Book XII: The Quarrel of the Dogs and Cats, and That of the Cats and Mice
Enthroned by an eternal law,Hath Discord reign'd throughout the universe.In proof, I might from this our planet drawA thousand instances diverse.Within the circle of our view,This queen hath subjects not a few.Beginning with the elements,It is astonishing to seeHow they have stood, to all intents,As wrestlers from eternity.Besides these four great potentates,Old stubborn earth, fire, flood, and air,How many other smaller statesAre waging everlasting war!In mansion deck'd with frieze and column,Dwelt dogs and cats in multitudes;Decrees, promulged in manner solemn,Had pacified their ancient feuds.Their lord had so arranged their meals and labours,And threaten'd quarrels with the whip,That, living in sweet cousinship,They edified their wondering neighbours.At last, some dainty plate to lick,Or profitable bone to pick,Bestow'd by some partiality,Broke up the smooth equality.The side neglected were indignantAt such a slight malignant.Some writers make the whole dispute beginWith favours to a bitch while lying in.Whate'er the cause, the altercationSoon grew a perfect conflagration.In hall and kitchen, dog and catTook sides with zeal for this or that.New rules upon the cat side fallingProduced tremendous caterwauling.Their advocate, against such rules as these,Advised recurrence to the old decrees.They search'd in vain, for, hidden in a nook,The thievish mice had eaten up the book.Another quarrel, in a trice,Made many sufferers with the mice;For many a veteran whisker'd-face,With craft and cunning richly stored,And grudges old against the race,Now watch'd to put them to the sword;Nor mourn'd for this that mansion's lord.
Resuming our discourse, we seeNo creature from opponents free.'Tis nature's law for earth and sky;'Twere vain to ask the reason why;God's works are good,--I cannot doubt it,--And that is all I know about it.I know, however, that the causeWhich hath our human quarrels brought,Three quarters of the time, is noughtThat will be, is, or ever was.Ye veterans, in state and church,At threescore years, indeed,It seems there still is needTo give you lessons with the birch!
Words in this poem
- mansion n.
- A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Men]
- cousinship n.
- The relationship of cousins; state of being cousins; cousinhood. G. Eliot.
- dainty n.
- Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [OE. deinie, dainte, deintie, deyntee, OF. deintié delicacy, orig., dignity, honor, fr. L. dignitas, fr. dignus worthy. See Deign, and cf. Dignity.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- indignant a.
- Affected with indignation; wrathful; passionate; irate; feeling wrath, as when a person is exasperated by unworthy or unjust treatment, by a mean action, or by a degrading accusation. [L. indignans, -antis, p. pr. of indignari to be indignant, disdain. See Indign.]
- bitch n.
- The female of the canine kind, as of the dog, wolf, and fox. [OE. biche, bicche, AS. bicce; cf. Icel. bikkja, G. betze, peize.]
- conflagration n.
- A fire extending to many objects, or over a large space; a general burning.
- tremendous a.
- Fitted to excite fear or terror; such as may astonish or terrify by its magnitude, force, or violence; terrible; dreadful; as, a tremendous wind; a tremendous shower; a tremendous shock or fall. [L. tremendus that is to be trembled at, fearful, fr. tremere to tremble. See Tremble.]
- caterwauling n.
- The cry of cats; a harsh, disagreeable noise or cry like the cry of cats.
- recurrence n.
- The act of recurring, or state of being recurrent; return; resort; recourse. [Cf. F. récurrence.]
- nook n.
- A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a corner; a recess; a secluded retreat. [OE. nok; cf. Gael. & Ir. niuc.]
- trice v. t.
- To pull; to haul; to drag; to pull away. [OE. trisen; of Scand. or Low German origin; cf. Sw. trissa a sheave, pulley, triss a spritsail brace, Dan. tridse a pulley, tridse to haul by means of a pulley,]
- craft n.
- Strength; might; secret power. [AS. cr strength, skill, art, cunning; akin to OS., G., Sw., & Dan. kraft strength, D. kracht, Icel. kraptr; perh. originally, a drawing together, stretching, fr]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book XII: The Quarrel of the Dogs and Cats, and That of the Cats and Mice 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 XII: The Quarrel of the Dogs and Cats, and That of the Cats and Mice, in The Fables of La Fontaine (1841), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/la-fontaine-fables/12-8.html, id L28434.
Form and metre
Book XII: The Quarrel of the Dogs and Cats, and That of the Cats and Mice is 61 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 ABABCCD-D-E-E-FGFGHIIHJJ--KKLLLLMM--NNOOPPQRQRR lawA · universeB · drawA · diverseB · viewC · fewC · elementsD · see · intentsD · eternity · potentatesE · air · statesE · war · columnF · multitudesG · solemnF · feudsG · laboursH · whipI · cousinshipI · neighboursH · lickJ · pickJ · partiality · equality · indignantK · malignantK · beginL · inL · altercationL · conflagrationL · catM · thatM · falling · caterwauling · theseN · decreesN · nookO · bookO · triceP · miceP · faceQ · storedR · raceQ · swordR · lordR
- 2 AABBCCDEEDFGGF seeA · freeA · skyB · whyB · itC · itC · causeD · broughtE · noughtE · wasD · churchF · indeedG · needG · birchF
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Enthroned by an eternal law, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Hath Discord reign'd throughout the universe. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| In proof, I might from this our planet draw | 10 | ······//˘· |
| A thousand instances diverse. | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| Within the circle of our view, | 8 | ···/˘·/· |
| This queen hath subjects not a few. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Beginning with the elements, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| It is astonishing to see | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| How they have stood, to all intents, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| As wrestlers from eternity. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Besides these four great potentates, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Old stubborn earth, fire, flood, and air, | 8 | ·/˘·/··· |
| How many other smaller states | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Are waging everlasting war! | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| In mansion deck'd with frieze and column, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Dwelt dogs and cats in multitudes; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Decrees, promulged in manner solemn, | 9 | ˘/···/˘/˘ |
| Had pacified their ancient feuds. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Their lord had so arranged their meals and labours, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| And threaten'd quarrels with the whip, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| That, living in sweet cousinship, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| They edified their wondering neighbours. | 9 | ····/˘˘/˘ |
| At last, some dainty plate to lick, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Or profitable bone to pick, | 8 | ·/˘˘˘··· |
| Bestow'd by some partiality, | 9 | ˘/···˘/˘˘ |
| Broke up the smooth equality. | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| The side neglected were indignant | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| At such a slight malignant. | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Some writers make the whole dispute begin | 9 | ·/···˘/˘/ |
| With favours to a bitch while lying in. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Whate'er the cause, the altercation | 10 | ˘˘/····˘/˘ |
| Soon grew a perfect conflagration. | 9 | ···/··˘/˘ |
| In hall and kitchen, dog and cat | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Took sides with zeal for this or that. | 8 | ········ |
| New rules upon the cat side falling | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Produced tremendous caterwauling. | 9 | ˘/˘/˘/˘˘˘ |
| Their advocate, against such rules as these, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Advised recurrence to the old decrees. | 10 | ˘/˘/˘···˘/ |
| They search'd in vain, for, hidden in a nook, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| The thievish mice had eaten up the book. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Another quarrel, in a trice, | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| Made many sufferers with the mice; | 8 | ·//˘˘··· |
| For many a veteran whisker'd-face, | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| With craft and cunning richly stored, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And grudges old against the race, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Now watch'd to put them to the sword; | 8 | ········ |
| Nor mourn'd for this that mansion's lord. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Resuming our discourse, we see | 8 | ˘/˘//˘·· |
| No creature from opponents free. | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| 'Tis nature's law for earth and sky; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| 'Twere vain to ask the reason why; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| God's works are good,--I cannot doubt it,-- | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| And that is all I know about it. | 9 | ········· |
| I know, however, that the cause | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Which hath our human quarrels brought, | 8 | ··//˘/˘· |
| Three quarters of the time, is nought | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That will be, is, or ever was. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Ye veterans, in state and church, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| At threescore years, indeed, | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| It seems there still is need | 6 | ······ |
| To give you lessons with the birch! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
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.