A 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 empty, she wailed, beside herself with grief. Another swallow, to console her, told her that she was not the only one who had had the misfortune to lose her young. "Ah!" she replied, "I grieve less at after losing my children than because I am the victim of a crime in a place where the victims of violence find help."
Misfortune is hardest to bear when it comes from the very place where we expected protection.
Nº 28The HalcyonThe 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…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 →