Aesop Fables

 The Fisherman and the Little Fish Throughout the day fisherman toiled in the river but found nothing but a small fish. The fisherman kept it in his basket. The small fish said, 'Mr. Fisherman, why are taking me to your home. I am not sufficient even for a single person. But if you leave me, when I will be bigger I will be sufficient for the whole family. So let me go now. Catch me again when I will grow bigger.' The fisherman said, Something is better than nothing. What is the guarantee if I will be able to catch you later.' So he did not leave it.  Next

 The Hare and his Ears Once a lion, while hunting goats, was badly hurt by the horns of a goat. Thenceforth, he is very angry with the animals which have horns. He announced, 'Those animals that have horns must leave the forest within three days or they will have to face dire consequences.' All the animals with horns were leaving the forest as quickly as possible. The hare has big ears. He was worried. He had nightmare if the lion thought his horns to be horns. At noon, he was grazing in the sun and saw his shadow. They seemed to be just like horns. So he immediately left the forest. 

 The Man and the Satyr Once a man was travelling in the forest and saw a satyr. He made friends with him. Both of them where living together in the hut in the forest. Once day they were coming to their home. It was too cold. The man was blowing on his fingers. The satyr asked, 'Why are you blowing on your fingers?' 'To warm my fingers,' said the man. They came home. They sat for eating porridge. The porridge was very hot. It was just taken from the oven. The man started blowing at the porridge. The satyr asked, 'Why are you blowing at the porridge?' 'To cool the porridge', replied the man. The Satyr sprang to his feet and made for the door. He said, 'Good bye; a man who blows both warm and cool with the same breath cannot be my friend.'

 The Ant and the Dove The dove was sitting on the branch of a tree. As he looked down, he saw an ant struggling in the river water to keep itself alive. The ant was trying to get to the shore but could not. The dove was kind. He dropped a straw close to the ant. She saw it. She rode on the straw and started floating on the water and at last she could get to the shore. After stepping on the land, she saw that a hunter was trying to shoot the dove, his saver. When the hunter was about to shoot, the ant stung the hunter. As a result, the hunter missed the aim. Then the dove saw the hunter and flew away to the safety. Thus the ant returned the kindness of the dove. 

 The Fox and the Crow In the Jungle, one morning a hungry fox started searching for food. At a distance he saw a crow sitting on the branch of a tree. There was a cheese in her beak. He trotted to the tree and sat just under the crow. 'Good morning, Madam Crow', he said to the crow. But  the crow did not return the greeting, knowing that if she did so her cheese would fall down. The fox then started to praise her. He said, 'What a lovely bird it is! How fine her wings are! How shiny feathers! I think her voice also should be sweetest in the forest.  O that I had the chance to hear her sing only for once! Then I would hail her the queen of birds.' At last  flattery did its work. As soon as the crow started cawing, the cheese fell from her beak. Instantly the fox gobbled it up. The crow realised her foolishness. 

 The Dog and his Reflection Once a dog was going through a bridge over a river. He had a piece of flesh in his mouth. He saw his reflection in the water. He thought there was another dog in the water with another piece of flesh. He wanted to have that piece, too. So he jumped into the water to attack that dog. But soon he lost his own piece of flesh. He learnt a big lesson. 

 The Hair and the Tortoise Once a hare was grazing by the side of a river. He saw a tortoise moving very slowly. 'Ha! Ha! you are so slow', said the hare to the tortoise. The totoise said, 'No problem. Did you not hear the saying --- Slow but steady wins the race?' The hare said,''How is it possible? How can a slow one win the race? I want to check it. Then let's have a race. Let's see who wins the race." The tortoise agreed to it. All the animals of the forest came to watch the race. The goal was fixed. The big tree at a distance was the goal. The race started. The hare runs so quickly. After running for a while the hare looked back and saw the tortoise far behind. The hare said to himself, 'Let me have a rest. The tortoise will come here long after.' saying this the hare sat under a tree. Soon he fell asleep. The tortoise slowly walked and walked. He walked past the hare. Slowly he reached the goal. When the hair woke up, he found that the...

 The Mother and the Wolf One day a wolf was passing by the hut in which there was a mother and her child. The child was crying bitterly. The mothers said,  'Don't cry, child'. But the child did not stop crying. The mother said, 'Don't cry, child or else I will give you to the wolf'. The wolf was delighted to hear this. He waited near the window. But hours passed. The mother did not give the child to the wolf. The child again started crying. Now the mother said, 'Don't cry, child, I will not give you to the wolf'. Father will come and he will kill the wolf with his club'. Then the wolf saw the child's father coming. The wolf understood that what was said earlier was not true. He escaped as quickly as possible. 

The Eagle and the Beetle Once an eagle chased a hare. The hare ran to the beetle for protection. The beetle implored the eagle to spare him. But the sweep of the eagle threw the beetle far away. The beetle was furious at this disrespect.  When the eagle was away, the beetle went to the nest of the eagle and fell the eggs down. When the eagle came to the nest, she saw this. She was sad and angry. But she did not know who the enemy was. She went to the mountain and made her nest in the mountain crag and laid her eggs there. There also the beetle went and destroyed the eggs. The eagle could not understand what to do. He went to Jupiter and prayed to him to allow her to place the eggs on his lap. The eagle laid her eggs on his lap. After sometime, the beetle went there and started buzzing around the head of Jupiter. Jupiter rose to drive him away and the eggs fell down and were destroyed. When asked about it, the beetle told everything to Jupiter. Jupiter then acknowledged his cause an...

 The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.  Once an wolf found a sheep's skin. He took it and wore it on his body. He saw that he looked just like a sheep. Then he made a plan. He went into the flock of the sheep. The whole day he did not get any chance to hunt any sheep. When the day was over, the evening came. In the evening all the sheep went into the house of the shepherd. With all the sheep, the wolf also entered into the pen. That night the shepherd had a visitor from a distant land. They planned to have the meat of sheep. The shepherd sent his servant to take a good sheep for eating. The wolf was taken for supper and eaten in that night. 

 The Mouse and the Frog Once a mouse was extremely eager to have an adventure. He went near a pond. He could swim a little. So he did not dare to go into the pond. Then he saw a frog. The frog said to him, 'Hello my friend, what are you doing here? Let's go and play in the pond.' The mouse said' 'I can't swim very much.' The frog said, 'No problem. Don't worry. I will help you.' They tied their legs together. The frog dived into the water.  Since the mouse cannot remain inside the water for long,  it died after sometime. Then the frog started swimming. And with him, the mouse was floating on water. A crow took the mouse for eating. Since their legs were tied, the frog also was taken with him. Thus the frog also became food of the crow.  Morale : One who wants to harm others is oneself harmed. 

 The Fox and the Leopard Once a fox met a leopard in the forest. The leopard saw the fox. 'What an ugly creature  it is!' Said the leopard. The fox understood that the leopard is taking pride for its beauty. He said, "But it is not the beauty of the body that decides greatness. It is the beauty of the mind that decides greatness. So you have be kind to others, love others and empathy with others." 

 The Fox and the Goat One day a fox accidentally fell into a pit. He tried hard but could not get out. Then a goat came here and saw the fox in the pit. 'What are you doing here, Mr. Fox?' said the goat. 'I am drinking sweet water of the pit. The water is so sweet here,' answered the fox. 'Let me taste it, too,' said the goat and instantly he jumped into the pit. The fox then rode on the goat's back and jumped out of the pit. The goat then could not get out of the pit. 

 The Cock and the Fox  One day in the forest the cock was sitting on the branch of a tree. A greedy fox saw him. He wanted to eat the cock. He said with great enthusiasm, 'Mr. Cock, I think you have heard about peace treaty?' 'What peace treaty?' Asked the cock. 'The fox said, 'The treaty that says that all animals and birds will henceforth live in peace. No animal will hurt each other.  So this is day of enjoyment.  Come down. Let us sing and dance together.' 'It is great,' says the cock, 'But I see two big dogs are coming. Let them come.' Hearing this, the fox ran away as fast as possible. 

 The Stag and his Reflection  There was a stag in the forest.  One day he saw his reflection in the pool. He saw his thin legs and beautiful horns. He said to himself, 'I am ashamed of my legs because they are so thin and I am proud of my horns because they are so beautiful.' From then on, the stag always felt ashamed of his thin legs. One day a tiger chased him. He was so swift. He escaped speedily with his thin legs. While escaping from the tiger, his horns got entangled in a bush. Somehow the stag could free himself from the bush.  Then he said, 'My beautiful horns have become my enemies whereas my thin legs are my friends because they help me to escape from danger.' 

 The Fox and the Stork The fox one day meets a stork. They talk for a while and become good friends. 'You are a very good and beautiful creature,' says the fox to the stork, 'Tomorrow, come to visit my house. We will dine together'. The stork is quite delighted to have such a good and hospitable friend. The next day she goes to fox's the house. The fox has prepared some soup for him. They plan to eat from the same pot. The fox takes the soup in a plate and starts eating. Now, since the beak of stork is narrow, she cannot eat from the flat plate. Soon the fox finishes all the soup, cheating the stork. The stork feels insulted, but she does not say anything. She says, 'It's a good dinner indeed. You have served well. Now it's my turn to offer you. I invite you to my house tomorrow. Do come.' The fox says, 'Ok, fine. I will come.' The fox goes to the stork's house. He serves the soup in a jug into which the fox cannot enter his head. The fox...

The Heron The heron is big and beautiful. He has relish for good, big fish. It is a fine, sunny morning. He is walking by the side of the pool. There are some small fish swimming in the pool. The heron says, 'Ah! These fish are so small for me. I will not catch now. When the big ones will come, I will catch them. A long time passes. Now it is quite noon. Big fish does not come. The heron is very hungry. Now the small fish have gone away. No fish or crab is found. The heron has remain without food today. He repents for not catching the small fish in the morning. 

 The Wild Boar and the Fox  Many animals live in the jungle. Once a fox saw a wild boar sharpening his teeth against a tree trunk.  'I don't see any danger here. You are to fight with anyone, are you? But why are you sharpening your teeth then?' said the fox. The wild boar said, 'Do you people go for digging well when their house is on fire? No, they make well beforehand. So we should be prepared for everything beforehand. Who knows what will happen after sometime? Who knows for sure when the war will happen?'

 The Two Goats A mighty torrent flows in the mountain valley between two mounts. A fallen tree trunk joins the two mounts. Two goats are frisking and playing on the two sides of the fallen tree trunk. Once both of them whimsically want to go to the other side along the tree trunk. They meet in the middle of trunk, just above the chasm. Both want to go first, before the other. Both of them are equally obstinate. They soon start vigorous fight and soon fall in the chasm and die. 

 The Crow and the Pitcher It is a very hot day. The crow is very thirsty. He is searching for water. He goes to the river and finds that it is dry. He flies to the pond. That, too, is quite dry. He sits on the branch of a tree. Suddenly he notices a pitcher. He flies to the pitcher and enters his beak into it. But his beak doesnot reach the water. The water is at the bottom of the pitcher. He tries to capsize it. He is not strong enough to do so. He becomes tired. There are some pebbles on the ground.  A plan occurs to him. He drops the pebbles into the pitcher one by one. He sees that water of the pitcher is rising. At last the water rises enough. His beak reaches the water and he drinks water to his heart's content. 

 The Oak and the Reeds In the dense forest there are many tall trees. The oak tree is one of them. The oak says to the reeds, 'I am so tall and strong. I bear the scorching sun and prevent the strong wind. Big animals take shelter and rest under me. Birds sit on my big branches and sing here sweetly and make their nests here. But you are so tiny and weak. Even a light breeze bends you. Rain water tires you. I feel sympathy for you.' The reeds hear these words and understand that  the oak is so boastful. After sometime, a storm comes and blow down many big trees. The great oak tree is also blown down. The reeds say to one another, 'This is result of too much pride.'

 The Owl and the Grasshopper Once an owl was resting in peace in her home, the hole of the tree. A grasshopper was singing so harshly, disturbing the grasshopper's peace. The owl said, 'Please, Mr. Grasshopper, stop singing so loudly or go a little distance away, if you must sing.' The grasshopper got irritated by this remark and said, 'I am singing at my own home, not in yours. So you donot have any right to say so. I don't care if you like it or not. If you dislike, you can go elsewhere.' The owl understood that if he doesn't do something concrete, the nasty creature will keep disturbing. So he made a plan. He said,'Ok sir, if you must sing, let me enjoy the sweet music. Please come into my home and sing.' At this, the grasshopper was delighted and entered into the owl's hole. As soon as he stepped in, the owl gobbled him up. 

 The Plane Tree It is a hot day. Two travelers are roaming. They notice a plane tree by the side of the road. They sit in the shade of the tree. They rest in cool shade of the tree for a while. 'Perfect peace here!,' says one of them.  The other says, 'Look, the plane tree has no flower or fruit. How useless the tree is! It gives no fruit or flower.' At this the tree becomes furious. He says, 'You have rested in the cool shade of me and now you say I am useless. Get away, you ungrateful creatures'. 

 The Gnat and the Bull One day a gnat was flying in the meadow. He was tired and sat on the horn of a bull. He rested there for a while. He said to the bull, 'Please, forgive me Mr. Bull. I have troubled you by sitting on your horn. Now I am going. Have some relief.' The bull said, 'No problem. I didnot even know that you sat there.'

 The Lion and the Mouse  In a dense forest there was a great and mighty lion. The sun was shining. The day was hot. The lion was sleeping peacefully in the shade of a tree. A small mouse was playing nearby. Unknowingly, he rode on the back of the lion. This disturbed the sleeping lion. He got up and caught the mouse. 'How dare you?' He roared, 'I am the king of the forest. Everybody in the forest fears me. Now I will eat you.' This frightened the mouse so much. 'Please, forgive me, Mr. Lion', he pleaded, 'May be one day I will help you'. The lion laughed. 'A tiny animal like mouse will help me!' He said jokingly. However he left the mouse and the mouse ran away as fast as he could. After some days, a hunter set a trap in the forest and the lion walked into the trap. The lion found no way to get out. He was helpless. He roared and roared. The little mouse heard him. He came running and saw the lion in the trap. Immediately, he cut the trap with hi...

 The Wolf and the Crane  A wolf was greedly eating the flesh and chewing bones. He was very greedy indeed. He was eating hurriedly. A bone got stuck crosswise in his throat. His throat started aching. He could no longer eat anything. There was great pain. Then he met a crane. 'Can you get the bone out of my throat with your long beak?' asked the wolf to the crane. 'Yes, I can,' said the crane, 'But what is my benefit in this task?' 'I will give you a great reward,' said the wolf. Then the crane entered the long beak into the wolf's throat and got the bone out. 'Ok, fine. Now you can go,' said the wolf. 'Where is my reward?' asked the crane. 'You have entered your head in the wolf's mouth and you have taken it out safely. Isn't it a big reward?' said the wolf. The wolf then understood that a cheat cannot be good to anyone. 

 The Fox and the Grapes One day in the Jungle a hungry fox was roaming. Suddenly, he saw a bunch of grapes hanging above. He was very greedy. He liked to eat grapes. But the grapes were hanging from a vineyard above his head. He jumped up to pluck the grapes. But he could not reach the grapes. Again he jumped up. This time too, he failed. He tried again and again. But every time he failed. At last he gave up. He said, 'grapes are sour' and he went away. 

 The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse The town mouse and the country mouse were good friends. The country mouse lived in a mud house.  One day the town mouse came to the house of the country mouse. They talked about many things --- about people, about environment and about the food available in the countryside and in the town. The country mouse served some food to the town mouse. 'This food is so simple', says the town mouse, 'A lot of delicious foods are found in our town. Come to the town and you will see how fine foods we eat and how tasty they are.' The next day the country mouse went to the town with the town mouse. The town mouse lived in a big, fine, pacca house. 'How happily you live here in this big, pakka house,' said the country mouse. In the plate  were lying some remains of cakes and pizza that the people ate. They started eating the food. 'This is so tasty and funny', said the country mouse, 'I never ate such a tasty food.' The door...

 Who will Bell the cat  In a far away land, there was a haunted house. There lived a group of rats in the haunted house. They were always afraid of the cat because very often the cat came  and killed a rat. So they sat in a meeting to decide what to do about the cat. They talked about many plans but none of them seemed to work. 'Let us bell the cat', said one of the little rats. Everyone agreed to this. They were happy that a little rat that could give a good suggestion. 'But who will bell the cat?' said an old rat. To this, day did not find any answer. So they left the meeting without any proper decision.  Moral : It is easy to say something, but not so easy to do. 

 The Frogs and the the Bull  In a marsh lives a group of happy frogs. They always croak and jump. At a distant some cows are grazing. A bull feels thirsty and comes to the marsh to drink some water. He does not notice the small frogs. He tramples a tiny frog. The frog gets crushed. Seeing this, all the frogs start making a noise. Then comes a big frog. She is the mother of all the frogs. All the frogs complain to her about the bull. They say, "A huge bull comes and kills the little brother."  The mother frog puffs herself up and asks, "Is the bull as big as this?" "Far bigger than this", says a little frog. The mother frog puffs herself up more and asks, 'Is the bull as big as this?' 'Far bigger than this,' says the little frog. Then the mother frog puffs herself up more and more and at last she gets burst.