Part 26 (1/2)
Minerva upon this inquired Why they all barren trees admired?
”The cause,” says Jupiter, ”is plain, Lest we give honour up for gain.”
”Let every one their fancy suit, I choose the olive for its fruit.”
The sire of G.o.ds and men replies, ”Daughter, thou shalt be reckon'd wise By all the world, and justly too; For whatsover things we do, If not a life of useful days, How vain is all pretence to praise!”
Whate'er experiments you try, Have some advantage in your eye.
XVII. JUNO AND THE PEAc.o.c.k.
Her fav'rite bird to Juno came, And was in dudgeon at the dame, That she had not attuned her throat With Philomela's matchless note; ”She is the wonder of all ears; But when I speak the audience sneers.”
The G.o.ddess to the bird replied, (Willing to have him pacified,) ”You are above the rest endued With beauty and with magnitude; Your neck the em'rald's gloss outvies, And what a blaze of gemmeous dies s.h.i.+nes from the plumage of your tail!”
”All this dumb show will not avail,”
Cries he, ”if I'm surpa.s.s'd in voice.”
”The fates entirely have the choice Of all the lots--fair form is yours; The eagle's strength his prey secures; The nightingale can sing an ode; The crow and raven may forebode: All these in sheer contentment crave No other voice than Nature gave.”
By affectation be not sway'd, Where Nature has not lent her aid; Nor to that flatt'ring hope attend, Which must in disappointment end.
XVIII. ESOP AND THE IMPORTUNATE FELLOW.
Esop (no other slave at hand) Received himself his lord's command An early supper to provide.
From house to house he therefore tried To beg the favor of a light; At length he hit upon the right.
But as when first he sallied out He made his tour quite round about, On his return he took a race Directly, cross the market-place: When thus a talkative buffoon, ”Esop, what means this light at noon?”
He answer'd briefly, as he ran, ”Fellow, I'm looking for a man.”
Now if this jackanapes had weigh'd The true intent of what was said, He'd found that Esop had no sense Of manhood in impertinence.
XIX. THE a.s.s AND PRIESTS OF CYBELE.
The luckless wretch that's born to woe Must all his life affliction know-- And harder still, his cruel fate Will on his very ashes wait.
Cybele's priests, in quest of bread, An a.s.s about the village led, With things for sale from door to door; Till work'd and beaten more and more, At length, when the poor creature died, They made them drums out of his hide.
Then question'd ”how it came to pa.s.s They thus could serve their darling a.s.s?”
The answer was, ”He thought of peace In death, and that his toils would cease; But see his mis'ry knows no bounds, Still with our blows his back resounds.”
BOOK IV.
PROLOGUE.
To you, who've graver things bespoke, This seems no better than a joke, And light for mere amus.e.m.e.nt made; Yet still we drive the scribbling trade, And from the pen our pleasure find, When we've no greater things to mind.
Yet if you look with care intense, These tales your toil shall recompense; Appearance is not always true, And thousands err by such a view.
'Tis a choice spirit that has pried Where clean contrivance chose to hide; That this is not at random said, I shall produce upon this head A fable of an arch device, About the Weasel and the Mice.
FABLE I. THE WEAZEL AND MICE.
A Weasel, worn with years, and lame, That could not overtake its game, Now with the nimble Mice to deal, Disguised herself with barley meal; Then negligent her limbs she spread In a sly nook, and lay for dead.
A Mouse that thought she there might feed, Leapt up, and perish'd in the deed; A second in like manner died; A third, and sundry more beside: Then comes the brindled Mouse, a chap That oft escaped both snare and trap, And seeing how the trick was played, Thus to his crafty foe he said:-- ”So may'st thou prosper day and night, As thou art not an errant bite.”
II. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
An hungry Fox with fierce attack Sprang on a Vine, but tumbled back, Nor could attain the point in view, So near the sky the bunches grew.
As he went off, ”They're scurvy stuff,”