The Fox and the Stork
One should do injury to none;But he that has th' assault begun,Ought, says the fabulist, to findThe dread of being served in kind,A Fox, to sup within his caveThe Stork an invitation gave,Where, in a shallow dish, was pour'dSome broth, which he himself devour'd;While the poor hungry Stork was fainInevitably to abstain.The Stork, in turn, the Fox invites,And brings her liver and her lightsIn a tall flagon, finely minced,And thrusting in her beak, convincedThe Fox that he in grief must fast,While she enjoy'd the rich repast.Then, as in vain he lick'd the neck,The Stork was heard her guest to check,"That every one the fruits should bearOf their example, is but fair."
Words in this poem
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- fabulist n.
- One who invents or writes fables. [Cf. F. fabuliste, fr. L. fabula. See Fable.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- inevitably adv.
- Without possibility of escape or evasion; unavoidably; certainly.
- flagon n.
- A vessel with a narrow mouth, used for holding and conveying liquors. It is generally larger than a bottle, and of leather or stoneware rather than of glass. [F. flacon, for flascon, fr. OF. flasche, from LL. flasco. See Flask.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Fox and the Stork is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Fables of Phædrus Literally translated into English prose with notes, Project Gutenberg ebook #25512; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Phaedrus, The Fox and the Stork, in The Fables of Phaedrus (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #25512, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/phaedrus-fables/the-fox-and-the-stork.html, id L21258.
Form and metre
The Fox and the Stork is 20 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 90% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
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 AABBCC--DDEEFFGGHHII noneA · begunA · findB · kindB · caveC · gaveC · pour'd · devour'd · fainD · abstainD · invitesE · lightsE · mincedF · convincedF · fastG · repastG · neckH · checkH · bearI · fairI
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 |
|---|---|---|
| One should do injury to none; | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| But he that has th' assault begun, | 8 | ····˘/˘/ |
| Ought, says the fabulist, to find | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| The dread of being served in kind, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A Fox, to sup within his cave | 8 | ········ |
| The Stork an invitation gave, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Where, in a shallow dish, was pour'd | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Some broth, which he himself devour'd; | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| While the poor hungry Stork was fain | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Inevitably to abstain. | 8 | ˘/˘˘˘·˘/ |
| The Stork, in turn, the Fox invites, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And brings her liver and her lights | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In a tall flagon, finely minced, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And thrusting in her beak, convinced | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| The Fox that he in grief must fast, | 8 | ········ |
| While she enjoy'd the rich repast. | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| Then, as in vain he lick'd the neck, | 8 | ········ |
| The Stork was heard her guest to check, | 8 | ········ |
| "That every one the fruits should bear | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Of their example, is but fair." | 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.