To Monseigneur the Dauphin

Fable by Jean De La Fontaine Collection The FablesThemes ArtPeriod 17th century

I sing the Heroes whose Father is Aesop,
A troop whose History, though fictitious,
Contains truths that serve as lessons.
Everything speaks in my Work, even the Fishes:
What they say is addressed to all of us alike.
I use Animals to instruct Men.
Illustrious offspring of a Prince beloved of the heavens,
On whom the whole world now fixes its eyes,
And who, bending the proudest Heads,
Will henceforth count his days by his conquests,
Some other will tell you in a stronger voice
The deeds of your Ancestors and the virtues of Kings.
I shall entertain you with lesser Adventures,
Tracing for you in these verses light sketches.
And, if I do not win the prize of pleasing you,
I shall at least have the honor of having undertaken it.

Jean de La Fontaine

Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.

Text published on Poésies 123: https://www.poesies123.com/en/fable-to-monseigneur-the-dauphin-jean-de-la-fontaine/