The halcyon is a bird that loves solitude and lives always on the sea. To keep clear of the men who hunt it, they say, it nests in the cliffs along the shore. One halcyon, ready to brood, climbed a headland, saw a rock overhanging the sea, and built her nest there. But one day, while she was out feeding, the sea rose under a squall, reached the nest, covered it, and drowned her young. When the halcyon came back and saw what had happened, she cried, "How wretched I am: distrusting the snares of the land, I fled to this sea, only to find it far more treacherous."
Some people, on their guard against enemies, fall unawares to friends far more dangerous than any enemy.
Nº 347The Swallow and the SerpentA swallow that had made her nest in a courtroom had gone out, when a serpent came crawling and devoured her young. On her return, finding the nest…Read the fable →
Nº 3The Eagle and the FoxAn eagle and a fox became friends and chose to live near one another. But the eagle, from her high nest, swooped down, carried off the fox's cubs,…Read the fable →
Nº 17The Goatherd and the Wild GoatsA goatherd drove his goats to pasture and found wild goats mingled with them, and at nightfall he shut them all in his cave. The next day a great…Read the fable →