The Sick Stag, Fable, La Fontaine

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The Sick Stag

 A stag, where stags abounded,

Fell sick, and was surrounded

Forthwith by comrades kind,

All pressing to assist,

Or see, their friend, at least,

And ease his anxious mind

An irksome multitude.

"Ah, sirs!" the sick was fain to cry,

"Pray leave me here to die,

As others do, in solitude.

Pray, let your kind attentions cease,

Till death my spirit shall release."

But comforters are not so sent:

On duty sad full long intent,

When Heaven pleased, they went:

But not without a friendly glass;

That is to say, they cropped the grass

And leaves which in that quarter grew,

From which the sick his pittance drew.

By kindness thus compelled to fast,

He died for want of food at last.

The men take off no trifling dole

Who heal the body, or the soul.

Alas the times! do what we will,

They have their payment, cure or kill.

Jean de La Fontaine

Book 12, Fable 6 

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The Rooster and The Fox, Fable, La Fontaine

The rooster and the Fox

On a tree there mounted guard

A veteran rooster, adroit and cunning;

When to the roots a fox up running,

Spoke thus, in tones of kind regard:

"Our quarrel, brother, is at an end;

Henceforth I hope to live your friend;

For peace now reigns

Throughout the animal domains.

I bear the news: come down, I pray,

And give me the embrace fraternal;

And please, my brother, don't delay.

So much the tidings do concern all,

That I must spread them far today.

Now you and yours can take your walks

Without a fear or thought of hawks.

And should you clash with them or others,

In us you'll find the best of brothers;—

For which you may, this joyful night,

Your merry bonfires light.

But, first, let's seal the bliss

With one fraternal kiss."

"Good friend," the rooster replied, "on my word,

A better thing I never heard;

And doubly I rejoice

To hear it from your voice;

And, really there must be something in it,

For yonder come two greyhounds, which I flatter

Myself are couriers on this very matter.

They come so fast, they'll be here in a minute.

I'll down, and all of us will seal the blessing

With general kissing and caressing."

"Adieu," said fox; "my errand's pressing;

I'll hurry on my way,

And we'll rejoice some other day."

So off the fellow scampered, quick and light,

To gain the fox-holes of a neighbouring height,

Less happy in his stratagem than flight.

The rooster laughed sweetly in his sleeve;

It's doubly sweet deceiver to deceive.

Jean de La Fontaine

Book 2, Fable 15 

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The Peacock complaining to Juno, Fables, La Fontaine

The Peacock complaining to Juno

The peacock to the queen of heaven 

Complained in some such words: 

"Great goddess, you have given 

To me, the laughing-stock of birds, 

A voice which fills, by taste quite just, 

All nature with disgust; 

Whereas that little paltry thing, 

The nightingale, pours from her throat 

So sweet and ravishing a note, 

She bears alone the honors of the spring." 

In anger Juno heard, 

And cried, "Shame on you, jealous bird! 

Grudge you the nightingale her voice, 

Who in the rainbow neck rejoice, 

Than costliest silks more richly tinted, 

In charms of grace and form unstinted,— 

Who strut in kingly pride, 

Your glorious tail spread wide 

With brilliants which in sheen do 

Outshine the jeweler's bow window? 

Is there a bird beneath the blue 

That has more charms than you? 

No animal in everything can shine. 

By just partition of our gifts divine, 

Each has its full and proper share; 

Among the birds that cleave the air, 

The hawk's a swift, the eagle is a brave one, 

For omens serves the hoarse old raven, 

The rook's of coming ills the prophet; 

And if there's any discontent, 

I have heard not of it. 

"Cease, then, your envious complaint; 

Or I, instead of making up your lack, 

Will take your boasted plumage from your back."

Juno scolds the peacock, Digital Download Large Single Image

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ELEPHANT AND APE OF JUPITER Fables of La Fontaine

XXI.--THE ELEPHANT AND THE APE OF JUPITER. 

'Twixt elephant and beast of horned nose

About precedence a dispute arose,

Which they determined to decide by blows.

The day was fix'd, when came a messenger

To say the ape of Jupiter

Was swiftly earthward seen to bear

His bright caduceus through the air.

This monkey, named in history Gill,

The elephant at once believed

A high commission had received

To witness, by his sovereign's will,

The aforesaid battle fought.

Uplifted by the glorious thought,

The beast was prompt on Monsieur Gill to wait,

But found him slow, in usual forms of state,

His high credentials to present.

The ape, however, ere he went,

Bestow'd a passing salutation.

His excellency would have heard

The subject matter of legation:

But not a word!

His fight, so far from stirring heaven,--

The news was not received there, even!

What difference sees the impartial sky

Between an elephant and fly?

Our monarch, doting on his object,

Was forced himself to break the subject.

'My cousin Jupiter,' said he,

'Will shortly, from his throne supreme,

A most important combat see,

For all his court a thrilling theme.'

'What combat?' said the ape, with serious face.

'Is't possible you should not know the case?--'

The elephant exclaim'd--'not know, dear sir,

That Lord Rhinoceros disputes

With me precedence of the brutes?

That Elephantis is at war

With savage hosts of Rhinocer?

You know these realms, not void of fame?'

'I joy to learn them now by name,'

Return'd Sir Gill, 'for, first or last,

No lisp of them has ever pass'd

Throughout our dome so blue and vast.'

Abash'd, the elephant replied,

'What came you, then, to do?--'

'Between two emmets to divide

A spire of grass in two.

We take of all a care;

And, as to your affair,

Before the gods, who view with equal eyes

The small and great, it hath not chanced to rise.' 

These are available as full sheet digital images for mixed media, altered art, scrapbooking, or fabric transfer.

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The Craft of spies, the tattling art

Large size image transfers are versatile and useful.  The printable collage sheets can be used for so many things.  French feedsack and burlap fabrics are all the rage currently.  Great for DIY economical ways to spruce up your home.

La Fontaine based many of his fables off of Aesop's tales.  La Fontaine also took it a step further and used his fables as characterizations of the French ruling class and religious leaders of his time.  Many of his allusions are lost to us and not known.

J.J. Grandville was another Frenchmen who liked to poke stabs at those in charge and used many of his drawings as politically commentary of his time.  His illustrations are entertaining and full of wit even to this day.

The Eagle and the Magpie

(Recueil 3, Livre 12, Fable 11)

The eagle, through the air a queen,

And one far different, I believe,

In temper, language, thought, and mien,

The magpie, once a prairie crossed.

The by path where they met was drear,

And Madge gave up herself for lost;

But having dined on ample cheer,

The eagle bade her, "Never fear;

You're welcome to my company;

For if the king of gods can be

Full often in need of recreation,

Who rules the world, right well may I,

Who serve him in that high relation:

Amuse me, then, before you fly."

Our cackler, pleased, at quickest rate

Of this and that began to prate.

Not he of whom old Flaccus writes,

The most impertinent of wights,

Or any babbler, for that matter,

Could more incontinently chatter.

At last she offered to make known

A better spy had never flown

All things, whatever she might see,

In travelling from tree to tree.

But, with her offer little pleased

Nay, gathering wrath at being teased,

For such a purpose, never rove,

Replied the impatient bird of Jove.

"Adieu, my cackling friend, adieu;

My court is not the place for you:

Heaven keep it free from such a bore!"

Madge flapped her wings, and said no more.

It's far less easy than it seems

An entrance to the great to gain.

The honour often has cost extremes

Of mortal pain.

The craft of spies, the tattling art,

And looks more gracious than the heart,

Are odious there;

But still, if one would meet success,

Of different parishes the dress

He, like the pie, must wear.

Jean de La Fontaine

Book 12, Fable 11

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