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

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