Book I: The Boy and the Schoolmaster
Wise counsel is not always wise,As this my tale exemplifies.A boy, that frolick'd on the banks of Seine,Fell in, and would have found a watery grave,Had not that hand that planteth ne'er in vainA willow planted there, his life to save.While hanging by its branches as he might,A certain sage preceptor came in sight;To whom the urchin cried, 'Save, or I'm drown'd!'The master, turning gravely at the sound,Thought proper for a while to stand aloof,And give the boy some seasonable reproof.'You little wretch! this comes of foolish playing,Commands and precepts disobeying.A naughty rogue, no doubt, you are,Who thus requite your parents' care.Alas! their lot I pity much,Whom fate condemns to watch o'er such.'This having coolly said, and more,He pull'd the drowning lad ashore.
This story hits more marks than you suppose.All critics, pedants, men of endless prose,--Three sorts, so richly bless'd with progeny,The house is bless'd that doth not lodge any,--May in it see themselves from head to toes.No matter what the task,Their precious tongues must teach;Their help in need you ask,You first must hear them preach.
Words in this poem
- preceptor n.
- One who gives commands, or makes rules; specifically, the master or principal of a school; a teacher; an instructor. [L. praeceptor, fr. praecipere to teach: cf. F. précepteur. See Precept.]
- gravely adv.
- In a grave manner.
- reproof n.
- Refutation; confutation; contradiction. [OE. reproef. See Proof, Reprove.]
- naughty a.
- Having little or nothing.
- coolly adv.
- In a cool manner; without heat or excessive cold; without passion or ardor; calmly; deliberately; with indifference; impudently.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book I: The Boy and the Schoolmaster is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Fables of La Fontaine, Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, the Elizur Wright translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jean de La Fontaine, Book I: The Boy and the Schoolmaster, in The Fables of La Fontaine (1841), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/la-fontaine-fables/1-19.html, id L28229.
Form and metre
Book I: The Boy and the Schoolmaster is 29 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 55% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AA-B-BCCDDEEFF--GGHH wiseA · exemplifiesA · seine · graveB · vain · saveB · mightC · sightC · drown'dD · soundD · aloofE · reproofE · playingF · disobeyingF · are · care · muchG · suchG · moreH · ashoreH
- 2 AA--ABCBC supposeA · proseA · progeny · any · toesA · taskB · teachC · askB · preachC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Wise counsel is not always wise, | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| As this my tale exemplifies. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| A boy, that frolick'd on the banks of Seine, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Fell in, and would have found a watery grave, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Had not that hand that planteth ne'er in vain | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| A willow planted there, his life to save. | 10 | ·/·/˘····· |
| While hanging by its branches as he might, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| A certain sage preceptor came in sight; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| To whom the urchin cried, 'Save, or I'm drown'd!' | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The master, turning gravely at the sound, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| Thought proper for a while to stand aloof, | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| And give the boy some seasonable reproof. | 9 | ·····/˘˘/ |
| 'You little wretch! this comes of foolish playing, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Commands and precepts disobeying. | 9 | ˘/·/··˘/˘ |
| A naughty rogue, no doubt, you are, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Who thus requite your parents' care. | 8 | ··/˘·/˘· |
| Alas! their lot I pity much, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Whom fate condemns to watch o'er such.' | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| This having coolly said, and more, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| He pull'd the drowning lad ashore. | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| This story hits more marks than you suppose. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| All critics, pedants, men of endless prose,-- | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Three sorts, so richly bless'd with progeny, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| The house is bless'd that doth not lodge any,-- | 10 | ········/˘ |
| May in it see themselves from head to toes. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| No matter what the task, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Their precious tongues must teach; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Their help in need you ask, | 6 | ······ |
| You first must hear them preach. | 6 | ······ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.