Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)
470. THE GODDESS FORTUNE AND THE MAN BY THE WELL
Perry 174 (Babrius
49)
A workman had thoughtlessly fallen asleep one night next to a well. While
he slept, he seemed to hear the voice of Tyche, the goddess of fortune,
as she stood there beside him. 'Hey you,' the goddess said, 'you'd better
wake up! I am afraid that if you fall into the well, I will be the one
that people blame, giving me a bad reputation. In general, people blame
me for everything that happens to them, including the unfortunate events
and tumbles for which a person really has only himself to blame.'
Note: The name of the Greek goddess 'Tyche' means 'luck' or 'fortune.'
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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