"I saw him nibbling grass in the meadow," said Wolf.
"Go get him!" roared Lion.
Wolf went to the meadow. "Your king summons you!" he said.
"But I have a special dispensation to remain here," said Donkey, "and it is signed with the royal seal. Come read it for yourself, dear Wolf!"
"Show me this special dispensation!" snarled Wolf. "Where is it?"
"I keep it in my back right hoof," said Donkey.
As Wolf bent down to look, Donkey kicked him in the head and then galloped away, laughing.
Inspired by: Mille Fabulae et Una, a collection of Latin fables that I've edited, free to read online. I am not translating the Latin here; instead, I am just telling a 100-word version of the fable.
Notes: This is fable 71. Vulpes, Lupus, et Asini Privilegium in the book, which is Perry 638, from Odo of Cheriton (and it also appears in La Fontaine). In the original story, the lion sends both the fox and the wolf, and the fox is the one kicked by the donkey, and the wolf then keeps his distance. I retold the story with just the wolf.
No comments:
Post a Comment