THE LION AND THE ASS
Two Fables of Aesop
from The Aesop for Children (1919)
One day as the Lion walked proudly down a forest aisle, and the animals respectfully made way for him, an Ass brayed a scornful remark as he passed.
The Lion felt a flash of anger. But when he turned his head and saw who had spoken, he walked quietly on. He would not honor the fool with even so much as a stroke of his claws.
Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them.
A Lion and an Ass agreed to go hunting together. In their search for game the hunters saw a number of Wild Goats run into a cave, and laid plans to catch them. The Ass was to go into the cave and drive the Goats out, while the Lion would stand at the entrance to strike them down.
The plan worked beautifully. The Ass made such a frightful din in the cave, kicking and braying with all his might, that the Goats came running out in a panic of fear, only to fall victim to the Lion.
The Ass came proudly out of the cave.
"Did you see how I made them run?" he said.
"Yes, indeed," answered the Lion, "and if I had not known you and your kind I should certainly have run, too."
The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those who know him.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Each comment on a post on this blog must be relevant to that post. Your comments should always be gracious and, if possible, sprinkled with insight.