Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)
67. THE SHEEP, THE SHEPHERD AND THE DOG
Perry 356 (Babrius
128)
A sheep once said to the shepherd, 'You shear us and keep all the wool
for yourself; you like to take our milk and make it into cheese; thanks
to our children, your flocks flourish and prosper. Yet there is no profit
for us in these things. Everything we eat comes from the ground -- and
what kind of blossom is there to be found on the mountain sides? The grass
is dry even when covered with dew. Meanwhile, you nourish this dog in
our midst, feeding her on the same kind of hearty food that you yourself
eat!' When the dog heard this, she said, 'If it weren't for me protecting
you on every side, you would not even manage to get enough grass to eat!
By running all around you, I ward off the marauding thief and the prowling
wolf.'
Note: There is a version of this fable in Xenophon,
Memorabilia 2.7.
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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