The Town Rat and the Country Rat, Fable by Jean De La Fontaine

Once the Town Rat invited the Country Rat,
In a most civil manner,
To some leftovers of Ortolans.

On a Turkish rug
The table was laid.
I leave you to imagine the life
These two friends led.

The feast was quite decent,
Nothing was missing from the banquet;
But someone disturbed the party
While they were in full swing.

At the door of the room
They heard a noise:
The Town Rat darts away;
His comrade follows him.

The noise stops, they come back:
Rats out in the open at once;
And the city dweller says:
Let us finish all our roast.

– That is enough, says the rustic;
Tomorrow you will come to my home:
Not that I pride myself
On all your royal feasts;

But nothing comes to interrupt me:
I eat entirely at leisure.
Farewell then; fie on the pleasure
That fear can corrupt.

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-town-rat-and-the-country-rat-jean-de-la-fontaine/