Literary reading lesson "I.A. Krylov's fable "The Crow and the Fox" and Aesop's fable "The Raven and the Fox". Reading lesson "Fable writers

Literary reading lesson. 3rd grade.

Lesson topic. The fable “The Crow and the Fox” by I. A. Krylov and “The Crow and the Fox” by Aesop.

Target:

Learn to define a fable as a genre of literature based on its characteristic features, to find morality in a work;

Tasks:

develop students’ oral speech, expressive reading and role-playing skills;

to cultivate moral qualities, the skill of collective creative activity, a responsible attitude to the results of one’s activities, and an interest in literature.

Universal learning activities:

Personal: interest in the content of accessible works of art, in the world of human feelings reflected in the artistic text.

Cognitive: summarize and classify educational material; formulate simple conclusions.

Regulatory: change the position of listener, reader, viewer depending on the learning task.

Communicative: participate in expressive role-playing readings and dramatizations; monitor the actions of other participants in the process of collective and pair activities and, if necessary, make adjustments to them.

Subject results:

Knowing the distinctive features of a fable

Ability to find morality and allegory in a fable;

Knowledge about the life and work of I. A. Krylov, Aesop;

Lesson progress

1.Org. moment

The bell has already rung

It's time for us to start our lesson

2. Updating knowledge

1) Crossword (presentation)

2) Work in pairs

1 . Choose the exact definition of fable

Brief story

A cautionary tale

A short allegorical story of an instructive nature

(allegorical – containing an expression containing a hidden meaning)

2 . Find the signs of the fable

Written in verse

Animal heroes

A large work

Written in prose

Heroes are people

Contains a moral

A small piece of work

3. Sort the words into two groups

Perseus, Prometheus, Aesop, Krylov.

3. Setting the lesson goal

- Get to know a new fable and a new author.

4. Repetition of previously studied material.

Reading by roles.

Let's characterize the main characters of this fable.

What is the moral?

5. Acquaintance with a new work. Aesop's fable "The Raven and the Fox"

Aesop - who is this?

Aesop -ancient Greek poet-. Supposedly lived around 600 BC. Aesop's original poems have not survived. The most ancient "Aesop's fables" have come down to us in later poetic adaptations.

In very ancient times there lived one man. He was a slave. His name was Aesop. They say that Aesop was very ugly: pot-bellied and hunchbacked, but the people around him did not notice this, because this slave was amazingly smart. Aesop invented short works. We will now get acquainted with one of them.

6. Primary perception.

Read Aesop's fable.

Did you like the fable?

What genre of work is this fable similar to? (fairy tale about living.)

How is it different? (morality)

7. Analysis of the work

What is morality? (moral lesson)

In what form is the fable written? (in prose)

Are there any words in the fable whose meanings are unclear?

What can you say about the language of the fable? (in accessible language)

Name the heroes of the fable.

How is the raven shown in the fable? (stupid, gullible)

Fox? (cunning, smart)

What is the plot of the fable (she took the meat by deception)

Find in the text the words of the Fox in which she flatters the Raven.

What parts does a fable consist of? (introduction, main part, moral)

Where is the moral hidden in the fable? (in the words of the fox)

What does this fable teach us? ( There is no need to listen to false speeches, although they are pleasant to the ear, you need to make wise decisions. If the raven had simply fluttered up and flown away, he would have filled his belly, but because of his naivety and some stupidity he was left with an empty belly)

Why did it happen that the raven easily parted with its prey? What test did he fail? (tests of flattery, praise)

Read what the words “flattery” and “flatter” mean.

Who is flattering whom? Who does the fable condemn more: the stupid raven or the cunning fox? Prove your point using the moral of the fable.

What human flaw is being ridiculed? (stupidity)

8.Work with illustration.

Many artists tried to depict these fables with the help of a brush and pencil, so that through the means of fine art we could perceive the events described in these fables even more clearly. These are artists such as D.K. Gavrilenko, S. Yarovoy, Valentin Serov and many others. I would like to draw your special attention to the work of Valentin Serov, it is in your textbook and on the screen.

Despite the fact that it was made with a simple pencil and is dim, look how the artist conveyed the images of the characters. Compare the size of the crow and fox figures. What can you say? Do their sizes correspond to reality? (The figure of the crow is much larger than the fox, it seems that the artist did the work sitting high on a spruce tree, next to the crow. A visual contrast is created - a large crow and a tiny fox)

Do you think it was possible from such a distance to see such details of appearance as “socks”, “feathers”, “eyes”?

What do these fables teach us?? (Do not believe the flattering words of others, do not always believe your ears, these words are not always sincere, do not be gullible, stupid)

Compare the fables of Aesop and I.A. Krylov using the table data.

What are the similarities between the fables?

How are fables different?

Working with a table (in pairs)

Ivan Andreevich Krylov

Writing form

Composition

In which fable is it easier to imagine the behavior of the characters?

I.A. Krylov used apt, precise words to convey the character of the characters.Let's look at the heroes of the fable as depicted by artists: Valentin Serov and G. Kupriyanov.

Did the artists manage to convey the characters' personalities?

How is Crow represented? Fox?

I.A. is rightfully considered the best fabulist. Krylov. It is not for nothing that in 1855 a bronze monument was erected to him in the Summer Garden of St. Petersburg, built with money collected throughout Russia. Such is people's love!

The heroes of I.A. Krylov’s fables were popular not only among artists, but also among sculptors. In different cities, sculptural compositions were installed for the heroes of many of I.A. Krylov’s fables.

A whole performance is being played out before us, in which the animal actors speak and act like people, but at the same time remain animals, maintaining their habits.

Answer the questions:

1. Why do the Foxes praise the Raven and the Crow in fables?

2. Aesop and Krylov’s fables make fun of...

3. Select proverbs for the morals of the fables of Aesop and Krylov:

-It is better to listen to the bitter truth than sweet flattery.

-Every coward talks about courage.

-You always have to pay for stupidity.

4. Find your favorite catchphrase in Krylov’s fable and explain its meaning.

Check what you got.

If you completed 1 task, it means learned to understand the content of the fable and the character of the characters.

Completed task 2 correctly - learned to understand fable theme.

You have completed task 3, which means you have learned understand the moral of the fable.

Completed task 4 correctly, it means we understand the language of the fable.

What task did you find difficult to complete?

Which fable did you find more interesting, vivid, and convincing? Why?

Aesop's fables differ from Krylov's fables. At I.A. Krylova we note the artistic perfection of his work, which is expressed in the breadth of generalizations, in the clarity and precision of morality. Turning to an already well-known plot, the author reveals to us in the most picturesque details the behavior of animals, behind which the reader discovers vivid pictures of a truly national character. He is characterized by a cheerful slyness of mind and mockery. But we should not forget that the idea belongs to Aesop, and without him there would not have been such wonderful fables by Krylov.

9. Connection with life.

Guys, have there been any cases in your life when you flattered someone for selfish purposes and played the role of a fox, or, on the contrary, you were deceived, succumbing to flattering words, and suffered from this, thus acting in the role of a stupid crow. Remember and tell us about it.

Immortal creations of Aesop and Krylov

Every year we love you more and more!

Why, after hundreds, thousands of years, do we read with pleasure the fables of Aesop and Krylov? (They are interesting, useful, and teach life lessons)

Why don't fables become obsolete? (Human vices, such as flattery, envy, laziness, stupidity, cunning, existed 4000 years ago and exist today.)

What life wisdom did you take from today’s lesson, from today’s fables?

(there is no need to be gullible, and flattery is ugly.)

10 . Reflection.

Prometheus, by order of Zeus, sculpted people and animals from clay. But Zeus saw that there were much more unreasonable animals, and ordered him to destroy some of the animals and mold them into people. He obeyed; but it turned out like this. that people, converted from animals, received a human appearance, but the soul underneath retained an animal-like soul.
The fable is directed against a rude and stupid person.

The raven took away a piece of meat and sat down on a tree. The fox saw it and wanted to get this meat. She stood in front of the raven and began to praise him: he was great and handsome, and could have become a king over the birds better than others, and, of course, he would have, if he also had a voice. The Raven wanted to show her that he had a voice; He released the meat and croaked in a loud voice. And the fox ran up, grabbed the meat and said: “Eh, raven, if you also had a mind in your head, you wouldn’t need anything else to reign.”
The fable is appropriate against an unreasonable person.

The wolf saw a lamb drinking water from the river, and under a plausible pretext he wanted to devour the lamb. He stood upstream and began to reproach the lamb for muddying his water and not letting him drink. The lamb answered that he barely touched the water with his lips, and he couldn’t muddy the water for him, because he was standing downstream. Seeing that the accusation had failed, the wolf said: “But last year you insulted my father with abusive words!” The lamb answered that he was not yet in the world then. The wolf said to this: “Even though you are clever at making excuses, I will still eat you!”
The fable shows: whoever decides in advance to commit an evil deed will not be stopped by even the most honest excuses.

In the summer, an ant walked through the arable land and collected grains of wheat and barley to stock up on food for the winter. A beetle saw him and sympathized with the fact that he had to work so hard even at this time of year, when all the other animals were taking a break from their hardships and indulged in idleness. Then the ant remained silent; but when winter came and the dung was washed away by the rains, the beetle was left hungry, and he came to ask the ant for food. The ant said: “Eh, beetle, if you had worked then, when you reproached me with labor, you would not have to sit without food now.”

Thus, wealthy people do not think about the future, but when circumstances change, they suffer severe disasters.

Oak and reed argued who was stronger. A strong wind blew, the reed trembled and bent under its gusts and therefore remained intact; and the oak met the wind with its whole chest and was uprooted.

The fable shows that one should not argue with the strongest.

A dog with a piece of meat in its teeth was crossing a river and saw its reflection in the water. She decided that it was another dog with a larger piece, threw her meat and rushed to beat off someone else's. So she was left without one and without the other: she didn’t find one because it didn’t exist, she lost the other because the water carried it away.

The fable is directed against a greedy person.

The donkey pulled on the lion's skin and began to walk around, scaring the foolish animals. Seeing the fox, he wanted to scare her too; but she heard him roaring and said to him: “Be sure, and I would be afraid of you if I hadn’t heard your scream!”

So some ignoramuses attach importance to themselves with feigned arrogance, but give themselves away by their own conversations.

The lion, the donkey and the fox decided to live together and went hunting. They caught a lot of prey, and the lion told the donkey to divide it. The donkey divided the prey into three equal shares and invited the lion to choose; The lion got angry, ate the donkey, and ordered the fox to share. The fox collected all the prey in one pile, kept only a small piece for herself and invited the lion to make a choice. The lion asked her who taught her to divide so well, and the fox answered: “A dead donkey!”

The fable shows that the misfortunes of others become a science for people.

The deer, tormented by thirst, approached the source. While he was drinking, he noticed his reflection in the water and began to admire his horns, so large and so branched, but he was dissatisfied with his legs, thin and weak. While he was thinking about this, a lion appeared and chased him. The deer started to run and was far ahead of him: after all, the strength of deer is in their legs, and the strength of lions is in their hearts. While the places were open, the deer ran forward and remained intact, but when he reached the grove, his antlers got entangled in the branches, he could not run further, and the lion grabbed him. And, feeling that death had come, the deer said to himself: “Unhappy me! what I feared would be betrayed saved me, but what I most hoped for destroyed me.”

So often, in times of danger, those friends whom we did not trust save us, and those we relied on destroy us.

A hungry fox saw a grapevine with hanging grapes and wanted to get to them, but couldn’t; and, walking away, she said to herself: “They are still green!”

Likewise, some people cannot achieve success because they lack the strength, and they blame circumstances for this.

The wolf choked on a bone and scoured to find someone to help him. He met a heron, and he began to promise her a reward if she pulled out the bone. The heron stuck its head into the wolf's throat, pulled out the bone and demanded the promised reward. But the wolf responded: “It’s not enough for you, my dear, that you took the head out of the wolf’s mouth intact, so give you a reward?”

The fable shows that when bad people do no evil, it already seems like a good deed to them.

The turtle saw an eagle in the sky, and she wanted to fly herself. She approached him and asked him to teach her for any fee. The eagle said that this was impossible, but she still insisted and begged. Then the eagle lifted her into the air, carried her into the heights and threw her from there onto a rock. The turtle collapsed, broke and gave up the ghost.

The fact that many people, in their thirst for competition, do not listen to reasonable advice and destroy themselves.

Zeus wished to appoint a king for the birds and announced a day for everyone to come to him. And the jackdaw, knowing how ugly she was, began to walk around and pick up bird feathers, decorating herself with them. The day came, and she, dismantled, appeared before Zeus. Zeus already wanted to choose her as king for this beauty, but the birds, indignant, surrounded her, each tearing out his feather; and then, naked, she again turned out to be a simple jackdaw.

So among people, debtors, using other people's funds, achieve a prominent position, but, having given someone else's money, they remain the same as they were.

The frogs suffered because they did not have strong power, and they sent ambassadors to Zeus asking him to give them a king. Zeus saw how unreasonable they were and threw a block of wood into the swamp. At first the frogs were frightened by the noise and hid in the very depths of the swamp; but the log was motionless, and little by little they became so bold that they jumped on it and sat on it. Considering then that it was beneath their dignity to have such a king, they again turned to Zeus and asked to change their ruler, because this one was too lazy. Zeus got angry with them and sent them a water snake, which began to grab and devour them.

The fable shows that it is better to have lazy rulers than restless ones.

The jackdaw saw how the pigeons in the dovecote were well fed, and painted herself with white to live with them. And while she was silent, the doves took her for a dove and did not drive her away; but when she forgot herself and croaked, they immediately recognized her voice and drove her away. Left without the pigeon's food, the jackdaw returned to her family; but they did not recognize her because of her white feathers and did not let her live with them. So the jackdaw, chasing two benefits, received neither.

Consequently, we must be content with what we have, remembering that greed does not bring anything, but only takes away the last.

A mouse ran over the sleeping lion's body. The lion woke up, grabbed her and was ready to devour her; but she begged to be let go, assuring that she would still repay her with goodness for her salvation, and the lion, laughing, let her go. But it so happened that a little later the mouse actually thanked the lion by saving his life. The lion came to the hunters, and they tied him with a rope to a tree; and the mouse, hearing his groans, immediately ran, gnawed the rope and freed him, saying: “Then you laughed at me, as if you didn’t believe that I could repay you for the service; and now you will know that even a mouse knows how to be grateful.”

The fable shows that sometimes when fate changes, even the strongest need the weakest.

The wolves wanted to attack the flock of sheep, but they were unable to do so, because the dogs were guarding the sheep. Then they decided to achieve their goal by cunning and sent envoys to the sheep with a proposal to hand over the dogs: after all, it was because of them that the enmity began, and if they were handed over, then peace would be established between the wolves and the sheep. The sheep didn’t think what would come of it, and gave out the dogs. And then the wolves, being stronger, easily dealt with the defenseless herd.

Likewise, states that hand over people’s leaders without resistance soon become the prey of their enemies without realizing it.

The lion grew old, could no longer get food for himself by force and decided to do it by cunning: he climbed into a cave and lay there, pretending to be sick; the animals began to come to visit him, and he grabbed them and devoured them. Many animals have already died; Finally, the fox realized his cunning, came up and, standing at a distance from the cave, asked how he was doing. "Badly!" - the forest answered and asked why she didn’t come in? And the fox answered: “And she would have entered if she had not seen that there were many tracks leading into the cave, but not a single one from the cave.”

This is how intelligent people guess about danger by signs and know how to avoid it.

Two friends were walking along the road when suddenly a bear met them. One immediately climbed a tree and hid there. But it was too late for the other to escape, and he threw himself on the ground and pretended to be dead; and when the bear moved her muzzle towards him and began to sniff him, he held his breath, because, they say, the beast does not touch the dead.

The bear walked away, a friend came down from the tree and asked what the bear was whispering in his ear? And he answered: “I whispered: in the future, don’t take on the road such friends who leave you in trouble!”

The fable shows that true friends are known through danger.

The fable shows that the evil soul not only does not pay gratitude in return for good, but even rebels against the benefactor,

The old man once chopped some wood and carried it on himself; the road was long, he was tired of walking, threw off the burden and began to pray for death. Death appeared and asked why he called her. “So that you lift this burden for me,” answered the old man.

The fable shows that every person loves life, no matter how unhappy he is.

One man especially revered Hermes, and Hermes gave him a goose that laid golden eggs. But he did not have the patience to get rich little by little: he decided that the inside of the goose was all gold, and, without hesitation, he slaughtered it. But he was deceived in his expectations, and from then on he lost his eggs, because he found only giblets in the goose.

So often selfish people, flattering themselves for more, lose what they have.

The shepherd drove his flock away from the village and often had fun in this way. He shouted that wolves were attacking the sheep and called out to the villagers for help. Two or three times the peasants got scared and came running, and then returned home ridiculed. Finally, the wolf really appeared: he began to destroy the sheep, the shepherd began to call for help, but the people thought that these were his usual jokes and did not pay attention to him. So the shepherd lost his entire flock.

The fable shows that this is what liars achieve - they are not believed even when they tell the truth.

The bird catcher placed nets on the cranes and watched the catch from afar. Together with the cranes, the stork also landed on the field, and the bird catcher ran up and caught it along with them. The stork began to ask not to kill him: after all, he is not only not harmful to people, but even useful, because he catches and kills snakes and other reptiles. The bird catcher answered: “Even if you were useful three times, you were here among the scoundrels and therefore still deserved punishment.”

Likewise, we must avoid the company of bad people, so as not to be branded as their accomplices in evil deeds.

A deer, running away from hunters, hid in a vineyard. The hunters passed by, and the deer, deciding that they would no longer notice him, began to eat the grape leaves. But one of the hunters turned around, saw him, threw the remaining dart and wounded the deer. And, feeling death, the deer said to himself with a groan: “Serves me right: the grapes saved me, but I ruined them.”

This fable can be applied to people who offend their benefactors and are punished by God for this.

The thieves broke into the house, but found nothing there except a rooster; They grabbed him and went out. The rooster saw that he was being overgrown and began to beg for mercy: he is a useful bird and wakes people up at night for work. But the thieves said: “That’s why we’ll kill you, since you wake people up and don’t let us steal.”

The fable shows: everything that is useful to good people is especially hated by bad people.

The travelers walked along the road in the summer, at noon, exhausted from the heat. They saw a plane tree, came up and lay down to rest under it. Looking up at the plane tree, they began to say to each other: “But this tree is barren and useless for people!” The plane tree answered them: “You are ungrateful! You yourself use my canopy and immediately call me barren and useless!”

Some people are also unlucky: they do good to their neighbors, but do not see gratitude for it.

A boy at school stole a tablet from a friend and brought it to his mother. And she not only did not punish him, but even praised him. Then another time he stole the cloak and brought it to her, and she accepted it even more willingly. Time passed, the boy became a young man and took on larger thefts. Finally, they caught him red-handed one day and, twisting his elbows, led him to execution; and the mother followed and beat herself in the chest. And so he said that he wanted to whisper something in her ear; She approached, and he immediately grabbed it with his teeth and bit off a piece of her ear. His mother began to reproach him, the wicked man: all his crimes were not enough for him, so he would also maim his own mother! Her son interrupted: “If you had punished me when I brought you the stolen tablet for the first time, I would not have fallen to such a fate and they would not have led me to execution now.”

The fable shows that if guilt is not punished at the very beginning, it becomes greater and greater.

The driver loaded the donkey and mule and drove them on the road. While the road was level, the donkey was still under the weight; but when he had to go up the mountain, he was exhausted and asked the mule to take part of the luggage from him: then he would be able to carry the rest. But the mule did not want to listen to his words. The donkey fell down the mountain and died; and the driver, not knowing what to do now, took and transferred the donkey’s burden onto the mule, and in addition loaded the donkey’s skin onto it. Loaded beyond measure, the mule said: “It serves me right: if I had listened to the donkey and accepted a small part of his load, I would not now have to drag both his entire burden and himself.”

Thus, some lenders, not wanting to make the slightest concession to debtors, often lose all their capital.

The donkey and the mule were walking along the road together. The donkey saw that they both had the same luggage, and began to complain indignantly that the mule carried no more than he, and received twice the feed. They walked a little, and the driver noticed that the donkey was no longer able to bear it; then he removed part of the luggage from him and put it on a mule. They walked a little more, and he noticed that the donkey was even more exhausted; again he began to lighten the load on the donkey until he finally took everything off him and put it on the mule. And then the mule turned to the donkey and said: “Well, how do you think, my dear, honestly, I earn my double food?”

Likewise, we must judge everyone’s deeds not by their beginning, but by their outcome.

A hungry fox saw bread and meat in a hollow tree that the shepherds had left there. She climbed into the hollow and ate everything. But her womb was swollen, and she could not get out, but only moaned and groaned. Another fox ran past and heard her moaning; she came up and asked what was the matter. And when she learned what had happened, she said: “You will have to sit here until you again become the same as you came in; and then it won’t be difficult to get out.”

The fable shows that difficult circumstances naturally become easier over time.

As soon as the mistletoe bloomed, the swallow immediately guessed the danger it contained for the birds; and, having gathered all the birds, she began to persuade them. “It’s best,” she said, “to completely cut down the oak trees on which the mistletoe grows; if this is impossible, then you need to fly to people and beg them not to use the power of mistletoe to hunt birds.” But the birds did not believe it and laughed at her, and she flew to the people as a petitioner. Because of her intelligence, people accepted her and let her live with them. That is why people catch and eat the rest of the birds, and only the swallow, which asked them for shelter, is left alone, allowing it to nest quietly in their houses.

The fable shows: those who know how to predict events can easily protect themselves from dangers.

The boar stood under a tree and sharpened its fangs. The fox asked why this was: there were no hunters in sight, no other trouble, and he was sharpening his fangs. The boar answered: “It’s not in vain that I say: when trouble comes, I won’t have to waste time on it, and I’ll have them ready.”

The fable teaches that one must prepare for dangers in advance.

The mosquito flew up to the lion and shouted: “I’m not afraid of you: you’re no stronger than me!” Think about what your strength is? Is it that you scratch with your claws and bite with your teeth? This is what any woman does when she fights with her husband. No, I'm much stronger than you! If you want, we’ll fight!” The mosquito trumpeted, attacked the lion and bit into his face near the nostrils, where hair does not grow. And the lion began to tear his face with his own claws until he burst into rage. The mosquito defeated the lion and took off, trumpeting and singing a victory song. But then he suddenly got caught in a spider’s web and died, bitterly complaining that he had fought against an enemy stronger than him, and was dying from an insignificant creature - a spider.

The fable is directed against the one who defeated the great, but was defeated by the insignificant.

The eagle and the fox decided to live in friendship and agreed to settle next to each other so that their friendship would be stronger from their proximity. An eagle built a nest in a high tree, and a fox gave birth to cubs under the bushes below. But then one day the bald woman went out to hunt for prey, and the eagle got hungry, flew into the bushes, grabbed her cubs and devoured them with her eaglets. The fox returned, realized what had happened, and she felt bitter - not so much because the children died, but because she could not take revenge: the animal could not catch the bird. All she could do was curse the offender from afar: what else could the helpless and powerless do? But soon the eagle had to pay for the trampled friendship. Someone was sacrificing a goat in the field; The eagle flew to the altar and carried away the burning entrails. And as soon as he brought them to the nest, a strong wind blew, and the thin old twigs burst into flames. The scorched eaglets fell to the ground - they did not yet know how to fly; and then the fox ran up and ate them all in front of the eagle.

The fable shows that even if those who betray their friendship escape the revenge of the offended, they still cannot escape the punishment of the gods.

The fisherman cast a net and pulled out a small fish. The little fish began to beg that he would let her go for now - after all, she was so small - and catch him later, when she grew up and would be more useful from her. But the fisherman said: “I would be a fool if I let go of the catch that is already in my hands and chase after a false hope.”

The fable shows that a small benefit in the present is better than a large one in the future.

The dog was sleeping in front of the hut; the wolf saw her, grabbed her and wanted to devour her. The dog asked to let her go this time. “Now I’m thin and skinny,” she said, “but my owners will soon have a wedding, and if you let me go now, you’ll eat me fatter later.” The wolf believed her and let her go for now. But when he returned a few days later, he saw that the dog was now sleeping on the roof; he began to call her, reminding her of their agreement, but the dog answered: “Well, my dear, if you see me sleeping in front of the house again, then don’t put it off until the wedding!”

Likewise, reasonable people, having once avoided danger, then beware of it throughout their lives.

The fox fell into the well and sat there involuntarily, because she could not get out. The goat, who was thirsty, came to that well, noticed a fox in it and asked her if the water was good? The fox, delighted at the happy occasion, began to praise the water - it was so good! - and call the goat down. The goat jumped down, smelling nothing but thirst; he drank some water and began to think with the fox how they could get out. Then the fox said that she had a good idea how to save both of them: “You lean your front legs against the wall and tilt your horns, and I will run up your back and pull you out.” And the goat readily accepted her offer; and the fox jumped on his sacrum, ran up his back, leaned on his horns, and so found himself near the very mouth of the well: he climbed out and walked away. The goat began to scold her because she had violated their agreement; and the fox turned around and said: “Oh, you! If you had as much intelligence in your head as there are hairs in your beard, you would think about how to get out before entering.”

Likewise, an intelligent person should not take on a task without first thinking about where it will lead.

The fox, running away from the hunters, saw the woodcutter and prayed for him to shelter her. The woodcutter told her to go in and hide in his hut. A little later the hunters appeared and asked the woodcutter if he had seen a fox running here? He answered them out loud: “I didn’t see it,” and meanwhile made signs with his hand, showing where she hid. But the hunters did not notice his signs, but believed his words. So the fox waited until they galloped away, got out and, without saying a word, walked away. The woodcutter began to scold her: he saved her, but he didn’t hear a sound of gratitude from her. The fox answered: “I would thank you if your words and the works of your hands were not so dissimilar.”

This fable can be applied to people who speak good words but do bad deeds.

The oxen pulled the cart, and the axle creaked; they turned around and said to her: “Oh, you! We’re carrying all the weight, and you’re moaning?”

So it is with some people: others work, but they pretend to be exhausted.

The shepherd drove his goats out to pasture. Seeing that they were grazing there along with the wild ones, he drove them all into his cave in the evening. The next day bad weather broke out, he could not take them out to the meadow, as usual, and looked after them in a cave; And at the same time, he gave his own goats very little food, so that they would not die of hunger, but he piled up whole heaps of strangers in order to tame them to himself. But when the bad weather subsided and he again drove them to pasture, the wild goats rushed to the mountains and ran away. The shepherd began to reproach them for their ingratitude: he looked after them as best he could, but they left him. The goats turned around and said: “That’s why we are so wary of you: we only came to you yesterday, and you looked after us better than your old goats; therefore, if others come to you, then you will give preference to the new ones over us.”

The fable shows that we should not enter into friendship with those who prefer us, new friends, to old ones: when we ourselves become old friends, he will again make new ones and prefer them to us.

Honey was spilled in one pantry and flies flew on it; They tasted it and, sensing how sweet it was, pounced on it. But when their legs got stuck and they could not fly away, they said, drowning: “We are unfortunate! We ruined our lives for a short sweetness.”

Thus, for many, voluptuousness becomes the cause of great misfortune.

The camel saw the bull swaggering with its horns; He became envious, and he wanted to get one for himself. And so he appeared to Zeus and began to ask for horns. Zeus was angry that the camel’s height and strength were not enough, and he also demanded more; and not only did he not give the camel horns, but he also cut off its ears.

So many, greedily looking at other people's goods, do not notice how they are losing their own.

The raven, not seeing prey anywhere, noticed a snake that was basking in the sun, flew at it and grabbed it: but the snake twisted around and stung him. And the raven said, giving up the ghost: “Wretched me! I found such prey that I myself am dying from it.”

The fable can be applied to a man who found a treasure and began to fear for his life.

The lion and the bear hunted down a young deer and began to fight for it. They fought fiercely until their vision darkened and they fell to the ground, half dead. A fox passed by and saw that a lion and a bear were lying next to each other, and between them was a deer; picked up the deer and walked away. And those, unable to rise, said: “Unfortunate we are! It turns out that we worked for the fox!”

The fable shows that it is not in vain that people grieve when they see that the fruits of their labors go to the first person they meet.

The mice had a war with the weasels, and the mice were defeated. They once got together and decided that the cause of their misfortunes was lack of leadership. Then they chose generals and placed them over them; and the commanders, in order to stand out from everyone else, got hold of and tied horns for themselves. There was a battle and again all the mice were defeated. But the simple mice ran into the holes and easily hid in them, but the commanders, because of their horns, could not get in there, and the weasels grabbed them and devoured them.

Vanity brings misfortune to many.

A boar and a horse were grazing in the same pasture. Every time the boar spoiled the horse's grass and muddied the water; and the horse, in order to take revenge, turned to the hunter for help. The hunter said that he could help him only if the horse put on a bridle and took him on its back as a rider. The horse agreed to everything. And, jumping on him, the boar hunter defeated the boar, and drove the horse to him and tied him to the feeding trough.

So many, in unreasonable anger wanting to take revenge on their enemies, themselves fall under someone else's power.

Woodcutters were cutting down oak trees; making wedges out of it, they split the trunk with them. The oak tree said: “I do not curse the ax that chops me as much as these wedges that were born from me!”

About the fact that resentment from loved ones is heavier than from strangers.

The bees felt sorry for giving people their honey, and they came to Zeus asking him to give them the power to sting anyone who approached their honeycombs. Zeus became angry with them for such malice and made it so that, having stung someone, they immediately lost the sting, and with it their life.

This fable refers to evil people who harm themselves.

The mosquito sat on the bull's horn and sat there for a long time, and then, about to take off, he asked the bull: maybe he shouldn't fly away? But the bull answered: “No, my dear: I didn’t notice how you arrived, and I won’t notice how you flew away.”

This fable can be applied to an insignificant person, from whom, whether he exists or not, there can be neither harm nor benefit.

The fox reproached the lioness for giving birth to only one cub. The lioness replied: “Only one, but a lion!”

The fable shows that it is not quantity that is valuable, but dignity.

The spendthrift youth squandered all his goods, and all he had left was his cloak. Suddenly he saw a swallow that had arrived ahead of time, and decided that it was already summer and he no longer needed a cloak; He took the cloak to the market and sold it. But then winter and severe cold returned again, and the young man, wandering here and there, saw a swallow dead on the ground. He said to her: “Oh, you! She ruined both me and herself.”

The fable shows how dangerous everything that is done at the wrong time is.

One fisherman was a master of playing the pipe. One day he took a pipe and a net, went to the sea, stood on a ledge of a rock and began to play the pipe, thinking that the fish themselves would come out of the water at these sweet sounds. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing worked. Then he put the pipe aside, took the nets, threw them into the water and pulled out many different fish. He threw them out of the net onto the shore and, watching them fight, said: “You worthless creatures: I played for you - you didn’t dance, you stopped playing - you danced.”

The fable refers to those who do everything at the wrong time.

The crab crawled out of the sea and fed on the shore. But the hungry fox saw him, and since she had nothing to eat, she ran up and grabbed him. And, seeing that she was about to eat it, the crab said: “Well, it serves me right: I am a resident of the sea, but I wanted to live on land.”

It’s the same with people: those who abandon their own affairs and take on those that are foreign and unusual, rightly end up in trouble.

Zeus celebrated the wedding and set out food for all the animals. Only the turtle did not come. Not understanding what was the matter, the next day Zeus asked her why she did not come to the feast alone. “Your home is the best home,” answered the turtle. Zeus was angry with her and forced her to carry her own house everywhere.

So many people find it more pleasant to live modestly at home than to live richly with strangers.

Boreas and the Sun argued about who was stronger; and they decided that whichever one of them would win the argument was who would force the man to undress on the road. Borey began and blew strongly, and the man pulled his clothes around him. Borey began to blow even stronger, and the man, freezing, wrapped himself more and more tightly in his clothes. Finally Boreas got tired and gave up the man to the Sun. And the Sun at first began to warm up slightly, and the man little by little began to take off everything unnecessary. Then the Sun became hotter: and it ended with the man being unable to bear the heat, undressed and ran to swim in the nearest river.

The fable shows that persuasion is often more effective than force.

One zealous widow had maids, and every night, as soon as the rooster crowed, she woke them up to work. Exhausted from working without respite, the maids decided to strangle the family rooster; He was the trouble, they thought, because he was the one who woke up the mistress at night. But when they did this, it was even worse for them: the mistress now did not know the night time and woke them up not with the roosters, but even earlier.

So for many people, their own tricks become the cause of misfortune.

The peasant's sons were always quarreling. Many times he persuaded them to live in an amicable way, but no words helped them. And then he decided to convince them by example. He told them to bring a bundle of twigs; and when they did this, he gave them these rods all at once and offered to break them. No matter how hard they tried, nothing worked. Then the father untied the bundle and began to give them the rods one by one; and they broke them without difficulty. Then the peasant said: “So you, my children: if you live in harmony with each other, then no enemies will defeat you; if you start to quarrel, then it will be easy for anyone to overpower you.”

The fable shows that as much as agreement is invincible, discord is so powerless.

The peasant was about to die and wanted to leave his sons as good farmers. He called them together and said: “Children, I have a treasure buried under one grapevine.” As soon as he died, his sons grabbed spades and shovels and dug up their entire plot. They did not find the treasure, but the dug up vineyard brought them a harvest many times greater.

The fable shows that work is a treasure for people.

One woodcutter was chopping wood on the river bank and dropped his ax. The current carried him away, and the woodcutter sat down on the shore and began to cry. Hermes took pity on him, appeared and found out from him why he was crying. He dived into the water and brought out a golden ax to the woodcutter and asked if it was his? The woodcutter replied that it was not his; Hermes dived for the second time, brought out a silver ax and again asked if it was the one that was lost? And the woodcutter refused this. Then for the third time Hermes brought him his real axe, a wooden one. The woodcutter recognized him; and then Hermes, as a reward for his honesty, gave the woodcutter all three axes. The woodcutter took the gift, went to his comrades and told everything how it happened. And one of them became envious, and he wanted to do the same. He took an ax, went to the same river, began to chop down trees and deliberately let the ax fall into the water, and he sat down and began to cry. Hermes appeared and asked him what happened? And he replied that the ax was missing. Hermes brought him a golden ax and asked if it was the one that was missing? The man was overcome by greed, and he exclaimed that this was the one. But for this, God not only did not give him a gift, but also did not return his own ax.

The fable shows that as much as the gods help the honest, they are just as hostile to the dishonest.

The lion, having grown old, fell ill and lay down in a cave. All the animals came to visit their king, except for one fox. The wolf took advantage of this opportunity and began to slander the lion about the fox: she, they say, does not value the animal ruler at all and therefore did not come to visit him. And then the fox appeared and heard the last words of the wolf. The lion roared at her; and she immediately asked to be allowed to justify herself. “Who of all those gathered here,” she exclaimed, “will help you as I did, who ran everywhere, looked for medicine for you from all the doctors and found it?” The lion immediately told her to tell her what kind of medicine it was. And she: “You must skin the wolf alive and wrap yourself in his skin!” And when the wolf prostrated himself dead, the fox said with mockery: “You must motivate the ruler not to do evil, but to do good.”

The fable shows: whoever plots against another is preparing a trap for himself.

The bat fell to the ground and was grabbed by the weasel. Seeing that death had come, the bat begged for mercy. The weasel answered that he could not spare her: by nature she has enmity with all birds. But the bat said that she was not a bird, but a mouse, and the weasel let her go. Another time, a bat fell to the ground and was grabbed by another weasel. The bat began to ask not to kill it. The weasel answered that she had enmity with all mice. But the bat said that she was not a mouse, but a bat, and the weasel let her go again. So, by changing her name twice, she managed to escape.

Likewise, we cannot always be the same: those who know how to adapt to circumstances often avoid great dangers.

There was a gathering among the foolish animals, and the monkey distinguished himself in dancing before them; for this they chose her as king. And the fox was envious; and so, seeing a piece of meat in one trap, the fox brought a monkey to him and said that she had found this treasure, but did not take it for herself, but saved it for the king as an honorary gift; let the monkey take it. She, suspecting nothing, approached and fell into a trap. She began to reproach the fox for such meanness, and the fox said: “Eh, monkey, and with such and such a mind will you reign over the animals?”

Likewise, those who undertake a task carelessly fail and become a laughing stock.

The kid fell behind the herd and was chased by a wolf. The kid turned around and said to the wolf: “Wolf, I know that I am your prey. But in order not to die ingloriously, play the pipe, and I’ll dance!” The wolf began to play and the kid began to dance; The dogs heard this and rushed after the wolf. The wolf turned around as he ran and said to the kid: “That’s what I need: there’s no need for me, a butcher, to pretend to be a musician.”

So people, when they take on something at the wrong time, also miss what they already have in their hands.

Weasel fell in love with a handsome young man and prayed to Aphrodite to turn her into a woman. The goddess took pity on her suffering and transformed her into a beautiful girl. And the young man fell in love with her so much at one glance that he immediately brought her to his house. And so, when they were in the bedchamber, Aphrodite wanted to know whether the caress, along with her body, had changed her disposition, and she let a mouse into the middle of their room. Then the weasel, forgetting where she was and who she was, rushed straight out of bed at the mouse to devour it. The goddess got angry with her and again returned her to her previous appearance.

Likewise, people who are bad by nature, no matter how they change their appearance, cannot change their character.

The lion and the donkey decided to live together and went hunting. They came to a cave where there were wild goats, and the lion stayed at the entrance to trap the goats running out, and the donkey climbed inside and began to cry in order to frighten them and drive them out. When the lion had already caught a lot of goats, the donkey came out to him and asked if he fought well and drove the goats well. The lion answered: “Of course! I would be scared myself if I didn’t know that you are an ass.”

So many boast to those who know them well, and deservedly become a laughing stock.

The priests of Cybele had a donkey on which they loaded luggage on their travels. And when the donkey was exhausted and died, they tore off its skin and made tambourines out of it for their dances. One day other wandering priests met them and asked where their donkey was; and they answered: “He died, but he, the dead man, gets as many beatings as he never got while alive.”

So, although some slaves receive their freedom, they cannot get rid of their slave share.

A donkey laden with salt was crossing the river, but slipped and fell into the water; the salt melted and the donkey felt better. The donkey was happy, and when the next time he approached the river, loaded with sponges, he thought that if he fell again, he would get up again with a lighter load; and slipped on purpose. But it turned out that the sponges were swollen from the water, it was no longer possible to lift them, and the donkey drowned.

Likewise, some people, with their own tricks, without knowing it, bring themselves into trouble.

The donkey heard the cicadas chirping; He liked their sweet singing, he became envious, and he asked: “What do you eat to have such a voice?” “With dew,” answered the cicadas. The donkey began to feed on the dew himself, but died of hunger.

Thus, people, pursuing what is contrary to their nature, do not achieve their goal and, moreover, suffer great disasters.

The donkey was grazing in the meadow and suddenly saw a wolf running towards him. The donkey pretended to be limping; and when the wolf approached and asked why he was limping, the donkey replied: “I jumped over the fence and got splintered by a thorn!” - and asked the wolf to first pull out the thorn, and then eat it, so as not to prick himself. The wolf believed; the donkey lifted his leg, and the wolf began to diligently examine his hoof; and the donkey hit him right in the mouth with his hoof and knocked out all his teeth. Suffering from pain, the wolf said: “Serves me right! My father raised me as a butcher - it doesn’t suit me to become a doctor!”

Likewise, people who take up an occupation that is unusual for them, rightly end up in trouble.

A donkey, loaded with firewood, was crossing a swamp. He slipped, fell, could not get up and began to moan and scream. The marsh frogs heard his groans and said: “My dear, you just fell and are already roaring so much; “What would you do if you sat here as long as we did?”

This fable can be applied to a cowardly person who becomes discouraged by the smallest troubles, while others calmly endure even more serious ones.

The pomegranate tree and the apple tree were arguing about who had the best fruit. They argued more and more hotly, until the thorn tree from the nearby hedge heard them and announced: “Let’s stop, friends: why should we quarrel?”

Thus, when the best citizens are in discord, even insignificant people gain importance.

The viper crawled to a watering hole at the source. And the water snake that lived there did not let her in and was indignant that the viper, as if there was not enough food for her, was getting into her domain. They quarreled more and more and finally agreed to settle the matter by battle: whoever wins will be the master of both land and water. So they set a deadline; and the frogs, who hated the water snake, jumped up to the viper and began to encourage it, promising that they would help it. The fight began; the viper fought with the water snake, and the frogs around raised a loud cry - they couldn’t do anything else. The viper won and began to reproach them for promising to help her in battle, but not only did they not help, but even sang songs. “So know, my dear,” answered the frogs, “that our help is not in our hands, but in our throats.”

The fable shows that where there is a need for action, words cannot help.

There were a lot of mice in one house. The cat, having learned about this, came there and began to catch them and devour them one by one. The mice, in order not to die completely, hid in holes, and the cat could not reach them there. Then she decided to map them out with cunning. To do this, she grabbed a nail, hung and pretended to be dead. But one of the mice looked out, saw her and said: “No, my dear, even if you turn into a sack, I won’t come to you.”

The fable shows that reasonable people, having experienced someone’s deceit, no longer allow themselves to be deceived.

The wolf passed by the house, and the little goat stood on the roof and cursed at him. The wolf answered him: “It’s not you who scold me, but your place.”

The fable shows that favorable circumstances give others insolence even against the strongest.

The wolf saw a goat grazing over the cliff; He couldn’t get to her and began to beg her to go down: up there, you could accidentally fall, but here he has a meadow and the most beautiful grass for her. But the goat answered him: “No, the point is not that you have good grazing, but that you have nothing to eat.”

Thus, when bad people plot evil against reasonable people, then all their intricacies turn out to be useless.

The hungry wolf prowled in search of prey. He approached one hut and heard a child crying, and an old woman threatening him: “Stop it, or I’ll throw you out to the wolf!” The wolf thought that she had told the truth and began to wait. Evening came, but the old woman still did not fulfill her promise; and the wolf left with these words: “In this house people say one thing and do another.”

This fable applies to those people whose words do not match their deeds.

The wolf, bitten by the dogs, lay exhausted and could not even provide food for himself. He saw a sheep and asked him to bring him at least something to drink from the nearest river: “Just give me something to drink, and then I’ll find food myself.” But the sheep answered: “If I give you something to drink, then I myself will become food for you.”

The fable exposes an evil man who acts insidiously and hypocritically.

The gorged wolf saw a sheep lying on the ground; He guessed that she had fallen out of fear, approached her and encouraged her: if she told him the truth three times, he said, then he would not touch her. The sheep began: “First of all, I wouldn’t meet you forever! Secondly, if you meet him, then he’ll be blind! And thirdly, all the wolves would die an evil death: we didn’t do anything to you, and you’re attacking us!” The wolf listened to her truth and did not touch the sheep.

The fable shows that often the enemy yields to the truth.

The foolish animals had a meeting, and the monkey began to dance in front of them. Everyone really liked this dance, and the monkey was praised. The camel became jealous, and he also wanted to distinguish himself: he stood up and started dancing himself. But he was so clumsy that the animals only got angry, beat him with sticks and drove him away.

The fable refers to those who, out of envy, try to compete with the strongest and end up in trouble.

In one herd of sheep a pig was grazing. One day a shepherd grabbed him, and he began to squeal and resist. The sheep began to reproach him for such a cry: “We don’t scream when he grabs us every now and then!” The piglet answered them: “He doesn’t grab me as much as you; From you he needs wool or milk, but from me he needs meat.”

The fable shows that it is not for nothing that those who risk losing not their money, but their lives cry.

The snake swam along the river on a bunch of thorns. The fox saw her and said: “The ship is like the swimmer!”

Against a bad person who undertakes evil deeds.

A peasant, digging up a field, found a treasure; For this, he began to decorate the Earth with a wreath every day, considering her to be his benefactor. But Fate appeared to him and said: “My friend, why are you thanking the Earth for my gift? After all, I sent it to you so that you could get rich! But if chance changes your affairs and you find yourself in need and poverty, then again you will scold me, Fate.”

The fable shows that you need to know your benefactor and give him gratitude.

The dove, fattened in the dovecote, boasted how many chicks she had. The crow, hearing her words, said: “Stop, my dear, bragging about this: the more chicks you have, the more bitterly you will mourn your slavery.”

Likewise, among slaves, the most unfortunate of all are those who give birth to children in slavery.

A man bought a parrot and let it live in his house. The parrot, accustomed to domestic life, flew up to the hearth, perched there and began to squeal in its sonorous voice. The weasel saw him and asked who he was and where he came from. The parrot answered: “My owner just bought me.” The weasel said: “You impudent creature! you just got bought and you're screaming so loud! And even though I was born in this house, the owners don’t allow me to say a word, and as soon as I raise my voice, they start getting angry and drive me away.” The parrot answered: “Go ahead, mistress: my voice is not at all as disgusting to the owners as yours.”

The fable refers to a grumpy person who is always lashing out at others with accusations.

A shepherd who was tending a herd of oxen lost his calf. He looked for him everywhere, did not find him, and then made a vow to Zeus to sacrifice a kid if the thief was found. But then he entered a grove and saw that his calf was being devoured by a lion. In horror, he raised his hands to the sky and exclaimed: “Lord Zeus! I promised you a kid of goat as a sacrifice if I could find the thief; and now I promise an ox if I can save myself from the thief.”

This fable can be applied to losers who are looking for something they don't have and then don't know how to get rid of what they find.

A thirsty pigeon saw a picture of a bowl of water and thought it was real. He rushed towards her with a loud noise, but unexpectedly stumbled upon a board and crashed: his wings broke, and he fell to the ground, where he became the prey of the first person he met.

This is how some people, in a fit of passion, get down to business recklessly and ruin themselves.

The fox lost her tail in some trap and decided that it was impossible for her to live with such shame. Then she decided to persuade all the other foxes to do the same, in order to hide her own injury in the general misfortune. She gathered all the foxes and began to convince them to cut off their tails: firstly, because they are ugly, and secondly, because it is only an extra burden. But one of the foxes responded: “Oh, you! You wouldn’t give us such advice if it weren’t for your own benefit.”

The fable refers to those who give advice to their neighbors not from a pure heart, but for their own benefit.

The eagle was chasing a hare. The hare saw that there was no help for him from anywhere, and he prayed to the only one who turned up for him - to the dung beetle. The beetle encouraged him and, seeing an eagle in front of him, began to ask the predator not to touch the one who was looking for his help. The eagle did not even pay attention to such an insignificant defender and devoured the hare. But the beetle did not forget this insult: he tirelessly watched the eagle’s nest, and every time the eagle laid eggs, he rose to the heights, rolled them out and broke them. Finally, the eagle, finding peace nowhere, sought refuge with Zeus himself and asked to be given a quiet place to hatch his eggs. Zeus allowed the eagle to put eggs in his bosom. The beetle, seeing this, rolled up a dung ball, flew up to Zeus and dropped his ball into his bosom. Zeus stood up to shake off the dung and accidentally dropped the eagle's eggs. Since then, they say, eagles do not build nests at the time when dung beetles hatch.

The fable teaches that no one should be despised, for no one is so powerless that he cannot avenge an insult.

The fox had never seen a lion in her life. And so, meeting him by accident and seeing him for the first time, she was so frightened that she barely remained alive; the second time we met, she was frightened again, but not as much as the first time; and the third time she saw him, she became so brave that she came up and spoke to him.

The fable shows that you can get used to the terrible.

They say that once a man and a satyr decided to live in friendship. But then winter came, it became cold, and the man began to breathe into his hands, bringing them to his lips. The satyr asked him why he was doing this; The man replied that this is how he warms his hands in the cold. Then they sat down to dinner, and the food was very hot; and the man began to take it a little at a time, bring it to his lips and blow. The satyr asked again what he was doing, and the man answered that he was cooling the food because it was too hot for him. The satyr then said: “No, friend, you and I cannot be friends if both heat and cold come from the same lips.”

Likewise, we must beware of the friendship of those who behave duplicitously.

A siskin in a cage hung on the window and sang in the middle of the night. A bat flew to his voice and asked why he is silent during the day and sings at night? The siskin answered that he had a reason for this: he once sang during the day and got caught in a cage, and after that he became smarter. Then the bat said: “Before, you should have been so careful before you were caught, and not now, when it is already useless!”

The fable shows that after a misfortune, no one needs repentance.

The wasp sat on the snake’s head and stung it all the time, giving it no rest. The snake was mad with pain, but could not take revenge on its enemy. Then she crawled out onto the road and, seeing the cart, stuck her head under the wheel. Dying along with the wasp, she said: “I’m losing my life, but at the same time with the enemy.”

A fable against those who are ready to die just to destroy the enemy.

A sheep that was being clumsily sheared said to the shearer: “If you need wool, hold the scissors higher; and if it’s meat, then kill me right away, rather than torture me like this, injection after injection.”

The fable applies to those who take up work without skill.

The gardener was watering the vegetables. Someone came up to him and asked why weed plants are so healthy and strong, while domestic plants are thin and stunted? The gardener answered: “Because the earth is a mother for some, and a stepmother for others.”

Children who are raised by their mother and those who are raised by their stepmother are just as different.

One day, while swimming in the river, the boy began to drown; he noticed a passerby and called him for help. He began to scold the boy for going into the water without thinking; but the boy answered him: “First you help me, and then, when I pull you out, then scold me.”

The fable is directed against those who give themselves a reason to scold themselves.

One man was bitten by a dog, and he rushed to look for help. Someone told him that he should wipe the blood with bread and throw the bread to the dog that bit him. “No,” he objected, “if I do that, then all the dogs in the city will rush to bite me.”

Likewise, evil in people, if you please it, only gets worse.

One blind man was able to guess by touch what it was for every animal that was put in his hands. And then one day they placed a wolf cub on him; he felt it and said, thinking: “I don’t know whose cub this is - a wolf, a fox or some other similar animal - and I only know one thing: it’s better not to let him into the sheep herd.”

Thus, the properties of bad people are often visible by their appearance.

The man with the gray hair had two mistresses, one young, the other old. The elderly woman was ashamed to live with a man younger than her, and therefore every time he came to her, she pulled out his black hair. And the young woman wanted to hide the fact that her lover was an old man, and pulled out his gray hair. So they plucked him, first one, then the other, and in the end he was left bald.

Thus, inequality is harmful everywhere.

A robber killed a man on the road; people saw this and chased after him, but he abandoned the dead man and, covered in blood, began to run away. Those who met him asked why his hands were bleeding; he replied that it was he who climbed the mulberry tree. But while he was talking to them, his pursuers came running, grabbed him and crucified him right on the mulberry tree. And the mulberry tree said: “I don’t regret that I became the instrument of your death: after all, you committed murder, and you also wanted to pin it on me.”

Thus, people who are naturally good often become evil in response to slander.

The father had two daughters. He passed one off as a gardener, the other as a potter. Time passed, the father came to the gardener’s wife and asked how she lived and how they were doing. She replied that they had everything and they prayed to the gods for only one thing: that a thunderstorm would come with rain and that the vegetables would drink. A little later he came to the potter’s wife and also asked how she lived. She answered that they had enough of everything and they only prayed for one thing: that the weather would be good, the sun would shine and the dishes could dry. Then her father said to her: “If you ask for good weather, and your sister for bad weather, then with whom should I pray?”

So people who take on two different things at once, understandably, fail at both.

One pentathlete was constantly reproached by his fellow countrymen for being a coward. Then he left for a while, and when he returned, he began to boast that in other cities he had accomplished many feats and in Rhodes made such a jump as no Olympic winner had ever done; Everyone who was there could confirm this to you if they came here. But one of those present objected to him: “My dear, if you are telling the truth, why do you need confirmation? Here’s Rhodes, here you can jump!”

The fable shows: if something can be proven by deeds, then there is no need to waste words on it.

One astrologer used to go out every evening and look at the stars. And so, one day, walking along the outskirts and with all his thoughts rushing to heaven, he accidentally fell into a well. Then he started screaming and crying; and some man, hearing these screams, came up, guessed what had happened, and said to him: “Oh, you! Do you want to see what is happening in heaven, but what is on earth you don’t see?”

This fable can be applied to people who boast of miracles, but themselves are not able to do what anyone can do.

The fortuneteller sat in the square and gave predictions for money. Suddenly a man ran up to him and shouted that robbers had broken into his house and taken away all his belongings. In horror, the fortuneteller jumped up and, screaming, rushed as fast as he could to see what had happened. One of the passers-by saw this and asked: “My dear, how do you undertake to guess about other people’s affairs when you know nothing about your own?”

This fable refers to people who don’t know how to live themselves, and take on other people’s affairs that don’t concern them.

One man made a wooden Hermes and took it to the market. No buyer approached; then, in order to invite at least someone, he began to shout that God, the giver of blessings and the keeper of profits, was for sale. Some passer-by asked him: “Why are you, my dear, selling such a god, instead of using it yourself?” The seller answered: “Now I need the benefit from him quickly, but he usually brings his profit slowly.”

Against a selfish and wicked man.

Zeus created a bull, Prometheus created a man, Athena created a house, and they chose Momus as judge. Mom envied their creations and began to say: Zeus made a mistake, that the bull’s eyes are not on the horns and he does not see where he is butting; Prometheus - that a person’s heart is not on the outside and it is impossible to immediately distinguish a bad person and see what is in someone’s soul; Athena should have equipped the house with wheels to make it easier to move if a bad neighbor settled nearby. Zeus was angry for such slander and kicked Momus out of Olympus.

The fable shows that nothing is so perfect as to be free from all reproaches.

Zeus created man, but gave him a short life. And the man, by his ingenuity, with the onset of cold weather, built himself a house and settled there. The cold was severe, it was raining; and so the horse could no longer stand it, galloped up to the man and asked him to shelter him. And the man said that he would let the horse go only if he gave him part of his life: and the horse willingly agreed. A little later the bull appeared, also no longer able to endure the bad weather, and the man again said that he would let him in only if he gave him so many years of his life; the bull gave, and the man let him go. Finally, a dog came running, exhausted in the cold, also gave away a piece of its century and also found shelter. And so it turned out that only during the years appointed by Zeus does a person live well and truly; having reached the age of a horse, he becomes boastful and arrogant; in bull years he becomes a toiler and a sufferer; and in dog years he turns out to be grumpy and grumpy.

This fable can be applied to an old, malicious and obnoxious person.

The bat, the blackthorn and the duck decided to form together and trade at the same time. The bat borrowed money and contributed it to the partnership, the blackthorn gave his clothes, and the duck bought copper and also contributed. But as they set sail, a violent storm arose and the ship capsized; They themselves made it to land, but lost all their belongings. Since then, the diver has been searching for its copper and diving for it into the depths of the sea; the bat is afraid to show itself to creditors and hides during the day, and flies out at night to prey; and the thorn bush, looking for its clothes, clings to the cloaks of passers-by in order to find its own among them.

The fable shows that most of all we care about what we ourselves once suffered damage to.

The dead man was carried out, and the household followed the stretcher. The doctor said to one of them: “If this man had not drunk wine and administered an enema, he would have remained alive.” “My dear,” he answered him, “you should have advised him this before it was too late, but now it is of no use.”

The fable shows that you need to help your friends in time, and not laugh at them when their situation is hopeless.

The old woman's eyes hurt, and she invited a doctor, promising to pay him. And every time he came and anointed her eyes, he took away something from her things while she sat with her eyes closed. When he had carried away everything he could, he finished the treatment and demanded the promised payment; and when the old woman refused to pay, he dragged her to the archons. And then the old woman said that she promised to pay only if her eyes were cured, and after the treatment she began to see not better, but worse. “I used to see all my things in my house,” she said, “but now I don’t see anything.”

This is how bad people, out of self-interest, accidentally expose themselves.

A man had a wife whose temper no one could stand. He decided to check whether she would behave the same way in her father’s house, and under a plausible pretext he sent her to her father. A few days later she returned, and her husband asked how she was received there. “The shepherds and shepherds,” she answered, “looked at me very angrily.” “Well, wife,” said the husband, “if those who are not with their herds and at home from morning to evening were angry with you, then what will others say, from whom you did not leave all day?”

So often you can recognize the important from the small things, and the hidden from the obvious.

One rich Athenian, along with others, was sailing on the sea. A terrible storm arose and the ship capsized. Everyone else set off swimming, and only the Athenian endlessly appealed to Athena, promising her countless sacrifices for his salvation. Then one of his comrades in misfortune, sailing by, said to him: “Pray to Athena, and move yourself.”

So we should not only pray to the gods, but also take care of ourselves.

One poor man fell ill and felt completely ill; the doctors abandoned him; and then he prayed to the gods, promising to bring them a hecatomb and donate rich gifts if he recovered. His wife, being nearby, asked: “What kind of money will you do this with?” “Do you really think,” he answered, “that I will begin to recover only so that the gods will demand it of me?”

The fable shows that people easily promise in words what they do not think of fulfilling in practice.

One poor man fell ill and, feeling completely ill, made a vow to the gods to sacrifice a hecatomb to them if they healed him. The gods wanted to test him and immediately sent him relief. He got out of bed, but since he did not have real bulls, he blinded a hundred bulls from tallow and burned them on the altar with the words: “Accept, oh gods, my vow!” The gods decided to reward him with deceit for his deception and sent him a dream, and in the dream they told him to go to the seashore - there he would find a thousand drachmas. The man was delighted and ran to the shore, but there he immediately fell into the hands of robbers, and they took him away and sold him into slavery: that’s how he found his thousand drachmas.

The fable refers to a deceitful person.

Two young men were buying meat in a shop. While the butcher was busy, one of them grabbed a piece of meat and put it in the other’s bosom. The butcher turned around, noticed the loss and began to incriminate them; but the one who took it swore that he had no meat, and the one who hid it swore that he did not take the meat. The butcher guessed about their cunning and said: “Well, you are saving yourself from me by false oaths, but you cannot be saved from the gods.”

The fable shows that a false oath is always wicked, no matter how you cover it up.

Hermes wanted to test whether the witchcraft of Tiresias was infallible. And so he stole his oxen from the field, and in human form he himself came to the city and stayed as a guest. The news reached Tiresias that his bulls had been stolen; He took Hermes with him and went out of the city to use the bird's flight to tell fortunes about the loss. He asked Hermes what kind of bird he saw; and first Hermes told him that he saw an eagle flying from left to right. Tiresias replied that this did not concern them. Then Hermes said that now he sees a crow sitting on a tree and looking up and down. Tiresias responded: “Well, the crow swears by heaven and earth that it depends only on you whether I will return my bulls or not.”

This fable is applicable against a thief.

The orator Demades once spoke to the people in Athens, but they listened to him inattentively. Then he asked permission to tell the people Aesop's fable. Everyone agreed, and he began: “Demeter, the swallow and the eel walked along the road. They found themselves on the river bank; a swallow flew over it, and an eel dived into it...” And with that he fell silent. “What about Demeter?” - everyone began to ask him. “And Demeter stands and is angry with you,” answered Demade, “because you listen to Aesop’s fables, but do not want to deal with state affairs.”

Thus, among people, those who neglect the deeds of virtue and prefer pleasant deeds are unreasonable.

Aesop told the following fable: a wolf saw the shepherds in their hut eating a lamb, came closer and said: “What a fuss you would make if I were you!”

Anyone who offers this kind of subject for discussion is no better in society than Aesop’s crane and fox. This fox smeared liquid porridge on a flat stone, and offered it to the crane - not so much for satiety as for ridicule, because the crane could not grab the liquid porridge with its narrow beak. Then, in turn, the crane invited the fox to visit and brought her a treat in a jug with a long and narrow neck: he himself easily stuck his beak in there and feasted on it, but the fox could not do this and so suffered a well-deserved punishment.

In the same way, when at a feast philosophers begin to delve into subtle and cunning reasoning, difficult for most to follow and therefore boring, and the rest, in turn, take up empty stories and songs, vulgar common chatter, then all the joy of a joint feast is lost and Dionysus is filled with anger .

Aesop in Samos gave a speech in defense of a demagogue who was being tried in a criminal case. He said: “The fox was crossing the river and fell into a pool, could not get out of there and suffered there for a long time: many ticks clung to it. A hedgehog passed by, saw her, felt sorry for her and asked if he should pick off ticks from her? Lisa didn't want to. "Why?" - asked the hedgehog. The fox explained: “These ticks have already sucked on my blood and now they are barely pulling; and if you rob them, others will appear, hungry, and they will completely suck me dry.” “So to you, citizens of Samos,” said Aesop, “this man is no longer dangerous, because he is rich; and if you execute him, then others, poor ones, will come after you, and they will steal all your common goods.

Here one could say, as Antisthenes said: the hares in the national assembly made speeches that everyone is equal in everything, but the lions objected: “Your arguments, hares, lack only our teeth and claws.”

One day Luna asked her mother: “Sew me a dress that fits my figure!” But the mother said: “How can I sew it to fit? After all, now you are plump, but soon you will become thin, and then you will bend in the other direction.”

So for an empty and unreasonable person there is no measure in life: due to the vicissitudes of passions and fate, he is like this in everything today, and different tomorrow.

The first day of the holiday and the second day of the holiday quarreled. The second said to the first: “You are full of worries and troubles, and I give everyone peace to enjoy what has been prepared.” “The truth is yours,” answered the first day, “but if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t exist either.”

One owner was sailing on the sea and fell ill from bad weather. While the bad weather continued, the sailors helped the sick man, and he told them: “If you don’t sail the ship quickly, I will throw stones at you all!” To this one of the sailors said: “Oh, if only we were in a place where there are stones!..”

This is our life: we have to endure light insults in order to avoid serious ones.

And this is what Aesop also tells: the clay from which Prometheus sculpted man, he mixed not with water, but with tears. Therefore, one should not influence a person by force - it is useless; and if necessary, then it is better to tame him and soften, calm and reason with him as much as possible. And he is responsive and sensitive to such treatment.

Don't be ashamed to learn at an older age: it's better to learn late than never.

You can recognize a donkey even in lion skin by its cry.

There is nothing so perfect as to be free from all reproaches.

Even fear is softened by habit.

A true friend is known in misfortune.

If someone is lucky, do not envy him, but rejoice with him, and his luck will be yours; and whoever is jealous makes things worse for himself.

The raven took away a piece of meat and sat down on a tree. The fox saw it and wanted to get this meat. She stood in front of the raven and began to praise him: he was great and handsome, and could have become a king over the birds better than others, and, of course, he would have, if he also had a voice. The Raven wanted to show her that he had a voice; He released the meat and croaked in a loud voice. And the fox ran up, grabbed the meat and said:

“Eh, raven, if only you had a mind in your head, you wouldn’t need anything else to reign.”

The fable is appropriate against an unreasonable person.

Aesop. Fable The Pigeon Who Was Thirsty

A thirsty pigeon saw a picture of a bowl of water and thought it was real. He rushed towards her with a loud noise, but unexpectedly stumbled upon a board and crashed: his wings broke, and he fell to the ground, where he became the prey of the first person he met.

This is how some people, in a fit of passion, get down to business recklessly and ruin themselves.

Aesop. Tailless fox

The fox lost her tail in some trap and decided that it was impossible for her to live with such shame. Then she decided to persuade all the other foxes to do the same, in order to hide her own injury in the general misfortune.

She gathered all the foxes and began to convince them to cut off their tails: firstly, because they are ugly, and secondly, because it is only an extra burden. But one of the foxes replied: “Oh, you! You wouldn’t have given us such advice if it weren’t beneficial for you.”

The fable refers to those who give advice to their neighbors not from a pure heart, but for their own benefit.

Krylov. Wolf and 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 what they say 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 is the pure muddying of my drink

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! Never heard of such insolence in the world!

Yes, I remember that you were still last summer

Somehow he was rude to me here;

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 away their sins with you." -

"Oh, what is 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.

Moral of the fable The Wolf and the Lamb

The powerful always have the powerless to blame... The Wolf and the Lamb is one of the rare fables that begins with a moral. Krylov immediately sets us up for what will be discussed. The prevailing opinion that he who is stronger is right is shown in all its glory. Well, in fact, what can the Lamb prove to the hungry Wolf? But for the Wolf, on the contrary, it would be worth thinking that at any moment a power greater than his would be found. How will he speak then? How's the Lamb?

Krylov. Peasant and worker

When we have trouble over our heads,

We are glad to pray to him,

Who will decide to stand up for us;

But just get the trouble off your shoulders,

But it is often bad for the deliverer from us:

All launches appreciate him,

And if he is not to blame for us,

So this is a miracle!

Old Peasant with Peasant

10 Walked, in the evening, along the fishing line

Home, to the village, from the haymaking,

And suddenly we met a bear nose to nose.

The peasant did not have time to gasp,

How the bear sat on him.

Crushed the Peasant, turns him over, breaks him,

And where to start it, only the place chooses:

The end comes for the old man.

“Dear Stepanushka, don’t give it away, dear!”

From under the bear he prayed to the Farmhand.

20 Behold, the new Hercules, with all his strength gathered,

What was in it?

Took half a skull to a bear with an ax

And he pierced his belly with an iron fork.

The bear roared and fell dead:

My bear is dying.

The trouble has passed; The peasant stood up

And he scolds the Farmhand.

My poor Stepan was taken aback.

“Have mercy,” he says, “for what?” - “Why, idiot!

30 Why were you foolishly happy?

Know it stings: you’ve ruined the whole skin!”

Ivan Bunin. Leaf fall

Back in the 6th-5th centuries BC, the fabulist Aesop wrote his fable The Raven and the Fox. This is one of his works that reveals human vices.

Aesop Raven and Fox

In order to answer the question: what is the moral of Aesop’s work, we should return to the text of the work The Raven and the Fox. And here we see Raven, who found the meat. He sat down on a tree to feast on his prey. But, right there, Lisa. She understands perfectly well that the bird will not give her meat for nothing. And she begins to praise Raven. The fox says that he could be a king among birds and emphasizes his beautiful voice. The Fox’s flattering speeches led to the fact that the Raven wanted to show off to the red-haired beauty and show what a wonderful voice he had, as the Fox claims. And here the bird begins to sing. But we understand what a raven’s singing can be like. Crows have never been nightingales. The bird croaked and released the meat, which the Fox quickly carried away.

Moral of Aesop's fable The Crow and the Fox

And here Aesop, in his fable, makes the following moral: flattery, like feigned praise, the purpose of which is only self-interest, is very dangerous. It has great power, which, as in the case of the described plot, led to the loss of profit. Therefore, you should not hang your ears and fall for flattery, otherwise, like Raven, you will be left with nothing.

You can listen to the text of Aesop's fable The Crow and the Fox by watching the video below

Kifared

One mediocre harpist sang his songs from morning to evening in a house with plastered walls; the voice reflected from the walls and seemed to him unusually euphonious. This gave him spirit, and he decided to perform in the theater.
But when he went on stage and started his song in an unbearable voice, they threw stones at him and kicked him out.

So it is with some rhetoricians: while they are at school, they seem talented, but as soon as they take up government affairs, they turn out to be insignificant.

122. Thieves and the rooster

The thieves broke into the house, but found nothing there except a rooster; They grabbed him and went out. The rooster saw that he was going to be slaughtered and began to beg for mercy: he is a useful bird and wakes people up at night to work.
But the thieves said:
“That’s why we’ll kill you, since you wake people up and don’t let us steal.”

The fable shows: everything that is useful to good people is especially hated by bad people.

123. Jackdaw and crows

One jackdaw was taller than all the other jackdaws; and so, inflamed with contempt for her breed, she went to the crows and asked to live with them. But her appearance and voice were unfamiliar to the crows, and they beat her and drove her away. Rejected, she returned to her jackdaws: but they, indignant at her arrogance, refused to accept her. So she remained with neither one nor the other.

So it is with people who leave their fatherland for foreign lands: in a foreign land they are not respected, but in their homeland they are alienated.

124. Raven and fox

The raven took away a piece of meat and sat down on a tree. The fox saw it and wanted to get this meat. She stood in front of the raven and began to praise him: he was great and handsome, and could have become a king over the birds better than others, and, of course, he would have, if he also had a voice.
The Raven wanted to show her that he had a voice; He released the meat and croaked in a loud voice.
And the fox ran up, grabbed the meat and said:
“Eh, raven, if only you had a mind in your head, you wouldn’t need anything else to reign.”

The fable is appropriate against an unreasonable person.

125. Crow and raven

The crow was jealous that the crow gives people signs during fortune-telling, predicts the future, and for this people even remember him in their oaths; and she decided to achieve the same for herself. And so, seeing passers-by on the road, she sat down on a tree and began to croak loudly. The travelers turned around and were surprised, but one of them exclaimed:
“Come on, friends: it’s a crow, and its cry is of no use.”

Likewise, people, when they strive to be equal to the strongest, fail and become a laughing stock.

126. Jackdaw and fox

A hungry jackdaw settled on a fig tree. There she saw figs, winter ones, unripe, and decided to wait until they ripened.
The fox saw that the jackdaw was sitting and not flying away, asked her what was the matter, and said:
“You, my dear, are in vain to hope for something: you can, perhaps, amuse yourself with such hope, but you can never be satisfied.”

Against a man blinded by greed.

127. Crow and dog

The crow made a sacrifice to Athena and invited the dog to a sacrificial feast. The dog told her:
“Why are you wasting your time on unnecessary sacrifices? After all, the goddess hates you, and does not even give faith to your signs.” The crow answered:
“That’s why I make a sacrifice to her: I know that she doesn’t love me, and I want her to soften towards me.”

So many, out of fear, are ready to serve their own enemies.

128. Raven and snake

The raven, not seeing prey anywhere, noticed a snake that was basking in the sun, swooped down on it and grabbed it; but the snake twisted around and bit him; and the raven said, giving up the ghost:
“Wretched me! I found such prey that I myself am dying from it.”

The fable can be applied to a man who found a treasure and began to fear for his life.

129. Jackdaw and pigeons

The jackdaw saw how the pigeons in the dovecote were well fed, and painted herself with white to live with them. And while she was silent, the doves took her for a dove and did not drive her away; but when she forgot herself and croaked, they immediately recognized her voice and drove her away. Left without the pigeon's food, the jackdaw returned to her family; but they did not recognize her because of her white feathers and did not let her live with them. So the jackdaw, chasing two benefits, received neither.

Consequently, we must be content with what we have, remembering that greed does not bring anything, but only takes away the last.

130. Belly and legs

The stomach and legs argued over who was stronger. Each time the legs boasted that they had so much strength that they carried their very belly; but the belly answered:
“Eh, dear ones, if I didn’t take food, you wouldn’t be able to carry anything.”

Likewise, in troops, numbers mean nothing if the soldiers lack prudence.