The Old Man and the Ass

Fable by Jean De La Fontaine Collection The FablesThemes Politics, WorkPeriod 17th century

An Old Man on his Ass caught sight, as he passed by,
Of a meadow full of grass and blossoming.
He turns his beast loose there, and the Grison rushes
Through the tender grass,
Rolling, scratching, and rubbing,
Frisking, braying, and grazing,
And clearing many a spot bare.
The enemy comes upon them suddenly:
Let us flee, said the Old Man then.
— Why? replied the rascal.
Will they make me bear double pack-saddle, double load?
— No indeed, said the Old Man, who first took to his heels.
— And what does it matter to me, then, said the Ass, whose I am?
Save yourself, and let me graze:
Our enemy is our Master:
I tell you this in good French.

Jean de La Fontaine

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

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