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18 CHILDART THE MORAL OF YOUR STORY APR-JUN 2021 19
THREE AESOP’S FABLES
STORIES THE FLIES AND THE HONEY
A jar of honey spilled and the sticky sweetness
FOR flowed out on the table. The sweet smell of
the honey soon brought a large number of
flies buzzing around. They did not wait for an
invitation. No, indeed; they settled right down,
THE AGES feet and all, to gorge themselves. The flies were
quickly smeared from head to foot with honey.
Their wings stuck together. They could not pull
their feet out of the sticky mess. And so they
died, giving their lives for the sake of a taste of
sweetness.
Fables are short stories that teach a moral or Be not greedy for a little passing pleasure.
convey a lesson. These stories often include It may destroy you.
animals with human characteristics. One set
of well-known fables is Aesop’s fables. Aesop THE DOG AND THE OYSTER
is believed to have lived a very long time ago There was once a dog who was very fond of
in Ancient Greece. His birth was around the eggs. He visited the hen house very often and
year 620 BC. at last got so greedy that he would swallow the
Another set of famous fables originates in India. eggs whole.
These are the fables of the Hitopadesha–an One day the dog wandered down to the seashore.
ancient text written in Sanskrit, most likely There he spied an oyster. In a twinkling the oyster
between 800-950 CE. The word Hitopadesha was resting in the dog’s stomach, shell and all.
comes from two words, Hita (welfare or
benefit) and Upadesha (advice or counsel), It pained the dog a good deal, as you can guess.
that when combined mean counsel for the “I’ve learned that all round things are not eggs,”
benefit of everyone. he said groaning.
For many years, cultures around the world Act in haste and repent at leisure—and
have used fables to teach morals. After often in pain.
reading the fables below, try writing your THE TWO GOATS
own modern-day fable to share with family
or friends. Start with a message you think Two goats, grazing on the rocky steeps of a
would make the world a better place. Include mountain valley, chanced to meet, one on each
your favorite animal in your story. side of a deep chasm through which poured a
roaring mountain stream. The trunk of a fallen
tree formed the only means of crossing the
chasm, and on this not even two squirrels could
“FACT TELLS US ABOUT have passed each other in safety. The narrow
path would have made the bravest tremble. Not
ONE MAN AND FABLE so our goats. Their pride would not permit either
to stand aside for the other.
TELLS US ABOUT A One set her foot on the log. The other did likewise.
MILLION MEN.” In the middle they met horn to horn. Neither would
give way, and so they both fell, to be swept away
by the roaring torrent below.
G.K. CHESTERTON It is better to yield than to come to
misfortune through stubbornness.
ARTWORK ENCHMONCH SUCHBAT AGE 10 MONGOLIA https://icaf.org
