Lessons With Aesop

I recently came across a collections of stories from Aesop. The stories definitely have a comedic 'after-dinner' feel to them. Many of them were probably written by a number of writers. Some of the stories have morals as well.

Many of the reflections have a very pagan tone to them: don't ask for too much, don't expect too much, settling for less is best, etc. Some of the stories seem to go beneath that level, having devotional aspect to them. Here are a few that I have liked so far:

An old crab said to her son, "Why do you walk sideways like that, my son? You ought to walk straight." The young crab replied, "Show me how, dear mother, and I'll follow your example." The old crab tried, but tried in vain, and then saw how foolish she had been to find fault with her child.

Example is better than precept.

A farmer, being at death's door and desiring to impart to his sons a secret of much moment, called them round him and said, "My sons, I am shortly about to die. I would have you know, therefore, that in my vineyard there lies a hidden treasure. Dig, and you will find it." As soon as their father was dead, the sons took spade and fork and turned up the soil of the vineyard over and over again, in their search for the treasure which they supposed to lie buried there. They found none, however, but the vines, after so thorough a digging, produced a crop such as had never before been seen.

Jupiter issued a proclamation to all the beasts and offered a prize to the one who, in his judgment, produced the most beautiful offsing. Among the rest came the monkey, carrying a baby monkey in her arms, a hairless, flat-nosed little fright. When they saw it the gods all burst into peal on peal of laughter. But the monkey hugged her little one to her and said, "Jupiter may give the prize to whomsover he likes, but I shall always think my baby the most beautiful of them all."

A donkey found a lion's skin, and dressed himself up in it. Then he went about frightening everyone he met, for they all took him to be a lion, men and beasts alike, and took to their heels when they saw him coming. Elated by the sucess of his trick, he loudly brayed in triumph. The fox heard him, and recognized him at once for the donkey he was, and said to him, "Oho, my friend, it's you, is it? I, too should have been afraid if I hadn't heard your voice."

A dog was crossing a plank bridge over a stream with a piece of meat in his mouth, when he happened to see hiw own reflection in the water. He thought it was another dog with a piece of meat twice as big; so he let go hiw own, and flew at the other dog to get the other piece. But, of course, all that happened was that he got neither; for one was only a reflection, and the other was carried away by the current.

A lioness and a vixen were talking together about their young, as mothers will, and saying how healthy and well grown they were, and what beautiful coats they had, and how they were the image of their parents. "My litter of cubs is a joy to see," said the fox. And then she added, rather maliciously, "But I notice you never have more than one." "No," said the lioness grimly, "but that one is a lion."

Quality, not quantity.

A traveler was about to start on a journey and said to his dog, who was stretching himself by the door, "Come, what are you yawning for? Hurry up and get ready. I mean you to go with me." But the dog merely wagged his tail and said quietly, "I'm ready, master. It's you I'm waiting for."