The Flea and the Ant
Georgian folk fairy tale
A flea and an ant became friends. They went for a walk
together. They came to a stream. The flea said to the ant, “I am going to jump
across, and you?”
“I will jump across too!” said the ant.
The flea jumped across to the other side, but the ant fell
into the water. The ant asked the flea, “Dear flea, my sister, help me, do not
let me perish. Let me climb out of the water.”
The flea – hop-hop came running to the pig and asked, “Pig,
give me a bristle please, and I will plait a little rope. I will throw it into
the water, and I will pull out my little brother ant”.
The pig said, “And will you bring me acorns?”
The flea – hop-hop came
running to the oak and asked:
“Oak tree, give me acorns please, I will carry them to the
pig, the pig will give a bristle, I will plait a little rope, I will throw it
in the water and pull out my brother ant”.
The oak tree said, “But will you drive a crow off me?”
The flea – hop-hop came running to the crow and asked:
“Crow, leave the oak tree please, the oak will give me acorns,
I will carry them to the pig, the pig will give a bristle, I will plait a
little rope, I will throw it in the water and pull out my brother ant”.
The crow said, “But will you bring me a chick?”
The flea – hop-hop came running to the brood hen and asked:
“Brood hen, give me a chick, I will carry it to the crow, the
crow will leave the oak tree, the oak
give me acorns, I will carry them to the pig, the pig will give a
bristle, I will plait a little rope, I will throw it in the water and pull out
my brother ant”
The brood hen said, “But will you bring some millet?”
The flea hop-hop came to the hole:
“Hole, give me some millet please, I will carry it to the
brood hen, she will give me a chick, I will carry it to the crow, the crow will
leave the oak tree, the oak give me acorns, I will carry them to the pig, the
pig will give a bristle, I will plait a little rope, I will throw it in the
water and pull out my brother ant”
The hole said, “But will you off the mouse away from me?”
The flea hop-hop came galloping to the mouse:
“Mouse, leave the hole, please, the hole will give me millet,
I will carry it to the broom hen, she will give me a chick, I will carry it to
the crow, the crow will leave the oak tree, the oak give me acorns, I will
carry them to the pig, the pig will give a bristle, I will plait a little rope,
I will throw it in the water and pull out my brother ant.”
The mouse said, “But will you save me from the cat?”
The flea hop-hop came galloping to the cat:
Cat, please, don’t run after the mouse, the mouse will leave
the hole, the hole will give me millet, I will carry it to the broom hen, she
will give me a chick, I will carry it to the crow, the crow will leave the oak
tree, the oak give me acorns, I will carry them to the pig, the pig will give a
bristle, I will plait a little rope, I will throw it in the water and pull out
my brother ant.”
The cat said, “But will you bring me some milk?”
The flea hop-hop came galloping to the cow:
“Cow, please, give me some milk, I will carry it to the cat,
the cat will not run after the mouse, the mouse will leave the hole, the hole
will give me some millet, I will carry it to the broom hen, she will give me a
chick, I will carry it to the crow, the crow will leave the oak tree, the oak
give me acorns, I will carry them to the pig, the pig will give a bristle, I
will plait a little rope, I will throw it in the water and pull out my brother
ant.”
The cow said, “But will
you bring me some grass?”
The flea hop-hop ran to the field, he picked some grass and
brought it to the cow. The cow gave him some milk. He carried it to the cat,
the cat stopped running after the mouse, the mouse left the hole, the hole gave
him some millet, he carried it to the brood hen. The hen gave him a chick, he
carried it to the crow. The crow left the oak tree, the oak tree gave him some
acorns, he carried the acorns to the pig, the pig gave him a bristle. The flea
plaited a little rope from the bristle and threw it into the water. The ant
climbed onto the rope, the flea pulled the rope, he pulled out his little
brother ant onto the bank and saved him from death. Then they went for a walk
again.
The Hermit
Philosopher
LEPL Tbilisi N207 Public School
There
was once a wise man who loved solitude and lived far away from other men,
meditating on the vanities of the world. He spent nearly all his time in the
open air, and he could easily do this, for he lived in a lovely southern land
where there is no winter and but little rain. As he wandered once among the
verdure of his garden, the sage stopped before an aged walnut tree covered with
ripening nuts and said:
‘’Why
is there such a strange want of symmetry in nature? Here, for instance, is a
walnut tree a hundred years old, hiding its top in the clouds, and yet how
small is its fruit: itself it grows from year to year, but its fruit is always
of the same size. Now, on the beds at the foot of the tree there grow great
pumpkins and melons on very small creeping plants. It would be more fitting if
the pumpkins grew on the walnut trees and the walnut on the pumpkin beds. Why
this want of symmetry nature?’’
The
sage thought deeply on the subject, and walked in the garden for a long time,
till a last he felt sleepy. He lay down under the shady walnut tree, and was
soon slumbering peacefully. In a short time, he felt a slight blow on the face,
then a second, and then a third. As he opened his eyes, a ripe walnut fell on
his nose. The sage leaped to his feet, and said: ‘’Now I understand the secret
of nature. If this tree had borne melons or pumpkins, my head would have been
broken. Henceforth let no one presume to find fault with Providence.’’
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