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ENDURING WISDOM

Thursday, June 17, 1999

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A Chinese Fable

The Master and the Servant

In the Zhou region (around present day Loyang City) lived a Mr. Yin
who strove to amass riches. The servants who worked for him were
often up half the night and had to start slaving for him before daybreak,
seldom getting any rest.

An old servant was totally exhausted but the tasks that fell upon him
increased even more. During daytime he would do his work with many
a groan. At night, tired out, he would fall into a deep slumber. In his
sleep his imagination roamed freely and every night he dreamed that
he was a king, high above his subjects, handling all the affairs of state,
enjoying himself in the royal palaces, getting everything he desired
and his cup was full. Upon waking he would revert to his lowly station
as a servant.

When someone, noticing how hard he had to work, attempted to
comfort him, he said, "Man's life on earth is but a hundred years. Half
of that is daytime while the other half is night. During daytime I am a
humble servant and my lot is hard indeed, but at night I am a king and
my joy is complete. What more can I ask?"

Mr. Yin, his heart weighed down by the many things he had to attend
to, his whole attention focussed on promoting his family fortunes, was
utterly exhausted mentally and physically. At night he fell asleep, also
tired out. Every night he dreamed that he was a servant, sent to run
errands, sweating and toiling at all kinds of menial tasks. He was
scolded, beaten and had to endure all sorts of ill treatment. He would
mumble, groan and cry out in his sleep. It was only towards daybreak
that he would quiet down.

Mr. Yin was very worried about this and went to seek out his friend
for advice.

"You occupy a high and honoured position," pointed out his friend,"
and you have riches beyond measure. All this puts you far above your
fellowmen. At night you dream of being a servant because sorrow and
happiness coming after each other is part of the natural scheme of
things. How can you hope to enjoy life both awake and asleep?"

On hearing his friend's words, Mr Yin relaxed his tight control over
his servants and lightened his own load of cares and worries. As a
result, his condition saw some improvement.

--Liezi

From:
"Ancient Chinese Fables"

<http://www.brainlink.com/~kkin/fables.html>

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Fables by Jean De La Fontaine:


A Saying Of Socrates

One day Socrates was having a house built,
Each one in turn found fault with the work:
One thought, no fooling, the interior to be,
Unworthy for such a great person;
Another disliked the front, and all agreed
The rooms were far too small.

"Such a house for him! In which one can't turn around."

"Heaven willing that enough true friends,
Might be found, said he, to fill it as it is!"

Wise Socrates was correct
In thinking his house too big for these few.
Each profess to be a friend; but only a fool believes so:
This word so often used yet,
Nothing is more rare!

--Jean De La Fontaine


THE ORACLE AND THE IMPIOUS

The wish to fool Heaven, is madness on Earth;
The hearts' tunnel in its detours holds
Nothing which isn't first lit up by the Gods.
Everything man does, he does within their sight
Even actions done in darkness, or so he thinks.
A pagan who was under suspicion of being a heretic,
And who believed in God, using this word
Only in order to benefit his assets,
Went to consult Apollo.
As soon as he arrived in his sanctuary:
Is what I am holding in my hand, he asked him,
is it alive or not?
He was holding a sparrow, they say,
Ready to either smother the poor thing,
Or to free it immediately
Calculating to put Apollo at fault.
Apollo guessed what he had in mind:
Dead or alive, said he to him, show us your bird,
And set no more traps for me;
You would regret such a stratagem,
For I can see far, and I reach in the same way.

--Jean De La Fontaine


THE LION IN LOVE

*Sévigné, whose attractiveness
Serves as a model to *Beauties,
You were born so beautiful,
In case you are indifferent,
Would you be enclined
To an innocent Fable's games,
And see, without fear,
A lion tamed by Love?
Love is a strange master.
Happy is he who experiences it
Only through tales, minus its pains!
When it is told in front of you,
If the truth offends you,
The Fable at least can be endured:
It is bold enough
To come offer itself at your feet,
By zeal or by gratitude.
In the times when animals spoke,
Lions among others wanted
To be accepted in our circles.
Why not? since their kins
Were worth ours back in those times,
Having courage, intelligence,
And a beautiful head, moreover.
Here is how it happened:
A Lion from highly ranking parents,
While walking through a certain pasture,
Met a Sheperdess to his liking :
He asked for her in marriage.
The father would have prefered
A son in law a little less scary.
To give her to him seemed very harsh;
To refuse her was not so wise;
Even a rejection might have made it possible
That some fine morning we'd have seen
A clandestine marriage.
Furthermore anyway
The beautiful girl was meant for noble people,
Daughter becomes easily infatuated with
A long maned lover.
So the father openly
Not daring to dismiss the lover,
Said to him: "My daughter is delicate;
Your claws could wound her
When you'll wish to caress her.
Allow therefore that each paw of yours
Be declawed, and that your teeth,
Be filed down at the same time.
Your kisses will be less harsh,
And for you more delicious;
Because my daughter will respond to them better,
Being without these worries.
The Lion consented,
His heart was so blinded!
Without teeth or claws here he is,
Like a dismantled room.
A few dogs were turned aloose on him:
He did not resist much.
Love, Love when thou holdest us
One can well say: "Farewell prudence."

* Sévigné (Marie de Rabutain-Chantal, Marquise de)
born in Paris (1626-1696) wrote "letters" for more
than thirty years.

* Grâces = Beauties. in gr. les Charites. Myth.
Greco-Roman Divinities of Beauty. There are three:
Aglaé, Thalie, Europhrosyne.

--Jean De La Fontaine


From:
"Aesop's Fables Online"

See this wonderful collection of Fables:
<http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/>

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The important thing is not so much that every child should be
taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.

--John Lubbock

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Some Unrelated Books Today:

Mozart : A Life
by Maynard Solomon

This is praised as the best biography of Mozart. It looks quite
intriguing - why not, considering the subject!

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060926929/endurinwisdommai>


Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood
by William S. Pollack, Mary Pipher

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805061835/endurinwisdommai>

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Copyright (c) 1999 Enduring-Wisdom All rights reserved.

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This e-zine is compiled in loving remembrance of my
parents, Mike and Helen Thimios, and with deep gratitude
to Stanley F. Abramski and Kay Bergquist all of whom have
shared their abundant wisdom with me.

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