The Peacock, the Two Goslings, and the Loon

Fable by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian Period 18th century

A peacock spread his tail, and the other birds
admired his brilliant plumage.
Two honking goslings from the depths of a marsh
noticed only his flaws.
Look, said one, how his leg is made,
how his feet are flat, hideous.
And his cry, said the other, is so melodious
that it drives away even the owl.
Everyone laughed then at the word he had said.
Suddenly a loon emerged:
gentlemen, he cried, you see from a league away
what is missing in this peacock: that is clear sight, I admit;
but your song, your feet, are uglier than his,
and you will never have his tail.

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-peacock-the-two-goslings-and-the-loon-jean-pierre-claris-de-florian/