Book X: The Wolf and the Shepherds
A Wolf, repleteWith humanity sweet,(A trait not much suspected,)On his cruel deeds,The fruit of his needs,Profoundly thus reflected.
'I'm hated,' said he,'As joint enemy,By hunters, dogs, and clowns.They swear I shall die,And their hue and cryThe very thunder drowns.
'My brethren have fled,With price on the head,From England's merry land.King Edgar came out,And put them to rout,With many a deadly band.
'And there's not a squireBut blows up the fireBy hostile proclamation;Nor a human brat,Dares cry, but thatIts mother mocks my nation.
'And all for what?For a sheep with the rot,Or scabby, mangy ass,Or some snarling cur,With less meat than fur,On which I've broken fast!
'Well, henceforth I'll striveThat nothing aliveShall die to quench my thirst;No lambkin shall fall,Nor puppy, at all,To glut my maw accurst.With grass I'll appease,Or browse on the trees,Or die of famine first.
'What of carcass warm?Is it worth the stormOf universal hate?'As he spoke these words,The lords of the herds,All seated at their bait,He saw; and observedThe meat which was servedWas nought but roasted lamb!'O! O!' said the beast,'Repent of my feast--All butcher as I am--On these vermin mean,Whose guardians e'enEat at a rate quadruple!--Themselves and their dogs,As greedy as hogs,And I, a wolf, to scruple!'
'Look out for your woolI'll not be a fool,The very pet I'll eat;The lamb the best-looking,Without any cooking,I'll strangle from the teat;And swallow the dam,As well as the lamb,And stop her foolish bleat.Old Hornie, too,--rot him,--The sire that begot himShall be among my meat!'
Well-reasoning beast!Were we sent to feastOn creatures wild and tame?And shall we reduceThe beasts to the useOf vegetable game?
Shall animals notHave flesh-hook or pot,As in the age of gold?And we claim the right,In the pride of our might,Themselves to have and hold?O shepherds, that keepYour folds full of sheep,The wolf was only wrong,Because, so to speak,His jaws were too weakTo break your palings strong.
Words in this poem 16
- replete a.
- Filled again; completely filled; full; charged; abounding. [L. repletus, p. p. of replere to fill again, fill up; pref. re- re- + plere to fill, akin to plenus full: cf. F. replet corpulent. See Plenty, Replenish.]
- trait n.
- A stroke; a touch. [F., fr. L. tractus, fr. trahere to draw. See Trace, v., and cf. Tract a region, Trace a strap, Tret.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- profoundly adv.
- In a profound manner.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- brat n.
- A coarse garnment or cloak; also, coarse clothing, in general. [OE. bratt coarse garnment, AS. bratt cloak, fr. the Celtic; cf. W. brat clout, rag, Gael. brat cloak, apron, raf, Ir. brat cloak; properly then, a child's bib o]
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- puppy n.
- The young of a canine animal, esp. of the common dog; a whelp. [F. poupée doll, puppet. See Puppet, and cf. Pup, n.]
- accurst p. p.
- Doomed to destruction or misery; cursed; hence, bad enough to be under the curse; execrable; detestable; exceedingly hateful; -- as, an accursed deed.
- famine n.
- General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. [F. famine, fr. L. fames hunger; cf. Gr. hani loss, lack, ha to leave.]
- carcass n.
- A dead body, whether of man or beast; a corpse; now commonly the dead body of a beast. [F. carcasse, fr. It. carcassa, fr. L. caro flesh + capsa chest, box, case. Cf. Carnal, Case a sheath.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- vermin n.
- An animal, in general. [OE. vermine, F. vermine, from L. vermis a worm; cf. LL. vermen a worm, L. verminosus full of worms. See Vermicular, Worm.]
- scruple n.
- A weight of twenty grains; the third part of a dram. [L. scrupulus a small sharp or pointed stone, the twenty-fourth part of an ounce, a scruple, uneasiness, doubt, dim. of scrupus a rough or sharp stone, anxiety, ]
- bleat v. i.
- To make the noise of, or one like that of, a sheep; to cry like a sheep or calf. [OE. bleten, AS. bl; akin to D. blaten, bleeten, OHG. blazan, plazan; prob. of imitative origin.]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book X: The Wolf and the Shepherds 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 X: The Wolf and the Shepherds, in The Fables of La Fontaine (1841), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/la-fontaine-fables/10-6.html, id L28406.
Form and metre
Book X: The Wolf and the Shepherds is 87 lines in 10 stanzas. The commonest rhyme scheme is AABCCB, in 4 of the 10 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
See other poems in iambic trimeter.
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 AABCCB repleteA · sweetA · suspectedB · deedsC · needsC · reflectedB
- 2 A-BAAB heA · enemy · clownsB · dieA · cryA · drownsB
- 3 AABCCB fledA · headA · landB · outC · routC · bandB
- 4 AABCCB squireA · fireA · proclamationB · bratC · thatC · nationB
- 5 ---AA- what · rot · ass · curA · furA · fast
- 6 AABCCBDDB striveA · aliveA · thirstB · fallC · allC · accurstB · appeaseD · treesD · firstB
- 7 AABCCBDDEFFEGGHIIH warmA · stormA · hateB · wordsC · herdsC · baitB · observedD · servedD · lambE · beastF · feastF · amE · meanG · e'enG · quadrupleH · dogsI · hogsI · scrupleH
- 8 --ABBACCADDA wool · fool · eatA · lookingB · cookingB · teatA · damC · lambC · bleatA · himD · himD · meatA
- 9 AABCCB beastA · feastA · tameB · reduceC · useC · gameB
- 10 AABCCBDDEFFE notA · potA · goldB · rightC · mightC · holdB · keepD · sheepD · wrongE · speakF · weakF · strongE
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 trimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| A Wolf, replete | 4 | ··˘/ |
| With humanity sweet, | 5 | ·˘/˘· |
| (A trait not much suspected,) | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| On his cruel deeds, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| The fruit of his needs, | 5 | ····· |
| Profoundly thus reflected. | 7 | ˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| 'I'm hated,' said he, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| 'As joint enemy, | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| By hunters, dogs, and clowns. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| They swear I shall die, | 5 | ····· |
| And their hue and cry | 5 | ····· |
| The very thunder drowns. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| 'My brethren have fled, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| With price on the head, | 5 | ····· |
| From England's merry land. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| King Edgar came out, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| And put them to rout, | 5 | ····· |
| With many a deadly band. | 6 | ·/·/˘· |
| 'And there's not a squire | 5 | ····· |
| But blows up the fire | 6 | ····/˘ |
| By hostile proclamation; | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| Nor a human brat, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Dares cry, but that | 4 | ···· |
| Its mother mocks my nation. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| 'And all for what? | 4 | ···· |
| For a sheep with the rot, | 6 | ······ |
| Or scabby, mangy ass, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Or some snarling cur, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| With less meat than fur, | 5 | ····· |
| On which I've broken fast! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| 'Well, henceforth I'll strive | 5 | ·//·· |
| That nothing alive | 5 | ·/˘˘/ |
| Shall die to quench my thirst; | 6 | ······ |
| No lambkin shall fall, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Nor puppy, at all, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| To glut my maw accurst. | 6 | ······ |
| With grass I'll appease, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Or browse on the trees, | 5 | ····· |
| Or die of famine first. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| 'What of carcass warm? | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Is it worth the storm | 5 | ····· |
| Of universal hate?' | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| As he spoke these words, | 5 | ····· |
| The lords of the herds, | 5 | ····· |
| All seated at their bait, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| He saw; and observed | 5 | ···˘/ |
| The meat which was served | 5 | ····· |
| Was nought but roasted lamb! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| 'O! O!' said the beast, | 5 | ····· |
| 'Repent of my feast-- | 5 | ˘/··· |
| All butcher as I am-- | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| On these vermin mean, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Whose guardians e'en | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Eat at a rate quadruple!-- | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Themselves and their dogs, | 5 | ˘/··· |
| As greedy as hogs, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| And I, a wolf, to scruple!' | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| 'Look out for your wool | 5 | ····· |
| I'll not be a fool, | 5 | ····· |
| The very pet I'll eat; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| The lamb the best-looking, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Without any cooking, | 6 | ··/˘/˘ |
| I'll strangle from the teat; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And swallow the dam, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| As well as the lamb, | 5 | ····· |
| And stop her foolish bleat. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Old Hornie, too,--rot him,-- | 6 | ······ |
| The sire that begot him | 6 | ·/·˘/· |
| Shall be among my meat!' | 6 | ······ |
| Well-reasoning beast! | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Were we sent to feast | 5 | ····· |
| On creatures wild and tame? | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And shall we reduce | 5 | ···˘/ |
| The beasts to the use | 5 | ····· |
| Of vegetable game? | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Shall animals not | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Have flesh-hook or pot, | 5 | ····· |
| As in the age of gold? | 6 | ······ |
| And we claim the right, | 5 | ····· |
| In the pride of our might, | 6 | ····/· |
| Themselves to have and hold? | 6 | ˘/···· |
| O shepherds, that keep | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Your folds full of sheep, | 5 | ····· |
| The wolf was only wrong, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Because, so to speak, | 5 | ····· |
| His jaws were too weak | 5 | ····· |
| To break your palings strong. | 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.