Aesop's Fables'The story goes that a sow who had delivered a whole litter of piglets loudly accosted a lioness. "How many children do you breed?" asked the sow. "I breed only one", said the lioness, "but it is very well bred!"' The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature. First published in English by Caxton in 1484, the fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the story of the tortoise and the hare, or the boy who cried wolf? This new translation is the first to represent all the main fable collections in ancient Latin and Greek, arranged according to the fables' contents and themes. It includes 600 fables, many of which come from sources never before translated into English. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. |
Contents
Note on the Text and Translation | |
Aesop the Popular Favourite | |
Aetiologies Paradoxes Insults and Jokes | |
Index of Perry Numbers | |
Index of Sources | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
able actually Aesop ancient animals appeared asked Babrius beetle began better birds body brought bull called carry caught century Chambry collections creature crow death decided deer donkey drink eagle edition English fable shows farmer feathers finally foolish friends frog give given goat gods grabbed Greek ground hand happened hare head Hermes hope horse immediately included inside keep killed kind king later Latin lion live look master moral mother mouse nature never NOTE offered once Perry person Phaedrus proverb raven replied river Roman Romulus rooster seized sheep shepherd snake someone soon story Syntipas taken tell things Tiresias told took tradition translation tree true turned wanted wicked wolf woman Zeus