Three beautiful fables from AEsop

  1. The Plane tree

    Two Travellers, walking in the noonday sun, sought the shade of a widespreading tree to rest. As they lay looking up among the pleasant leaves, they saw that it was a Plane Tree.
    "How useless is the Plane!" said one of them. "It bears no fruit whatever, and only serves to litter the ground with leaves."
    "Ungrateful creatures!" said a voice from the Plane Tree. "You lie here in my cooling shade, and yet you say I am useless! Thus ungratefully, O Jupiter, do men receive their blessings!"

    Our best blessings are often the least appreciated.


  2. The Gnat and the Bull

    A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.
    "You must be very glad to have me go now," he said.
    "It's all the same to me," replied the Bull. "I did not even know you were there."
    We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor. The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.



  3. The fighting cocks and the Eagle

    Once there were two Cocks living in the same farmyard who could not bear the sight of each other. At last one day they flew up to fight it out, beak and claw. They fought until one of them was beaten and crawled off to a corner to hide.
    The Cock that had won the battle flew to the top of the hen-house, and, proudly flapping his wings, crowed with all his might to tell the world about his victory. But an Eagle, circling overhead, heard the boasting chanticleer and, swooping down, carried him off to his nest.
    His rival saw the deed, and coming out of his corner, took his place as master of the farmyard.
    Pride goes before a fall.