sugar-plum and lollypop That sort of argument won t please The intellectual type of geese." "The intellect, the intellect," Another cries, "they don t suspect And think the issue to confuse By queer domestic interviews About our functions and the aim As if the privilege we claim Might shrink the size and number of The eggs we lay, the chicks we love." I do not note for special causes The interjections and applauses. "Give us," they cry again, " a voice, Who share the risk should share the choice" And though some points might need apology, As shaky in their sociology, That cry appealed to instincts, reason So ganders yielded for the season. But whether it became a practice In future times, and what the fact is About the sex of guide and leader The muse conceals from bard and reader, Assuring only that they ne er Had made a trip more safe and fair Down the continental air, 136 ORIGINAL FABLES From the moors of Athabasca, Somewhat southward of Alaska, From those bleak, uncouth dominions So far detached from our opinions That none can ever misconstrue The tale I here have told to you. THE DUCK AND THE NIGHTINGALE. An ancient Duck, complacent, fat, Whose miserable habitat Had been the stagnant pool behind The barnyard of Boeotian hind, Save when she waddled by the fence Among the roosters and the hens, To snap with bony bill at corn Her owner scattered every morn, Or when within the crib she sate To hatch her eggs and meditate, Began to make some slight pretense To wisdom and experience. She heard at dark a Nightingale At no great distance down the dale The winged Nightingale who d flown In every sky, in every zone, And sung while moon or morning star Descended over hills afar And thus the Dame began to quack: "O Nightingale, you ll surely crack That voice of yours, unless your soul Can learn a little self-control; 137 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Try settling down and doing good, And earn a sober livelihood." Moral. Conceited ignorance with ease Pronounces its banalities. THE POODLE AND THE PENDULUM. A Poodle, wistful-eyed and glum, Sate looking at a Pendulum, That with a steady tick and tock, Before the wall, beneath the clock, Swang back and forth its brazen disk. The Poodle gave his tail a whisk. A sudden thought had crossed his brain "What once it did, it does again, Again, again, again, again." For you could scarce expect a Poodle And his fuzzy-wuzzy noodle Forsooth at once to comprehend The mechanism and the end. The Poodle s head, with both his eyes And both his ears of goodly size, Began to nod from right to left As if of every sense bereft, With a rhythmic motion mocking Both the ticking and the tocking. The Pendulum had first surprised him But now t had surely hypnotized him. With every tick and every nod 138 ORIGINAL FABLES (So odd, so odd, so odd, so odd) He gave a sudden little yelp; But no one came to hold or help Or whistle, or provide a bone, Or snap a finger, throw a stone, Or do a thing upon the lists Prescribed by psycho-therapists, When Poodles or when Men get notions From neurasthenical emotions. And, since no Poodle can sustain Existence on this mortal plain Long by only yelps and nods, He passed unto the Poodle-gods. The Pendulum observed his jerk, But kept unflustered at its work. Moral. Don t get to looking at devices That tend to cause a mental crisis. THE SHINGLE. (Dedicated to that solid citizenship of our country that brooks no interference on the part of the effete and the unpatriotic in setting up its own architectural monu ments.) I. The Committee Meeting. Our honest Paul and Pete and Bill, With heels upon the window sill, Sat musing, as the light grew dim, On a memorial for Jim. 139 3ESOP AND HYSSOP The funds, collected from the neighbors, Who well remembered Jamie s labors, Lay on the table at their backs In several little leather sacks. The question was, what man was fit To shape the right design for it. Said Paul, in a judicial vein The while he toyed with fob and chain, "There s none can set o er Jamie s bones A prettier piece than Carlton Coans. I often see him at the dairy When business isn t pressing very; He ll take a half-pound butter-brick, And pinch it thin and press it thick, And in its sides his fingers stick, And make you billikins and boats And little cows and nanny goats I tell you, he can do it slick." Said Pete, the while he slapped away A fly upon his pate at play, And Bill, with sturdy thumbs at rest Within the armlets of his vest, "There s nothing further to discuss; Coans is indeed the man for us." II. In the Studio. Next morn with solemn steps and slow To Coans the sage committee go. They found him in the shed guffawing Before a nail that he was drawing; His fancy triumphed over death 140 ORIGINAL FABLES The man could even draw his breath. So on a Shingle with a chalk Coans made his cleverest notions talk Some lines to this side and to that, Like whiskers sticking from a cat, A row of circles filled with dots, And bits of filigree in spots, A broken column in the middle, And at its base a broken fiddle (Which, though it gave some folks the colic, Was most appropriate and symbolic). And all around the outer parts Our Coans was strong on eggs-and-darts. And though they couldn t quite make out Exactly what twas all about, And though they couldn t see completely Just how twould work in stone concretely, They took the plan assured by Coans He d make things right with Jamie s bones. ///. The Exhibit. They set the Shingle with the price At Whitcomb s by a pail of rice, That every one contributing Might have a chance to see the thing. In popped the village editor, And burst in a sardonic roar, "A monument like that," he saith, "Adds a new terror unto death." Says Paul with wistful soul and grim, "If you had known our brother Jim, 141 MSOP AND HYSSOP You wouldn t make such fun of him." (I must admit that Paul s objection Is scarcely clear in its connection.) School-master Ruskin Norton came, "My friends, it is a sin, a shame; A monument like this will shock, And make the town a laughing stock." Says Pete, "Young man, you re very smart, But we don t want your style of art." A sister from the "Ladies Aid," While Whitcomb scooped her tea and weighed, Remarked, "O Bill, O Pete, O Paul, It will not do at all, at all. For love of Jim who s dead and gone, For love of us who linger on, Turn that forever to the wall." Says Bill, "You girls are always fretting And round the village suff ragetting ; We ve got our notions and our votes, And you ve got only petticoats." IV. Another Committee Meeting. Disgruntled now, and ill at ease At such perverted words as these, Once more the sage committee sits And uses its artistic wits. Says Paul, "Our Jim was strong and tough, And wants no namby-pamby stuff." Says Pete, "And nothing French or Attic For Jim like us was democratic." Says Bill, "And even if Jim were not 142 ORIGINAL FABLES The best and bravest of the lot, I d give the job to Coans to show This foolish village what we know. It paid the money more s the pity But ain t we fellows the committee?" Moral. (****** mulishness, * * * * * * foolishness. ***** cru de condition- HJ * * * * art commission.)* THE FLUGf AND THE LION. A Plug I will not state the kind, But one for horrid things designed With yellow stripes across his coat, And spots of red around his throat, And beady eyes and two antennae, And jointed legs, O many, many, And little suckers on each foot To help himself in staying put, And irritating little buzz A certain Plug, I say, there was. And though an entomologist Might very angrily insist That such a Plug could not exist, There s no occasion here to doubt it, * Note. I dare not set the moral down, For fear some patriots would frown. t Etymologically, flug = fl(y) + (b)ug. 143 &SOP AND HYSSOP If you don t stop to talk about it. This certain Flug, whose weight indeed Was equal to an apple-seed, Procured a while as dupe and slave A tawny Lion, large and brave. And though some foolish naturalist Declare such things could not exist, This only shows what slight reliance Can now be had in men of science, The specialists who squint and grope With tweezers and with microscope. The Flug demanded on a day The Lion help him take away A withered yellow blade of grass That scratched his side as he did pass From out his cell when rose the sun. The Lion put his paw upon The blade, and though he did as well As any Lion in his place, He crushed the wretched sun-baked cell, And all the store of food and eggs. He makes a frightened rueful face And begs and begs and begs and begs, The Flug remorseless for in spite That Flug was not a neophyte Remarks : "I know you have some brains, Some speed in scouring woods and plains, Some resonance of voice, some force In jaws and back and limb of course, And that the King of Beasts you be But what are all these things to Me! 144 ORIGINAL FABLES Moral. Work if you must, for Thieves and Thugs; But, children, never work for Plugs. THE EPHEMERIS Some people love their souls to ease By thinking of the chimpanzees, Of boa-constrictors and such cusses, Or oblong hippopotamuses, Of whales or crocodiles or gnus, Giraffes and cows and caribous, Or (if they have a turn for fun) Of dinosaur or mastodon And pterodactyl and those classic Monsters of the old Jurassic. Twas Asshur-bani-pal who said, "Men s tastes will differ till they re dead." You all recall how Aristotle Preferred the fish that s known as cuttle, While the great sculptor Scopas says, "My choice shall be octopuses." And Poggio Bracciolini flew Into a passion when they slew The egg his favorite emu Had laid with cackle of alarum Behind Liber Facetiarum. Some people love such beasts as these; But I without apologies I love the Ephemerides. 145 JESOP AND HYSSOP And having now admitted this, I ll mention an Ephemeris That one bright summer morn I spied When sitting by the river side. A half-transparent drop of jelly, With filaments upon its belly, It skimmed along the surface lightly, Nor plunged beneath it reconditely, Like some more bold investigator For instance, loon or alligator And then twould spread its wings and fare- A-going up, child, in the air, It knew not how, it cared not where, Till it collapsed, a bug, a bubble Not having caused me any trouble, And certainly not having done The slightest good beneath the sun. Why do I love such bugs as these Sportive Ephemerides? Because I like to see them frolic? O no; because: Moral. They re so symbolic! THE ASS AND THE SICK LION. An Ass mistook the echo of his bray For a celestial call to preach and pray; And his own shadow, big upon the wall, He deemed the everlasting Lord of All. Besides he had some notions how to treat 146 ORIGINAL FABLES Sinners and fetch them to the mercy seat. So in a broad-cloth tailored coat, combined With a white collar buttoned up behind, He got himself a parish. In his flock Was a sick Lion, panting on a rock. (It was an arrow from a huntsman s bow That laid this miserable Lion low.) Him on his pastoral rounds the Reverend Ears One morning thus addressed: "These groans and tears, How base and craven in the King of Beasts! You need a moral tonic! Godless feasts And midnight games and evil Lionesses Have brought you, brother, to these sad distresses; Think not that I will comfort or condole My cure is drastic, but twill save your soul." Whereat he turned and in the Lion s face Planted his hoofs with more of speed than grace, Knocked out the teeth, and blinded both the eyes, And left him, dying, to the sun and flies. Moral. This little fable, children, is a proof That no profession, purpose, or disguise Can change the action of an Ass s hoof. THE NIGHTINGALE, THE PRAIRIE DOGS, THE OWLS, AND THE SNAKES. A Nightingale from Athens, where Promethean chorus filled the air, 147 3ESOP AND HYSSOP And temples, statues, gods, looked down On heroes, bards, and sages there, Once came (for reasons hid from me) Across the irrevocable sea And dwelt in flat and sordid Town Of Prairie Dogs, and Snakes, and Owls, The name whereof was Gossip-ville. The Owls, the Prairie Dogs, the Snakes Began with fang and jaw and bill: "That Creature s surely no great shakes The stupidest of all the Fowls Of Sea, or Air, or Plains, or Lakes! Just see the way she soars a-wing, Just hear the way she tries to sing, As if she owned the sky and moon She s crazy, or she will be soon." Moral. Alas for one who giveth vent To native genius, native bent, . Within the wrong environment! THE COW AND THE OSTRICH. A Cow with anthrax and the rickets, Forlornly grazing in the thickets, Tore off and swallowed at a gulp A leaf-hid hornets nest of pulp. The hot-feet creatures did explore With angry haste her stomachs four. And rendered life to that same cow 148 ORIGINAL FABLES A fourfold sadder problem now. An Ostrich, with long whiskered neck, Began upon her ear to peck, And chided her for melancholy: "The trouble s in yourself, girl, wholly You think about yourself too much You re egocentric That is it!" Moral. Wise words, when said with tactful touch, Are helpful for a moping fit. THE LION IN PAIN. A Lion in lands of old Osiris, In the solemn reign of Cyrus,* Splashing midst the Nile s papyrus, Got a dose of Adder s virus Which inflamed his either iris, So that round the tomb of Cheops He emitted two or three yawps. Moral. Universe of pain and yelling! What s the use of our rebelling? THE STAG AND HIS FRIENDS. A Stag, who d lost his favorite Kind, To keep from going mad in mind * Note. But if you rise and say: "By Isis, Twas in the reign of good Cambyses, Or that of Seti or Ramesis" It won t affect the moral thesis. 149 JESOP AND HYSSOP With grief and desolation, quaffed The brook and watched the fish and laughed At shoals of wriggling pollywogs, And spiders on the sands and logs; And sometimes he would run and crack His antlers on a hackmatack, And stop and look before and back And laugh again; and he would test His strength at leaping with a zest O er many a thicket, many a stone; But shed no tear, and gave no groan, And never bound his stalwart shape With bands of melancholy crepe, And never went at night to rave Above the solitary grave. (His heart was bound with black despair; The grave was with him everywhere.) And so it was his quondam Friends The Crows, the Owls, the Bats, the Gends, The Tookrous, Forgers and the Quail Began to criticize and rail: "The shameless beast, without respect For death and dead one ! This neglect Of mortuary decencies And all our old proprieties! Nay more! This flaunting in our face Of heartless mirth! O what disgrace!" Moral. Some people s gifts of intellect Are smaller than you might suspect. 150 ORIGINAL FABLES LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI. A little lady at the door. She stood so innocent and merry: She was a vision extra-or- Dinary. She beckoned kindly, called and cooed; And I was such a sombre cuss That my alacrity was lud icrous. She drew me in and sate me down, And handed me her tarts and tea; And I devoured them O so clown- Ishly. And not a word she uttered then; And I could ne er the riddle guess: Moral. But ever since, I m full of pen- Siveness. THE PIGEON AND THE SPARROW. A Pigeon, sweeping from the clouds afar, Lit on an oozy roof of pebbled tar, Half melted in the summer sun. Her claws And wing-tips soon were smeared; and grievous laws 151 1ESOP AND HYSSOP Of hot and glutinous viscosity Entangled her. And, lo, a black monstrosity Was she, and helpless as a sucking farrow. This was the reason why an English Sparrow- A dapper little sycophant and wheezer Popped in upon her back and gan to teaze her, Picked off each feather, jabbed in either eye, And then retired in hope to see her die, From his cool perch upon a swaying wire. Moral. Mohammed states the moral we require, In his great Surah of "The Bloody Pod" Thus: "Worraps el-tt-il yl-saem a-eb t nod!" And who hath sung a deeper thought or higher ! THE SINE AND THE TANGENT. A little Sine (I do not mean A placard on a post or screen, Or twist of finger and of thumb In language of the deaf and dumb) A little Sine of sort you see In any Trigonometry, Once boasted to the Tangent thus With petulance cantankerous: "I am perfection; for I grow From ratio to ratio; I change from Zero up to One Which is the symbol of the Sun." The Tangent: "Petty simpleton, 152 ORIGINAL FABLES From Zero to Infinity By many a marvelous degree Tis mine to thrive forevermore: Bow low thy head, sir, and adore The Tangent, symbol most sublime Of all of Space and all of Time." Yet whilst they rend the air and wrangle, Lo, all depends upon the Angle Lo, both their natures have their cause In very transcendental laws! Moral. O Children, Children, if ye be Afflicted still with Surquedry, Remember that you but express The Universe s More or Less It s not yourself, or ma or pa: You re merely small Phen-om-en-a Dependent for your essence on A Hysteron and Proteron, A Cosmic Complex megathrogous ! Which ancient sages called the Logos. THE CAT, THE RAVEN, AND THE PUBLIC. A Cat and Raven quarreled once. The Cat called Raven coward, dunce, Lobster, blatherskite, poltroon, Blackguard, scullion, and coon, Hatchet-face and scrawny pate, And other names I must not state 153 1ESOP AND HYSSOP If I wish this tale to be Sound in its morality. And ere the Raven could reply, The Cat had clawed it in the eye; And ere the Raven had upsprung, The Cat had bitten off its tongue. The Public, ignorant of what A handicap the Bird had got, Admired its passive reticence And said, "What dignity, what sense, What lofty self-control! This Raven Designs not to answer such a craven. Aye, silence is the wise retort It makes your foe feel like a wart." Moral. It s often nothing of the sort! 154 EPILOGUE, 155 JESOP AND HYSSOP EPILOGUE. Well, here s the Book of Fables, done Whilst I had neither star nor sun, And little cause, good friends, to jest Except one cause, and that the best. I will explain. Some folks averred To one another, having heard That I had gone to -ZEsoping, "His grief is but a paltry sting, Or else he d have no heart for jokes." This world is full of stupid folks. We mop our eye, we bow our pate, We squat, or we vociferate, Or shuffle round with rueful faces, Alone in amateur cases, When certain that by doing so We ll get some luxury in woe. Such amateur cases are: A broken leg, a family jar, A house burned down, a jealous throb, Or being fired from our job. But in the major griefs and pains Afflicting homo sapiens, 157 EPILOGUE We lift our heads, our eyes are dry, We stalk about, and we defy We laugh we laugh! Tis no pretense Self-preservation and defense It is indeed. So desperate In this grim world is now our state That but one tear were death and date. A major case? I still am dumb; But let that pass : my time shall come ! 158 IETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT FO ^ 202 Main Library .OAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 \ 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-3405 6-month loans may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date DUE AS STAMPED BELOW EC. CIR fEBll 83 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY FORM NO. DD6, 60m, 12/80 BERKELEY, CA 94720 CP)S Ml 81097 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY