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At last the lion king had just had a son;
everywhere in his states, people gave themselves over
to the dazzling transports of a noisy joy:
happy kings have so many friends!
Sire lion, a wise monarch,
was thinking of entrusting his beloved child
to the care of a virtuous, esteemed governor,
under whom the young lion would do his apprenticeship.
You judge that such a choice
is of quite great importance,
for one to think on it a long time.
The indecisive monarch gathers his council:
in a few words he sets forth
the point at issue, and earnestly begs
each of the counselors to name frankly
the one whom in conscience he believes suited to the task.
The tiger rose: Sire, said he, kings
have greatness only through war;
your son must be the terror of the earth:
so let your choice fall
on the most terrible warrior,
the most feared after you of the hosts of these woods.
Your son will know all if he knows how to be invincible.
The bear was of this opinion: he added nevertheless
that a prudent warrior was needed,
a substantial animal, whose experience
could regulate the young lion’s valor
and turn his exploits to profit.
After the bear, the fox explains himself,
and maintains that politics
is the first talent of kings;
that a mentor of the utmost cunning is therefore needed
to instruct the prince and to train him well.
Thus each, without naming himself,
clearly indicated himself:
such councils are common at court.
At last the dog speaks in his turn:
Sire, said he, I know that war must be made,
but I believe that a good king makes it only with regret;
the art of deceiving pleases me little:
I know a more beautiful secret
to make the state happy, to be its father,
to keep his subjects, without alarming them too much,
in complete dependence;
this secret is to love them.
That is the supreme science for ruling well;
and, if you wish to see it in your son,
Sire, show it to him yourself.
The whole council fell silent at this advice.
The lion runs to the dog: friend, I entrust to you
the happiness of the state and that of my life;
take my son, be his master, and, far from every flatterer,
if it can be, go form his heart.
He said it, and the dog leaves with the young prince.
At first he persuades his pupil well
that he is not a young lion, that he is only a poor dog,
his distant relative; from province to province
he makes him travel, showing to his eyes
the abuses of power, the misery of peoples,
hares, rabbits eaten by foxes,
sheep by wolves, stags by the panther,
everywhere the weak struck down,
the ox working without wages,
and the monkey rewarded.
The young lion shuddered with anger:
My father, he said, are such crimes
known to the king? How could they be?
Said the dog: the great alone approach the master,
and the eaten do not speak.
Thus, without reasoning about virtue or prudence,
our young lion became every day
more virtuous and prudent; for it is experience
that corrects, and not speeches.
At this good school he acquired with age
wisdom, spirit, strength, and reason.
What more did he need?
He still did not know, however, that he was a lion;
when one day, as he spoke of his gratitude
to his master, to his benefactor,
a furious tiger, of enormous size,
appearing suddenly, advances against the dog.
The young lion, quicker, springs forward,
he bristles his mane, he roars with fury,
beats his flanks with his tail, and his bloody claws
soon scatter the smoking entrails
of his formidable enemy.
Scarcely is he victor than he runs to his friend:
Oh! What happiness for me to have saved your life!
But what is my astonishment!
Do you know that friendship, in this happy moment,
has given me the strength and fury of a lion?
You are one, my dear son, yes, you are my king,
said the dog, all bathed in tears.
So here it has come, this moment full of charms,
when, at last rendering you all that I owe you,
I can reveal to you an important mystery!
Let us return to court, my labors are finished.
Dear prince, in spite of myself, however, I groan,
I weep; forgive me: the whole state finds a father,
and I am about to lose my son.
Florian
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-education-of-the-lion-jean-pierre-claris-de-florian/