Who is Ivan Krylov, what and what did he write about? Today we will try to tell you about all this, relying on various sources from the Internet.

K Rylov Ivan Andreevich

Russian publicist, poet, fabulist, publisher of satirical and educational magazines. He is best known as the author of 236 fables, collected in nine lifetime collections.

Bography

Father, Andrei Prokhorovich Krylov (1736-1778), knew how to read and write, but “did not study science,” he served in a dragoon regiment, in 1773 he distinguished himself while defending the Yaitsky town from the Pugachevites, then was the chairman of the magistrate in Tver. He died with the rank of captain in poverty. Mother, Maria Alekseevna (1750-1788) remained a widow after the death of her husband. the family lived in poverty.

Ivan Krylov spent the first years of his childhood traveling with his family. He learned to read and write at home (his father was a great lover of reading, after him a whole chest of books passed to his son); He studied French in a family of wealthy neighbors.

The future fabulist began work very early and learned the hardship of life in poverty. In 1777, he was enrolled in the civil service as a sub-clerk of the Kalyazin Lower Zemstvo Court, and then of the Tver Magistrate. This service was, apparently, only nominal, and Krylov was considered to be probably on leave until the end of his studies.

Another “school of life” of Ivan Krylov, whose biography is very multifaceted, was the common people. The future writer enjoyed attending various folk festivals and entertainments, and often took part in street battles. It was there, in the crowd of ordinary people, that Ivan Andreevich drew pearls of folk wisdom and sparkling peasant humor, succinct colloquial expressions that would eventually form the basis of his famous fables.

At the age of fourteen he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his mother went to ask for a pension. Then he transferred to serve in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber. However, he was not too interested in official matters. In the first place among Krylov’s hobbies were literary studies and visiting the theater.

After he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, caring for his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 80s he wrote a lot for the theater. From his pen came the libretto of the comic operas The Coffee House and the Mad Family, the tragedies Cleopatra and Philomela, and the comedy The Writer in the Hallway. These works did not bring the young author either money or fame, but helped him get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers.

He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyazhnin, but the proud young man, deciding that he was being mocked in the “master’s” house, broke up with his older friend. Krylov wrote the comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rhymestealer and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized the Prince and his wife.

In 1785, Krylov wrote the tragedy “Cleopatra” (not preserved) and took it to the famous actor Dmitrevsky for viewing; Dmitrevsky encouraged the young author to continue his work, but did not approve of the play in this form. In 1786, Krylov wrote the tragedy “Philomela,” which, except for the abundance of horrors and screams and lack of action, does not differ from other “classical” tragedies of that time.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has been in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the magazine “Mail of Spirits” for eight months. The satirical orientation, which appeared already in the early plays, was preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature of his contemporary society, framing his story in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and wizards Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued because the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that “Spirit Mail” was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of a printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the magazine “Spectator,” which was already enjoying greater popularity.

In 1793 the magazine was renamed “St. Petersburg Mercury”. By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers.

At the end of 1793, the publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer’s biographers, “From 1795 to 1801, Krylov seemed to disappear from us.” Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Apparently, he wandered around the province, living on the estates of his friends.

In 1797, Krylov entered the prince's service as a home teacher and personal secretary. During this period, the author does not stop creating dramatic and poetic works. And in 1805 he sent a collection of fables for consideration to the famous critic I.I. Dmitriev. The latter appreciated the author’s work and said that this was his true calling. Thus, a brilliant fabulist entered the history of Russian literature, who devoted the last years of his life to writing and publishing works of this genre, working as a librarian.

It was for the Golitsyns' home performance that the play Trump or Podschipa was written in 1799-1800. In the evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trump, one could easily discern Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were performed successfully on stage. This is a Fashion Shop, a Lesson for Daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the nobles’ predilection for the French language, fashions, morals, etc. and actually equated gallomania with stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. The plays were repeatedly staged, and The Fashion Shop was performed even at court.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835, V.G. Belinsky, in his article Literary Dreams, found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboedov.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Asni Krylova

Squirrel

Belka served with Leo.
I don’t know how or with what; but the only thing is
That Belkin's service is pleasing to Leo;
And pleasing Leo, of course, is not a trifle.
In return she was promised a whole cartload of nuts.
Promised - meanwhile it flies away all the time;
And my Squirrel often goes hungry
And he bares his teeth in front of Leo through his tears.
Look: they are flashing here and there through the forest
Her girlfriends are on top:
She just blinks her eyes, but
The nuts just keep cracking and cracking.
But our Squirrel is only a step to the hazel tree,
Looks like there’s no way:
She is either called or pushed to serve Leo.
Belka has finally become old
And Leo got bored: it was time for her to retire.
Belka was given resignation,
And sure enough, they sent her a whole cart of nuts.
Glorious nuts, such as the world has never seen;
Everything is selected: nut to nut – a miracle!
There is only one bad thing -
Belka has had no teeth for a long time.

The wolf and the fox

We gladly give

What we don’t need ourselves.

We will explain with this fable,

Because the truth is more tolerably half-open.

Fox, having eaten his fill of chicken

And hid a good pile in reserve,

She lay down under a haystack to take a nap in the evening.

Wolf and Fox Krylov

She looks, and a hungry Wolf is dragging himself to visit her.

“What, godmother, troubles! - he says. -

I couldn’t profit from a bone anywhere;

I'm so hungry and starving;

The dogs are angry, the shepherd is not sleeping,

It’s time to hang myself!”

“Really?” - “Really, so.” - “Poor little kumanek?

Would you like some hay? Here's the whole stack:

I’m ready to serve my godfather.”

But the godfather doesn’t care, I would like Myasnov -

Not a word about Fox's reserves.

And my gray knight,

Caressed head over heels by godfather,

I went home without dinner.

The orona and the fox

How many times have they told the world,
That flattery is vile and harmful; but everything is not for the future,
And a flatterer will always find a corner in the heart.
Somewhere God sent a piece of cheese to a crow;
Raven perched on the spruce tree,
I was just about ready to have breakfast,
Yes, I thought about it, but I held the cheese in my mouth.
To that misfortune, the Fox ran quickly;
Suddenly the cheese spirit stopped the Fox:
The fox sees the cheese -
The fox was captivated by the cheese,
The cheat approaches the tree on tiptoe;
He twirls his tail and doesn’t take his eyes off Crow.
And he says so sweetly, barely breathing:

“My dear, how beautiful!
What a neck, what eyes!
Telling fairy tales, really!
What feathers! what a sock!
And, truly, there must be an angelic voice!
Sing, little light, don’t be ashamed!
What if, sister,
With such beauty, you are a master at singing,
After all, you would be our king bird!”

Veshhunin's head was spinning with praise,
The breath stole from my throat with joy, -
And Lisitsyn’s friendly words
The crow croaked at the top of its lungs:
The cheese fell out - such was the trick with it.

Swan, pike and crayfish

When there is no agreement among comrades,

Things won't go well for them,

And nothing will come out of it, only torment.

Once upon a time Swan, Crayfish and Pike

They began to carry the load with luggage

And together the three all harnessed themselves to it;

They are doing their best, but the cart is still moving!

The luggage would seem light to them:

Yes, the Swan rushes into the clouds,

The cancer moves back, and the Pike pulls into the water.

Who is to blame and who is right?
it is not for us to judge;

Yes, but things are still there.

Fox and grapes

The hungry godfather Fox climbed into the garden;

The bunches of grapes in it were red.

The gossip's eyes and teeth lit up;

And the brushes are juicy, like yachts, burning;

The only problem is, they hang high:

Whenever and however she comes to them,

At least the eye sees

Yes, it hurts.

After wasting a whole hour,

She went and said with annoyance: “Well!

He looks good,

Yes it is green - no ripe berries:

You’ll set your teeth on edge right away.”

Monkey and glasses

The monkey's eyes became weak in old age;

And she heard from people,

That this evil is not yet so big:

All you have to do is get glasses.

She got herself half a dozen glasses;

He turns his glasses this way and that:

Then he will press them to the crown,

Then he will string them on his tail,

Monkey and glasses. Krylov's fables

Then he will smell them,

then he will lick them;
The glasses don't work at all.

Monkey and glasses. Krylov's fables

Monkey and glasses. Krylov's fables

“Ugh the abyss! - she says, - and that fool,

Who listens to all human lies:

Everyone about the Glasses only lied to me;

But they are of no use for hair.”
The monkey is here out of frustration and sadness

Oh stone, there were so many of them,

Monkey and glasses. Krylov's fables

Monkey and glasses. Krylov's fables

That only the splashes sparkled.

Unfortunately, this is what happens to people:

No matter how useful a thing is, without knowing its price,

The ignoramus tends to make everything worse about her;

And if the ignorant is more knowledgeable,

So he still drives her.

Oh Rel and Mole

Don't despise anyone's advice
But first, consider it.
From the distant side
Into the dense forest, Eagle and Eaglet together
We planned to stay there forever
And, having chosen a tall branchy oak,
They began to build a nest for themselves at its top,
Hoping to bring the children here for the summer.
Having heard the Mole about this,
Orlu took the courage to report,
That this oak tree is not suitable for their home,
That almost all of it is completely rotten
And soon, perhaps, it will fall,
So that the Eagle does not build a nest on it.
But is it a good idea for the Eagle to take advice from the mink,
And from the Mole! Where is the praise?
What does Eagle have?
Are your eyes so sharp?
And why would Moles dare to get in the way?
King Bird!
Without saying so much to the Mole,
Get to work quickly, despising the adviser, -
And the king's housewarming party
It was soon ripe for the queen.
Everything is happy: Orlitsa already has children.

But what? - One day, like dawn,
Eagle from under the sky to his family
I was in a hurry from the hunt with a rich breakfast,
He sees: his oak tree has fallen
And they crushed the Eaglet and the children.
Out of grief, not seeing the light:
"Unhappy! - He said, -
Fate punished me so fiercely for my pride,
That I didn’t listen to smart advice.
But could it be expected
So that the insignificant Mole can give good advice?
“Whenever you despise me, -
From the hole the Mole said - then I would remember that I was digging
I have my own holes underground
And what happens near the roots,
Is the tree healthy? I can know for sure.”

With bosom and pug

They led an Elephant through the streets,

Apparently, for show.

It is known that Elephants are a curiosity among us,

So crowds of onlookers followed the Elephant.

Well, he gets into a fight with him.

No matter what, Moska will meet them.

When you see an Elephant, well, rush at it,

And bark, and squeal, and tear;

Well, he gets into a fight with him.

“Neighbor, stop being ashamed,”

Shavka says to her, “Are you with the Elephant?”
mess around?

Look, you’re already wheezing, and he’s walking along
Forward

And he doesn’t notice your barking at all. –

“Eh, eh! - Moska answers her, -

This is what gives me spirit,

What am I, without a fight at all,

I can get into big bullies.

Let the dogs say:

“Ay, Moska! know she's strong

What barks at the Elephant!”

F acts

Krylov was a very plump and literally thick-skinned creature. Those around him sometimes got the impression that he had no emotions or feelings, since everything was covered in fat. In fact, hidden inside the writer was a subtle understanding of the world and an attentive attitude towards it. This can be seen from almost any fable.

Krylov began his career as an ordinary clerk in the Tverskoy court.

It should be noted that Ivan Andreevich loved to eat. Moreover, his appetite sometimes impressed even seasoned gluttons. They say that once he was late for a social evening. As “punishment,” the owner ordered Krylov to be served a huge portion of pasta, several times higher than the daily allowance. Even two grown men could hardly do this. However, the writer calmly ate everything and happily continued the lunch. The audience's surprise was immeasurable!

Ivan published his first satirical magazine “Mail of Spirits”.

Krylov loved books extremely much and worked in a library for 30 years.

In St. Petersburg, on the Kutuzov embankment, in one of the alleys of the Summer Garden, a monument to the great Russian fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov was unveiled in 1855. This monument is the second of the monuments to Russian writers in Russia.

Immediately after the death of I.A. Krylov, in November 1844, the editors of the newspaper “Petersburg Vedomosti” announced a fundraiser for the construction of the monument. By 1848, more than 30 thousand rubles had been collected. The St. Petersburg Academy of Arts has announced a competition for projects. The best work was recognized as the work of the animal sculptor Baron P.K. Klodt.

By the way, it was in the library that Ivan Andreevich developed a tradition of sleeping after a hearty lunch for about two hours. His friends knew this habit and always saved an empty chair for their guest.

For more than ten years, Ivan Krylov traveled through the cities and villages of Russia, where he found inspiration for his new fables.

The writer was never married, although it is believed that from an extramarital affair with a cook he had a daughter, whom he raised as his legitimate and his own.

Ivan Krylov was the editor of the Slavic-Russian dictionary.

By the way, it should be noted that in his youth the future fabulist was fond of wall-to-wall fighting. Thanks to his size and height, he has repeatedly defeated quite old and strong men!

There were rumors that his own daughter Alexandra worked in the house as a cook.

By the way, the sofa was Ivan Andreevich’s favorite place. There is information that Goncharov based his Oblomov on Krylov.

It is reliably known that Ivan Andreevich Krylov is the author of 236 fables. Many plots are borrowed from the ancient fabulists La Fontaine and Aesop. Surely you have often heard popular expressions that are quotes from the work of the famous and outstanding fabulist Krylov.

The literary genre of the fable was discovered in Russia by Krylov.

All the writer’s friends told another interesting fact related to Krylov’s house. The fact is that above his sofa there was a huge painting hanging at a rather dangerous angle. He was asked to remove it so that it would not accidentally fall on the fabulist’s head. However, Krylov only laughed, and indeed, even after his death, she continued to hang at the same angle.

Bilateral pneumonia or overeating was the main cause of death of the fabulist. The exact causes of death have not been established.

Cards for money were Ivan Andreevich’s favorite game. Cockfighting was another hobby of Krylov.

Another interesting fact about Krylov is also known. Doctors prescribed him daily walks. However, as he moved, merchants constantly lured him to buy furs from them. When Ivan Andreevich got tired of this, he spent the whole day walking through the traders’ shops, meticulously examining all the furs. At the end, he asked each merchant in surprise: “Is this all you have?”... Having not bought anything, he moved on to the next merchant, which greatly frayed their nerves. After that, they no longer pestered him with requests to buy something.

Krylov worked until his last day, despite his serious illness.

Krylov especially loved his fable “The Stream”.

Once in the theater, eyewitnesses told an interesting fact about Krylov. He was unlucky enough to sit next to an emotional person who kept shouting something, sang along with the speaker and behaved quite noisily. – But what kind of disgrace is this?! – Ivan Andreevich said loudly. The twitchy neighbor perked up and asked if these words were addressed to him. “What are you talking about,” answered Krylov, “I turned to the man on the stage who is preventing me from listening to you!”

At the age of 22, he fell in love with the daughter of a priest from the Bryansk district, Anna. The girl reciprocated his feelings. But when the young people decided to get married, Anna’s relatives opposed this marriage. They were distantly related to Lermontov and, moreover, wealthy. Therefore, they refused to marry their daughter to the poor rhymer. But Anna was so sad that her parents finally agreed to marry her to Ivan Krylov, which they telegraphed to him in St. Petersburg. But Krylov replied that he did not have the money to come to Bryansk, and asked to bring Anna to him. The girls' relatives were offended by the answer, and the marriage did not take place.

In 1941, Krylov was awarded the title of academician.

Ivan Andreevich was very fond of tobacco, which he not only smoked, but also sniffed and chewed.

Both children and adults love to read and listen to fables. The texts of the fables are ancient. They appeared a very long time ago. In Ancient Greece, for example, Aesop's fables in prose were known. The most prominent and sensational fables of modern times were La Fontaine's fables. In Russian poetry, many fabulists have proven themselves, but the most famous are the fables of Krylov, Tolstoy and Mikhalkov.

What is a fable and how does it differ from a fairy tale or poem? The main difference between fables and other literary genres is the moralizing and often even satirical nature of the writing. Although the main characters of the fables are animals or even objects, the story is still about people, and their vices are ridiculed. And of course, an integral part of the fable is its moral. More often it is clearly expressed, written at the end of the fable, and sometimes veiled, but in any case understandable.

As for the origin of fables, there are only two concepts. The first of them is German, and the second is American. The German one says that from myths fairy tales about animals were born, from which, in turn, children's fables began to stand out separately, the basis of which was the text, and the morality came as an addition unusual for a fairy tale. The American school believes that the moral of the fable is the basis, but the text of the fable itself for children is an addition that might not exist.

The fables that have survived to this day, with rare exceptions, feature animals as the main characters. For example, a fox or a wolf behaves like people and talks like people. In this case, each animal is assigned one or more human vices, which are condemned. The habitual cunning of a fox, the wisdom of an owl, the cunning of a snake and other virtues or vices. People's characteristics are often clearly visible.

Fables for children are also good because they are very small in size, read quickly, regardless of whether they are in poetry or prose, and therefore are perceived better. You will not have time to lose the thread, but you will perceive the meaning on the fly; often even children immediately understand the moral and all the conclusions. You can read not just one children’s fable at once, but several at once, but you shouldn’t try too hard either - the child’s interest will be lost and the meaning of reading will be lost.

Sometimes there are unique fables for children that are always popular, and whose heroes are so characteristic that their names are often used as common nouns. In this section we collect fables from the best authors, those who really brought something new to this genre and are recognized fabulists of world literature.

We love reading Krylov's fables since childhood. Krylov’s images are stored in our memory, which often pop up in our heads in various life situations; we turn to them and each time we never cease to be amazed at Krylov’s insight.

It happens that I remember the Pug, who barks at the Elephant in order to give the impression of being brave and fearless, or suddenly the Monkey pops up before my eyes, who mocked himself, not recognizing the reflection in the Mirror. Laughter, and that's all! And how often do encounters occur that are involuntarily compared to the Monkey, who, out of her own ignorance, not knowing the value of the Glasses, broke them on a stone. Krylov’s little fables are short in size, but not in meaning, because Krylov’s word is sharp, and the morals of the fables have long turned into popular expressions. Krylov's fables accompany us through life, have become close to us and at any time will find understanding in us and help us re-realize our values.

Read Krylov's fables

Krylov is a famous writer. Of all the children's poems and fables, Krylov's works are always the best, they are etched in the memory and emerge throughout life when encountering human vices. It is often said that Krylov did not write for children, but isn’t the meaning of his fables clear to children? Usually the moral is clearly written, so even the smallest child can read Krylov’s fables with benefit.

On our website we post the best works of the author in their original presentation, and also highlight morality separately for convenience and better memorization of sometimes philosophical thoughts. Both children and adults will find a lot of meaning in these little life stories in which animals symbolize people, their vices and ridiculous behavior. Krylov's fables online are remarkable because they contain not only text, but also a remarkable picture, easy navigation, educational facts and reasoning. After reading, the author will probably become your favorite, and his life essays in the form of humorous fables will be remembered for many years.

The fabulist led an absolutely open life, communicated a lot, published books one after another and did not shy away from his obesity and laziness. The oddities that happened to Krylov were expressed by him in instructive scenes, the simplicity of which is deceptive. He was not a fabulist, he was a thinker-philosopher, capable of, with childish unobtrusiveness and ease, comically describing the shortcomings of people in a stunning form accessible only to him. There is no need to look only for satire in Krylov’s fables; their value does not end there. The content and meaning are more philosophical than humorous. In addition to human vices, the truths of existence, the foundations of behavior and relationships between people are presented in a light form. Each fable is a combination of wisdom, morality and humor.

Start reading Krylov's fables to your child from an early age. They will show him what to watch out for in life, what behavior others condemn and what they can encourage. According to Krylov, the laws of life are natural and wise; he despises artificiality and self-interest. Morality, cleared of any impurities and trends, is clear and concise, containing the division between right and wrong. The remarkable manner of writing led to the fact that every moral became a folk proverb or a cheerful aphorism. The works are written in such a language that, although they look like literary forms, they actually carry intonations and ridicule inherent only in the great national mind. Krylov's little fables changed the general view of this genre. Innovation was manifested in realism, a philosophical note and worldly wisdom. Fables became small novels, sometimes dramas, in which the accumulated wisdom and cunning of the mind over centuries was revealed. It is remarkable that with all this, the author did not turn the fable into a satirical poem, but managed to preserve a deep meaningful part, consisting of a short story and morality.

Krylov's fable penetrated into the essence of things, the characters' characters, and became a genre practically unattainable by other authors. Despite the satire, the fabulist loved life in all its manifestations, but he would really like simple and natural truths to finally replace base passions. The fable genre under his pen has become so high and refined that, after re-reading the fables of other authors, you will understand that there is no other like it, and there is unlikely to be one.

In the section of Krylov's fables online, we invite you to get acquainted with folk wisdom. Short philosophical works will not leave either children or adults indifferent.

The fable, as an allegorical satirical work, is of particular interest to writers. In a literary work of this kind, you can raise a burning topic and cover it briefly but succinctly. It is in fables, behind ordinary words, if you look closely, that there is a true understanding of the entire world order.

In Ancient Greece, Aesop was a great fan of fables in prose. He didn't write them, he told them. Aesop is credited with writing two hundred fables. But, in fact, some of them date back to a period earlier than Aesop lived. A number of stories were discovered on Egyptian papyri.

In Rome, Phaedrus (1st century AD) turned to the fable genre, interpreting Aesop’s stories in his own way. Phaedrus also composed his own fables.

As for Indian civilization, the collection of fables “Panchatantra” dating back to the 3rd century was included in the treasury of world literature.

The most prominent fabulist of modern times was the French poet J. Lafontaine (17th century). And also the French writer J.-P. K. de Florian.

Well-known adherents of the fable genre were representatives of German literature G.E. Lessing and Magnus X. Lichwer, and English - T. Moore.

In Russia, the fable genre has a special place. A.P. Sumarokov and I.I. Khemnitser, A.E. Izmailov and others worked in this genre. The first steps in the field of Russian poetic fables were made in the 17th century by Simeon of Polotsk. In the first half of the 18th century, A.D. Kantemir and V.K. Trediakovsky distinguished themselves in this genre.

The fable genre was also addressed by Leonardo da Vinci, Count D.I. Fonvizin,

Publications in the Literature section

From Aesop to Krylov

We remember what plots and motifs unite the fables of Aesop, La Fontaine and Ivan Krylov and how they are transformed on the way from Ancient Greece through France to Russia.

How many times have they told the world...

Illustration for Aesop's fable “The Fox and the Grapes”

Illustration for Krylov’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes”

As Herodotus wrote, Aesop was a slave who received freedom. Exposing the vices of his masters, he could not directly name them in fables, so he endowed them with the traits of animals. Possessing imaginative thinking, a sharp eye and an equally sharp tongue, Aesop created an artistic world in which wolves reason, foxes provide philosophical explanations for their failures, and ants voice morality. Aesop's authorship preserved a collection of 426 fables in prose, which was studied in ancient schools, and the plots of his stories, relevant at all times, were retold by many fabulists of later eras. For example, Jean de La Fontaine and Ivan Krylov.

“The hungry Fox snuck into the garden and saw a juicy bunch of grapes on a high branch.
“This is exactly what I need!” - she exclaimed, ran and jumped once, twice, three times... but it was all useless - there was no way to get to the grapes.
“Oh, I knew it, it’s still green!” - Lisa snorted in self-justification and hurried away.

Aesop, "The Fox and the Grapes"

The Gascon fox, or perhaps the Norman fox
(They say different things)
Dying of hunger, I suddenly saw above the gazebo
Grapes, so visibly ripe,
In ruddy skin!
Our darling would be glad to feast on them,
I couldn't reach him
And he said: “He is green -
Let all the rabble feed on it!”
Well, isn't this better than idly complaining?

Jean de La Fontaine, "The Fox and the Grapes"

The hungry godfather Fox climbed into the garden;
The bunches of grapes in it were red.
The gossip's eyes and teeth lit up;
And the brushes are juicy, like yachts, burning;
The only problem is, they hang high:
Whenever and however she comes to them,
At least the eye sees
Yes, it hurts.
Having wasted a whole hour,
She went and said with annoyance: “Well, well!
He looks good,
Yes it is green - no ripe berries:
You’ll set your teeth on edge right away.”

Ivan Krylov, “The Fox and the Grapes”

If you believe what Aesop said...

Jean de La Fontaine identified a new literary genre - the fable - whose plot he borrowed from ancient authors, including Aesop. In 1668 he published Aesop's Fables, Transposed into Verses by M. de La Fontaine. There was no sublime morality in La Fontaine's fables: witty stories asserted the need for a wise and equanimous attitude towards life. A favorite of the courtiers, who fell out of favor with Louis XIV, he wrote fables to please his patron, the Duchess of Bouillon, and called his works “a lengthy hundred-act comedy staged on the world stage.”

The ant carried the grain beyond its threshold to dry,
Which he has been storing for the winter since the summer.
A hungry cicada came close
And she asked, so as not to die, for food.
“But tell me, what did you do in the summer?”
“Without being lazy, I sang all summer long.”
The ant laughed and hid the bread:
“You sang in the summer, so in the winter you dance in the cold.”
(It is more important to take care of your own benefit,
How to delight the soul with bliss and feasts.)

Aesop, "The Ant and the Cicada"

The cicada sang in the summer,
But the summer has flown by.
Podul Borey - poor thing
It was very difficult here.
Left without a piece:
No flies, no worm.
She went to her neighbor in need.
The neighbor's name, by the way, was Mother Ant.
And plaintively Cicada asked to borrow
At least a little food, even a crumb, to survive
Until the sunny and warm days when she,
Of course, he will pay his neighbor in full.
Until August, she swore, she would return the interest to her.
But Mother Ant doesn’t like to lend.
And this deficiency, which is not uncommon among people,
Dear mother Ant had more than one.
The poor petitioner was interrogated:
- What did you do in the summer? Answer the question.
“I sang day and night and didn’t want to sleep.”
- Did you sing? Very nice. Now learn to dance.

Jean de La Fontaine, "The Cicada and the Ant"

Jumping Dragonfly
The red summer sang;
I didn’t have time to look back,
How winter rolls into your eyes.
The pure field has died;
There are no more bright days,
Like under every leaf
Both the table and the house were ready.
It's all gone: with the cold winter
Need, hunger comes;
The dragonfly no longer sings:
And who cares?
Sing on a hungry stomach!
Angry melancholy,
She crawls towards the Ant:
“Don’t leave me, dear godfather!
Let me gather my strength
And only until spring days
Feed and warm! -
“Gossip, this is strange to me:
Did you work during the summer?”
Ant tells her.
“Was it before that, my dear?
In our soft ants
Songs, playfulness every hour,
So much so that my head was turned.” -
“Oh, so you...” - “I’m without a soul
I sang all summer long.” -
“Have you been singing everything? this is the case:
So come and dance!

Ivan Krylov, “Dragonfly and Ant”

To conclude in a few words to me...

Jean-Baptiste Oudry. Wolf and lamb. 1740s.

Alphonse Toad. Illustration for the fable “The Wolf and the Lamb”

Illustration for the fable “The Wolf and the Lamb”

"This is your true race, you have finally found it", - the famous fabulist of his time Ivan Dmitriev said to Ivan Krylov, after reading the first two translations of La Fontaine, completed by the poet. Krylov was a master of simple and precise language, and was prone to pessimism and irony - which was always reflected in his works. He carefully worked on the texts of the fables, striving for brevity and sharpness of the narrative, and many of Krylov’s “witties” still remain catchphrases.

Ivan Krylov became a classic of Russian literature during his lifetime, becoming famous not only for La Fontaine’s adaptations, but also for his own original topical fables, with which the poet responded to a variety of events in the country.

The lamb and the wolf met by the stream,
Driven by thirst. Upstream is a wolf,
Lamb below. We are tormented by low greed,
The robber is looking for a reason to clash.
“Why,” he says, “with muddy water
Are you spoiling my drink? Curly-haired in trepidation:
“Can I make such a complaint?
After all, the water in the river flows from you to me.”
The wolf says, powerless before the truth:
“But you scolded me, that’s six months ago.”
And he: “I wasn’t even in the world yet.” -
“So, it was your father who scolded me,”
And having decided so, he will execute him unjustly.
We are talking about people here who
They oppress innocence by inventing reasons.

Aesop, "The Wolf and the Lamb"

The argument of the strongest is always the best:
We will show this immediately:
Lamb quenched my thirst
In a stream of pure waves;
The Wolf is walking on an empty stomach, looking for adventure,
Hunger drew him to these places.
“How are you so brave to muddy the waters?
- Says this beast, full of rage
- “You will be punished for your bravery.
“Sire,” answers the Lamb, let Your Majesty not be angry;
But let him look
But let him look
That I'm quenching my thirst
In the flow
Twenty steps lower than Your Majesty;
And therefore in no way
I can't muddy your waters.
“You’re making her sick,” said the cruel beast,
“And I know you slandered me last year.”
- How could I, because I wasn’t born yet then?
- Said the Lamb, - I still drink my mother’s milk.
- If not you, then your brother.
- I don't have a brother.
- So, one of yours.
You don't spare me at all
You, your shepherds and your dogs.
This is what they told me: I need to take revenge.

After that, deep into the forests
The wolf carries him away and then eats him,
Without any ceremony.

Jean de La Fontaine, "The Wolf and the Lamb"

The powerful are always to blame for the powerless:
We hear countless examples of this in History,
But we don’t write History;
But this is how they talk about it in Fables.
___
On a hot day, a lamb went to a stream to drink;
And something must happen,
That a hungry Wolf was prowling around those places.
He sees a lamb and strives for the prey;
But, to give the matter at least a legal look and feel,
Shouts: “How dare you, insolent, with an unclean snout
Here's a clean drink
My
With sand and silt?
For such insolence
I'll rip your head off." -
“When the brightest Wolf allows,
I dare say that down the stream
From the Lordship of his steps I drink a hundred;
And he deigns to be angry in vain:
There’s no way I can make him drink worse.” -
“That's why I'm lying!

Waste! Such insolence has never been heard of in the world!
Yes, I remember that you were still last summer
Here he was somehow rude to me:
I haven’t forgotten this, buddy!” -
“For mercy, I’m not even a year old yet,” -
The lamb speaks. "So it was your brother." -
"I have no brothers." - “So this is godfather or matchmaker
And, in a word, someone from your own family.
You yourself, your dogs and your shepherds,
You all want me harm
And if you can, then you always harm me,
But I will clear out their sins with you.” -
“Oh, what’s my fault?” - “Be quiet! I'm tired of listening
It’s time for me to sort through your faults, puppy!
It’s your fault that I want to eat.” -
He said and dragged the Lamb into the dark forest.

Ivan Krylov, "The Wolf and the Lamb"