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A Bitch, near her term,
And not knowing where to put a burden so pressing,
Managed so well that at last her Companion consents
To lend her his hut, where the Bitch shuts herself in.
After some time her Companion returns.
The Bitch asks him for another fortnight;
Her puppies, she said, could scarcely walk.
To be brief, she obtains it.
This second term expired, the other asks her again
For his house, his chamber, his bed.
The Bitch this time shows her teeth, and says:
“I am ready to leave with all my band,
If you can put us out.”
Her children were already strong.
What one gives to the wicked, one always regrets.
To draw from them what one lends them,
One must come to blows;
One must plead, one must fight.
Let them take one foot in your home,
They will soon have taken four.
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-the-bitch-and-her-companion-jean-de-la-fontaine/