Book VIII: The Two Dogs and the Dead Ass
The Virtues should be sisters, hand in hand,Since banded brothers all the Vices stand:When one of these our hearts attacks,All come in file; there only lacks,From out the cluster, here and there,A mate of some antagonizing pair,That can't agree the common roof to share.But all the Virtues, as a sisterhood,Have scarcely ever in one subject stood.We find one brave, but passionate;Another prudent, but ingrate.Of beasts, the dog may claim to beThe pattern of fidelity;But, for our teaching little wiser,He's both a fool and gormandiser.For proof, I cite two mastiffs, that espiedA dead ass floating on a water wide.The distance growing more and more,Because the wind the carcass bore,--'My friend,' said one, 'your eyes are best;Pray let them on the water rest:What thing is that I seem to see?An ox, or horse? what can it be?''Hey!' cried his mate; 'what matter which,Provided we could get a flitch?It doubtless is our lawful prey:The puzzle is to find some wayTo get the prize; for wide the spaceTo swim, with wind against your face.Let's drink the flood; our thirsty throatsWill gain the end as well as boats.The water swallow'd, by and byeWe'll have the carcass, high and dry--Enough to last a week, at least.'Both drank as some do at a feast;Their breath was quench'd before their thirst,And presently the creatures burst!
And such is man. Whatever heMay set his soul to do or be,To him is possibility?How many vows he makes!How many steps he takes!How does he strive, and pant, and strain,Fortune's or Glory's prize to gain!If round my farm off well I must,Or fill my coffers with the dust,Or master Hebrew, science, history,--I make my task to drink the sea.One spirit's projects to fulfil,Four bodies would require; and stillThe work would stop half done;The lives of four Methuselahs,Placed end to end for use, alas!Would not suffice the wants of one.
Words in this poem
- sisterhood n.
- The state or relation of being a sister; the office or duty of a sister. [Sister + hood.]
- ingrate n.
- An ungrateful person.
- 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.]
- flitch n.
- The side of a hog salted and cured; a side of bacon. [OE. flicche, flikke, AS. flicce, akin to Icel. flikki; cf. Icel. flik flap, tatter; perh. akin to E. fleck. Cf. Flick, n.]
- doubtless a.
- Free from fear or suspicion.
- drank n.
- Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [Cf. 3d Drake.]
- presently adv.
- At present; at this time; now.
- pant v. i.
- To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion or from eagerness or excitement; to respire with heaving of the breast; to gasp. [Cf. F. panteler to gasp for breath, OF. panteisier to be breathless, F. pantois out of breath; perh. akin to E. phantom, the verb prob. orig. meaning, to have t]
- suffice v. i.
- To be enough, or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be equal to the end proposed; to be adequate. [OE. suffisen, OF. soufire, F. suffire (cf. suffisant, p.pr.), L. sufficere to put under, to substitute, to avail for, to suffice; sub under + facere to make. Se]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book VIII: The Two Dogs and the Dead Ass 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 VIII: The Two Dogs and the Dead Ass, in The Fables of La Fontaine (1841), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7241, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/la-fontaine-fables/8-25.html, id L28379.
Form and metre
Book VIII: The Two Dogs and the Dead Ass is 54 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 63% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AABBCCCDD----EEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPP handA · standA · attacksB · lacksB · thereC · pairC · shareC · sisterhoodD · stoodD · passionate · ingrate · be · fidelity · wiserE · gormandiserE · espiedF · wideF · moreG · boreG · bestH · restH · seeI · beI · whichJ · flitchJ · preyK · wayK · spaceL · faceL · throatsM · boatsM · byeN · dryN · leastO · feastO · thirstP · burstP
- 2 AA-BBCCDD-A--E--E heA · beA · possibility · makesB · takesB · strainC · gainC · mustD · dustD · history · seaA · fulfil · still · doneE · methuselahs · alas · oneE
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Virtues should be sisters, hand in hand, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Since banded brothers all the Vices stand: | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| When one of these our hearts attacks, | 8 | ····/·˘/ |
| All come in file; there only lacks, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| From out the cluster, here and there, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A mate of some antagonizing pair, | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘· |
| That can't agree the common roof to share. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| But all the Virtues, as a sisterhood, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Have scarcely ever in one subject stood. | 9 | ·/˘/··˘/· |
| We find one brave, but passionate; | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Another prudent, but ingrate. | 8 | ˘/˘/˘·/˘ |
| Of beasts, the dog may claim to be | 8 | ········ |
| The pattern of fidelity; | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| But, for our teaching little wiser, | 9 | ··//˘/˘/˘ |
| He's both a fool and gormandiser. | 9 | ········· |
| For proof, I cite two mastiffs, that espied | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| A dead ass floating on a water wide. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| The distance growing more and more, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Because the wind the carcass bore,-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| 'My friend,' said one, 'your eyes are best; | 8 | ········ |
| Pray let them on the water rest: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| What thing is that I seem to see? | 8 | ········ |
| An ox, or horse? what can it be?' | 8 | ········ |
| 'Hey!' cried his mate; 'what matter which, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Provided we could get a flitch? | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| It doubtless is our lawful prey: | 8 | ·/˘·//˘· |
| The puzzle is to find some way | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| To get the prize; for wide the space | 8 | ········ |
| To swim, with wind against your face. | 8 | ········ |
| Let's drink the flood; our thirsty throats | 8 | ····//˘· |
| Will gain the end as well as boats. | 8 | ········ |
| The water swallow'd, by and bye | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| We'll have the carcass, high and dry-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Enough to last a week, at least.' | 8 | ˘/······ |
| Both drank as some do at a feast; | 8 | ········ |
| Their breath was quench'd before their thirst, | 8 | ········ |
| And presently the creatures burst! | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| And such is man. Whatever he | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| May set his soul to do or be, | 8 | ········ |
| To him is possibility? | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| How many vows he makes! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| How many steps he takes! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| How does he strive, and pant, and strain, | 8 | ········ |
| Fortune's or Glory's prize to gain! | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| If round my farm off well I must, | 8 | ········ |
| Or fill my coffers with the dust, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Or master Hebrew, science, history,-- | 9 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| I make my task to drink the sea. | 8 | ········ |
| One spirit's projects to fulfil, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Four bodies would require; and still | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| The work would stop half done; | 6 | ······ |
| The lives of four Methuselahs, | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| Placed end to end for use, alas! | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Would not suffice the wants of one. | 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.