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The Rabbits And The Dogs

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Tomas de Iriarte

Literary Fables of Yriarte

Ticknor And Fields, London

1855

Spain

The Rabbits And The Dogs: fear, fine distinctions, urgency, pedantry, danger, practical reality, useless correction, panic, survival, misplaced exactness

Public Domain (copyright expired)

n/a

The Rabbits And The Dogs

A Rabbit, whom
Two Dogs pursue,
Into the copse
In terror flew.

Out of his burrow,
At the clatter,
A comrade sprung.--
"Friend, what's the matter?"

"The matter? Zounds!
I'm fairly blown;
By villain hounds
I'm hunted down."

"I see them yonder
Through the furze.
But they 're not hounds."--
"What then?"--"They're curs."

"Curs, hey! Then so
Is my grandmother!
You do not know
The one from t' other."

"Stupid! they 're naught
But mongrel cur."--
"They're hounds, I say."--
"They're curs, good sir."

While they dispute
The dogs arrive;
And both of them
Eat up alive.

* * * * *

Ye who, important
Matters scorning,
Toy with trifles,
Take our warning.

Folktales, Fairytales, myths, legends, stories, fantasy