Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)
159. THE TWO ENEMIES
Perry 68 (Chambry
114 *)
There were two enemies who had set sail on the same ship. They wanted
to keep their distance from one another, so one went up on the prow while
the other took the stern. Each man then stayed where he was. Soon a fierce
storm began to blow and the ship foundered. The man standing at the stern
asked the helmsman which part of the ship was likely to sink first. 'It
will be the prow,' said the helmsman. 'So be it!' said the man. 'The thought
of death does not trouble me so long as I will see my enemy die before
me!'
So too there are people who feel such ill-will towards their neighbours
that they elect to suffer something dreadful themselves so that they can
see the others suffering along with them.
Source:
Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura
Gibbs.
Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New
cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.
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