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Mars once set all the air in turmoil.
A certain subject gave rise to dispute
Among the birds; not those whom Springtime
Leads to its Court, and who, beneath the foliage,
By their example and their resounding sounds
Cause Venus to be awakened in us;
Nor those again whom the Mother of Love
Puts to her chariot: but the Vulture people,
With crooked beak, with sharp talons,
Over a dead dog, it is said, waged war.
It rained blood; I do not exaggerate.
If I wished to recount point by point
Every detail, I would run out of breath.
Many a chief perished, many a hero expired;
And on his rock Prometheus hoped
To see soon an end to his torment.
It was a pleasure to observe their efforts;
It was a pity to see the dead fall.
Valor, skill, and tricks, and surprises,
All was employed. The two troops, seized
With ardent wrath, spared no means
To people the air that shadows breathe:
Every element filled with citizensThe vast enclosure that the dark kingdoms have.
This fury put compassion
Into the minds of another nation
With changing neck, with tender and faithful heart.
It employed its mediation
To reconcile such a quarrel;
Ambassadors by the pigeon people
Were chosen, and worked so well,
That the Vultures no longer squabbled.
They made a truce, and peace followed:
Alas! it was at the expense of the race
To which their own should have given thanks.
The cursed tribe immediately pursued
All the pigeons, made ample carnage of them,
Depopulated their villages, their fields.
Little prudence had the poor folk
To reconcile so savage a people.
Always keep the wicked divided;
The safety of the rest of the earth
Depends on that: Sow war among them,
Or you will have no peace with them.
Let this be said in passing; I fall silent.
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-vultures-and-the-pigeons-jean-de-la-fontaine/