1-1 The Fisherman
A fisherman once took his bagpipes to the river. P
He played his music and hoped to make the fish jump. They did not. P
Then the fisherman threw a net into the river and caught many fish. P
He put the fish into a bucket and began to play his bagpipes again. P
This time, this fish jumped. P
"Why do you dance now?" asked the fisherman. P
The fish said: "When a man controls you, you do as he wishes." P
1-2 The Wolf and the Shepherd
A hungry wolf once walked by a shepherd's house. P
He looked into the window. P
The shepherd and his family were enjoying a great feast of roasted lamb. P
"Aha!" cried the wolf. P
"How angry they would have been if I were the one having a great feast of roasted lamb." P
(Men are often only angry at others' bad deeds, but not their own.) P
1-3 The Dogs and the Fox
Some dogs saw a dead lion. P
They attacked the dead body with their claws and teeth. P
To anyone who passed by, the dogs shouted proudly, P
"Look at how sharp our claws and teeth are!" P
Then a fox walked by and laughed at the dogs. P
"You act very tough now, but if that lion were alive, I am sure it would be a very different story. P
He would show you how sharp his claws and teeth are!" P
(It is easy to beat a man who is down.) P
1-4 The Farmer and the Snake
A farmer walked through a field one cold winter morning. P
A deadly snake lay on the ground. P
It was stiff and frozen. P
The farmer knew the snake was poisonous, P
but he picked up the snake and tried to bring it back to life anyway. P
The snake soon came back to life and bit the man on the hand. P
The farmer became very sick and died. P
(Do not take pity on one who is evil.) P
1-6 The Dog and the Shadow
A dog left home one day. He was happy and very hungry. P
As he ran along, he saw his shadow on the ground. P
The shadow looked very large to him. P
'Look at the size of my shadow!' thought the dog. P
'I must be a hundred times bigger than a lion! I should be king!' P
Just then, a lion appeared in front of the dog. P
His shadow was many times bigger than the dog's shadow. P
The lion hit the dog and killed him instantly. P
(Do not pretend that illusions are reality.) P
1-7 The Mule
One day, a mule slept for many hours. P
After his long rest, he felt strong and alive. P
He said proudly, "I feel so great! I must come from a good family. P
My father must have been a champion race horse!" P
The next day, the mule worked in the field for many hours. P
He soon became tired and weak. P
"Oh my!" he exclaimed. "I was wrong. P
My father was a donkey, not a race horse." P
(Do not pretend your family is great when it is not.) P
1-8 The Wolf and the Kid
Once upon a time, a farmer put a kid on the roof of the barn to keep him safe from hungry wolves. P
The farmer went away and left the kid alone. P
The kid saw a wolf walking by and said, P
"Look at you, silly wolf! You cannot hurt me! I am safe up here!" P
Then the kid made funny faces at the wolf and laughed and laughed and laughed. P
"I hear you," said the wolf, "but I am not mad. You would not say such things if you were down here." P
(Do not say bad things about someone from a safe distance.) P
1-9 The Wolf and the Sheep
A wolf was injured while fighting a bear. P
For many days the wolf could not move or eat. P
One day, a sheep passed by the wolf. P
"Hello, kind sheep!" cried out the wolf. P
"Please help me and bring me some water. P
Then maybe I can regain my strength and have some food." P
The sheep replied, "I'm sure you will have some food if I get you some water. You will eat me!" P
The sheep ran away as fast as he could. P
(A liar will always be found out.) P
1-11 The Mole and His Mother
A little mole once said to his mother, P
"Why did you tell me I was blind? I can see, mother!" P
The mother mole wanted to show her son that he was wrong. P
She put a piece of lemon in front of his face and said, P
"If you can see, tell me what this is!" P
The little mole said, "Why, mother, it's a rock, of course!" P
The mother mole smiled and said, P
"Well, my son, now I see that you are not just blind, but you cannot smell either!" P
(Boasting will reveal your other weaknesses.) P
1-12 The Flies and the Honey Pot
A pot of honey sat on a table. P
A strong wind came and knocked the honey pot over. P
As the sweet honey spilled on the table, some flies buzzed nearby. P
"Look at that delicious honey!" they cried. P
"Let us have a feast!" P
And so all the flies landed in the honey and began eating. P
But soon they found that they could not get out of the honey. P
Their wings and feet were stuck. P
After a few days, all the flies died a slow and terrible death. P
(Do not be greedy for pleasure. It may ruin you.) P
1-13 The Old Lion
An old lion lived by himself in the jungle. P
His teeth were rotten. His legs were weak. P
He could barely breathe, and he lay on the ground waiting to die. P
"What happened to my strength and beauty?" he wondered to himself. P
A boar saw the dying lion and came to him. P
"Hey, everyone!" the boar yelled. "The lion is dying!" P
The boar stabbed the lion with his horns. P
Then a bull came and stepped on the lion with his hoofs. P
Even a stupid donkey kicked the lion and laughed at the dying animal. P
(Only a coward attacks a defenseless enemy.) P
1-14 The Crow and the Pitcher
It had not rained in a long time and the crow was very thirsty. P
One day, he found a pitcher with a little water at the bottom. P
No matter how hard the crow tried, P
He could not reach the water at the bottom of the pitcher. P
Then the crow looked at his feet and saw that he was standing on lots of pebbles. P
He picked up a pebble and dropped it into the pitcher. P
The water rose a little bit. P
He soon filled the whole pitcher with pebbles and water rose to the top. P
He drank the water and was no longer thirsty. P
(Use your brain when things are difficult.) P
1-16 The Cat and the Birds
A cat did not have any food to eat. He became very thin. P
"If I do not find some food soon," thought the cat, "I will surely die." P
One day the cat heard that some birds were sick. P
So the cat put on some glasses and pretended to be a doctor. P
The cat knocked on the birds' door and said, P
"Hello. I am a doctor. I heard that you are sick. Can I come in?" P
The birds laughed from behind the door, P
"Of course you cannot come inside. We may be sick, but we are not stupid!" P
(Do not trust a liar.) P
1-17 The Dog in the Manger
A dog lay sleeping in a barn. P
The cattle came in after a long day in the fields and woke the dog. P
The dog growled at the cattle, P
"You can't come in here, it's all mine!" P
The cattle said to each other, "What a mean dog. He doesn't even eat hay." P
The farmer entered the barn and saw what the dog was doing. P
He grabbed a broom and hit the dog. P
The dog ran out of the barn and into the rain. P
The farmer yelled, "Dog, you can never sleep in the barn again!" P
(Do not want what you cannot have.) P
1-18 The Farmer and the Stork
A simple and trusting stork became the friend of some bad cranes. P
The cranes decided to steal corn from a farmer. P
"Come with us!" said the cranes to the stork. P
Soon, all the cranes and the stork were caught in the farmer's trap. P
"You thieving birds!" shouted the farmer. "I will kill all of you!" P
"Please let me live," cried the stork. P
"I am a good bird, and I come from a good family. P
I did not know that the cranes were going to steal your corn. P
"You may be a good bird," said the farmer, P
"but I found you with the cranes, so I will punish you just like them!" P
(You are judged by your friends.) P
1-19 The Fox and the Lion
A young fox was walking through the forest and saw a lion for the first time. P
The fox knew that the lion was evil. P
He ran away as fast as he could and hid in a log. P
The next day, the fox saw the same lion again. P
He knew he should run away, but instead he hid behind a tree and stared at the lion. P
A few days later, the fox again saw the lion. P
This time he walked right up to the lion and said, "You're not so tough." P
The lion smiled and ate the fox. P
(When we become used to bad things, we forget they are dangerous.) P