32. The Partridge and the Rabbit



A partridge had a lovely home, but he left that home, temporarily, in search of food.
When he came back, he found a rabbit was living there.
"Get out of my home!" shouted the partridge.
"This is my home now!" the rabbit shouted back.
They went to a pious cat who lived by the Ganges to ask him to judge their case.
"My dear creatures," the cat said, "I am old and deaf. You must come closer... I still cannot hear you... Closer... That's better, just a little closer."
And then the cat ate the partridge and the rabbit too.

Inspired byThe Panchatantra, translated by Arthur Ryder. It is in Book 3, Story 4.
Notes: This story appears in La Fontaine's fables, with a weasel taking the place of the partridge: The Cat, The Weasel, and the Young Rabbit.

Here is an illustration from a 15th-century Panchatantra:





No comments:

Post a Comment