The Rhinoceros and the Dromedary

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

A rhinoceros, young and strong,
said one day to the dromedary:
explain to me, if you please, my dear brother,
where the injustice of fate toward us can come from.
Man, that animal powerful through his cunning,
seeks you out with care, lodges you, cherishes you,
with his own bread even feeds you,
and believes he increases his wealth
by multiplying your species.
I well know that on your back
you carry his children, his wife, his burdens;
that you are light, gentle, sober, tireless;
I admit it frankly: but the rhinoceros
is capable of the same virtues.
I believe even, be it said without angering you,
that the whole advantage is ours:
our horn and our cuirass
in combat could serve;
and yet man hunts us,
despises us, hates us, and forces us to flee from him.
Friend, replies the dromedary,
do not be at all jealous of our fate;
it is little to serve man, one must also please him.
You are astonished that he prefers us to you:
but here is the whole mystery of this favor,
we know how to bend our knees.

Florian

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

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