fables

The three fishes


Once, three fishes lived in a pond. One evening, some fishermen passed by the pond and saw the fishes. 'This pond is full of fish', they told each other excitedly. 'We have never fished here before. We must come back tomorrow morning with our nets and catch these fish!' So saying, the fishermen left.
When the eldest of the three fishes heard this, he was troubled. He called the other fishes together and said, 'Did you hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this pond at once. The fishermen will return tomorrow and kill us all!'



      The second of the three fishes agreed. 'You are right', he said. 'We must leave the pond.'


But the youngest fish laughed. 'You are worrying without reason', he said. 'We have lived in this pond all our lives, and no fisherman has ever come here. Why should these men return? I am not going anywhere - my luck will keep me safe.'
The eldest of the fishes left the pond that very evening with his entire family. The second fish saw the fishermen coming in the distance early next morning and left the pond at once with all his family. The third fish refused to leave even then.
The fishermen arrived and caught all the fish left in the pond. The third fish's luck did not help him - he too was caught and killed.
The fish who saw trouble ahead and acted before it arrived as well as the fish who acted as soon as it came both survived. But the fish who relied only on luck and did nothing at all died. So also in life.






The ass and the Lapdog

 Once a farmer owned an ass and a lapdog.
The ass worked hard all day, hauling heavy loads. But he was well looked after, and had a warm, comfortable stable, with plenty of fresh hay to eat and water to drink.
The lapdog stayed with his master all day, and lived in the house with him. He did no work, but was made much of, and even allowed to sit on the master's lap.
The ass saw the lapdog leading a life of leisure, being petted by the master, and being given choice tidbits of food from the master's own plate, and the ass grew jealous of the lapdog.
'I wish the master would love me as much, and give me as much attention as he does the lapdog,' sighed the ass. 'I work hard all day, much harder than that lapdog who does nothing at all except wag his tail and fawn on the master, and yet it seems the master cares more for the dog than for me. Perhaps if I too behave like the dog, and wag my tail and jump on the master, the master will start loving me as much as he does the dog.' The ass decided to wait for his chance.
One day, when he was left unattended while the farmer and all the farmhands were at their midday meal, the ass broke his halter and ran into the farmhouse kitchen. There the farmer sat at table. The ass rushed up to him and began wagging his tail vigorously, and knocked off all the china from the table. He then started jumping around and frolicking like a little dog, and finally plonked himself down on the farmer's lap. The shocked farmer yelled for help. The farmhands came running in and dragged the ass off to his stable, and gave him a beating he did not forget the rest of his life.
It is best to be contented with one's lot. 



The lion with bad breath

 
The Lion was in a bad mood. That morning his wife, the Lioness, had told him that his breath smelled, and that perhaps he needed to do something about it. The Lion had pretended not to care, and had roared loudly and angrily just to show the Lioness who was king. Secretly though, he was worried.
So as soon as the Lioness left the den to go about her day's work, the Lion called his three counsellors - the Sheep, the Wolf and the Fox.
First he called the Sheep. 'Tell me, Sheep,' growled the Lion, 'do you think my breath smells?'
The Sheep thought the Lion wanted to know the truth. So she bowed low before the Lion and said, 'Your Majesty, your breath smells terrible. In fact, it smells so bad that it is making me feel quite ill.'
This was not what the Lion had wanted to hear. Roaring angrily, and calling the Sheep a fool, he pounced on her and bit her head off.
Then he called the Wolf. 'Tell me, Wolf,' growled the Lion sharpening his claws, 'do you think my breath smells?'
The Wolf had seen the dead Sheep on the way, and he had no plans to end up the same way. He bowed low before the Lion and said, 'Your Majesty! How can you ask me that? Your breath smells as sweet as the flowers in spring, as fresh as the...'
He could not finish what he was going to say. 'Liar!' roared the Lion, and ripped him to pieces.
At last the Lion called the Fox. The Fox came warily; she had seen the dead Sheep and the dead Wolf on the way.
'Tell me, Fox,' growled the Lion, sharpening his claws and yawning widely so that the Fox could see his long sharp teeth, 'do you think my breath smells?'
The Fox coughed and sneezed and blew her nose, and then clearing her throat noisily, said in a hoarse whisper, 'Your Majesty, forgive me. I have such a nasty cold that I cannot smell a thing!'