AESOP’S FABLES

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Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to modern times through a number of sources and continue to be reinterpreted in different verbal registers and in popular as well as artistic media. The fables originally belonged to the oral tradition and were not collected for some three centuries after Aesop's death. By that time a variety of other stories, jokes and proverbs were being ascribed to him

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The Wolf and the Kid

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A Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking down saw a Wolf passing under him. Immediately he began to revile and attack his enemy. "Murderer and thief," he cried, "what do you here near honest folks' houses? How dare you make an appearance where your vile deeds are known?"

"Curse away, my young friend," said the Wolf.

"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."

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Another version:

A frisky young Kid had been left by the herdsman on the thatched roof of a sheep shelter to keep him out of harm's way. The Kid was browsing near the edge of the roof, when he spied a Wolf and began to jeer at him, making faces and abusing him to his heart's content.

"I hear you," said the Wolf, "and I haven't the least grudge against you for what you say or do. When you are up there it is the roof that's talking, not you."

Moral:

Do not say anything at any time that you would not say at all times.

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It reminds me of the following poem, previously posted in Bytes:

Opportunity

by Edward Rowland Sill (1841-1887)

This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream: 

There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;

And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged

A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords

Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner

Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.

A craven hung along the battle’s edge,

And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel —

That blue blade that the king’s son bears, — but this

Blunt thing!” — he snapt and flung it from his hand,

And lowering crept away and left the field.

Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,

And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,

Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,

And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout

Lifted afresh, he hewed his enemy down,

And saved a great cause that heroic day.

From:

https://allpoetry.com/poem/8543567-Opportunity-by-Edward-Rowland-Sill

The poem presents an allegory of missed opportunities through the image of a battle where a craven mistakenly attributes his cowardice to material limitations. The discovery and subsequent use of the "broken sword" by the king's son highlights the potential for unexpected resources to foster greatness. The contrast between the initial perception of uselessness and the sword's decisive role underscores the theme of recognizing and seizing opportunities.

Compared to the author's other works, this poem stands out for its concise narrative and straightforward allegory, while maintaining a thought-provoking message. In the context of its time period, it encapsulates the Victorian emphasis on self-reliance, reminding readers of the need to overcome perceived limitations and embrace opportunities for growth.