The Ass The Fox And The Lion
The Ass The Fox And The Lion
An Ass and a Fox had become close comrades, and were constantly in each other’s company. While the Ass cropped a fresh bit of greens, the Fox would devour a chicken from the neighboring farmyard or a bit of cheese filched from the dairy. One day the pair unexpectedly met a Lion. The Ass was very much frightened, but the Fox calmed his fears.
“I will talk to him,” he said.
So the Fox walked boldly up to the Lion.
“Your highness,” he said in an undertone, so the Ass could not hear him, “I’ve got a fine scheme in my head. If you promise not to hurt me, I will lead that foolish creature yonder into a pit where he can’t get out, and you can feast at your pleasure.”
The Lion agreed and the Fox returned to the Ass.
“I made him promise not to hurt us,” said the Fox. “But come, I know a good place to hide till he is gone.”
So the Fox led the Ass into a deep pit. But when the Lion saw that the Ass was his for the taking, he first of all struck down the traitor Fox.
Traitors may expect treachery.
Another version of The Ass the Fox and the Lion
An Ass and a Fox went into partnership and sallied out to forage for food together. They hadn’t gone far before they saw a Lion coming their way, at which they were both dreadfully frightened. But the Fox thought he saw a way of saving his own skin, and went boldly up to the Lion and whispered in his ear, “I’ll manage that you shall get hold of the Ass without the trouble of stalking him, if you’ll promise to let me go free.” The Lion agreed to this, and the Fox then rejoined his companion and contrived before long to lead him by a hidden pit, which some hunter had dug as a trap for wild animals, and into which he fell. When the Lion saw that the Ass was safely caught and couldn’t get away, it was to the Fox that he first turned his attention, and he soon finished him off, and then at his leisure proceeded to feast upon the Ass.
– Betray a friend, and you’ll often find you have ruined yourself.
Source: https://www.infoplease.com/
Hello d.c Hariri what does upon means?
Hi dear Soroosh,
Feast on / feast upon means to choose something as food and eat it while enjoying it a lot. For example, the lion feasted upon / on the ass = the lion started to eat the ass with so much pleasure.
The central theme of this short story is that never be a betrayer, especially to your friends, or you will face the consequences.
That’s right. It’s all about negative karma based on cause-and-effect relationship, which tells us that benevolence and malevolence will respectively result in positivity and negativity materialized in our own lives.
Hello Dr.Hariri, I have a question. What does sallied out here mean? ( They sallied out to forage for food together.)
Hi Armaghan,
They sallied out to forage for food together” = they ventured out / went out to look for food
sally out = venture out, go out
to forage = to hunt, look for