📖 Story
The book of Kalila and Dimna tells of a wide forest full of trees and springs, where many animals lived: deer, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, and birds. The animals lived in peace, until a huge, arrogant lion came to the forest who thought only of himself and his stomach.
Every day the lion roared in a frightening voice and chased the animals everywhere, until they stopped leaving their homes and had no time to look for food or play with their little ones. So the animals gathered under the big tree, and the gazelle said, "We can't live like this, always afraid. We must find a solution."
The mother gazelle was afraid for her fawn and wouldn't let him play outside the thick trees. The squirrel didn't dare come down to gather acorns. Even the sparrows sang quietly so as not to catch the lion's attention. The beautiful forest became sad and silent, as if fear had covered it like a big dark cloud.
After a long discussion, the animals went to the lion and said, "King of the forest, we are tired and afraid every day. Let's make an agreement: we will bring your food to your den every day, so you won't need to chase us, and we can live in peace." The lion thought for a moment. He liked the idea of food coming to him while he sat, so he said arrogantly, "Agreed. But if you are late even one day, you will see my anger!"
And so the animals took turns every day, one of them taking the food to the lion. They worked hard to gather what he wanted and gave him the best they had, but they were sad, because the lion always demanded more and never thanked anyone.
The little animals worked so hard gathering food for the lion that they no longer had enough time to gather their own. Every day the lion grumbled, "This is too little! I want more!" and never said a single word of thanks. In the evenings the animals gathered under the big tree, talking sadly: "How long will we have to live like this?"
One day it was the turn of a small, clever rabbit. He was small in size but big in mind, and he loved thinking and planning. He told the animals, "Don't be sad. I have an idea that may rid us of this lion's arrogance forever. But let me be a little late." The animals were astonished. "Late? The lion will be terribly angry!" "That's exactly what I want," said the rabbit.
Some of the animals were afraid for the rabbit. The gazelle said, "Rabbit, you're very small, and the lion is big and strong. What if he gets angry with you?" The rabbit said confidently, "Don't be afraid, Auntie. The lion's body is strong, but arrogance makes his mind weak. And I will use my mind." Then he said goodbye: "Wait for me by the pond, and I'll come back to you with happy news, God willing."
The rabbit walked very slowly. He stopped to eat some clover and sat for a while under a tree until it was midday. In his den, the lion was roaring with hunger and anger, lashing the ground with his tail and saying, "Where is my food? How dare they be late?"
On the way, the rabbit thought through every step of his plan. He passed the old well in the middle of the forest and looked in. He saw his face in the clear water, and the trees and sky reflected in it. He smiled and said, "Yes, this is the right place." Then he sat for a while practicing what he would say to the lion, so that his words would sound true and convincing.
At last the rabbit arrived, panting as if he had run a long way. The lion roared, "Why are you late, little rabbit? And where is the food?" The rabbit, pretending to be afraid, said, "King of the forest, I was carrying delicious food for you, but on the way another big lion jumped out at me, took the food from me, and said that he is the king of this forest and that he is stronger than you!"
As the rabbit spoke, he watched the lion's eyes and saw the anger growing in them little by little. He went on, "And that lion told me: Go and tell your weak king that from now on I will take all the food in the forest!" The lion struck the ground with his claw and gave a roar that shook the trees.
The lion was furious. The mane on his neck bristled, and he said, "Another lion in my forest? Impossible! Take me to him at once, so I can show him who the real king is!" "Follow me, my lord," said the rabbit. "He lives in a deep fortress near here."
The rabbit walked in front of the lion until they reached an old, deep well whose clear water shone like a mirror. The rabbit stood a little way off and said, "There, my lord. He's hiding down there. See for yourself." The lion went to the edge of the well and looked into the water, and he saw a big lion glaring back at him, its mane bristling exactly like his own.
Before the lion went any closer, the rabbit said, "My lord, be careful. The other lion is strong and very angry, so don't rush." But the lion didn't listen to the advice. Anger filled his head, and he said, "There is no one in the forest stronger than me!" He stood on the edge of the well looking down, his chest heaving with rage.
The lion roared as loudly as he could, and a mighty roar came back out of the well, because sound echoes in a deep well. The lion thought the other lion was challenging him. His anger grew, and without thinking for a single moment, he leapt into the well to face him! He fell into the deep, cold water and found no other lion at all, only himself, alone and soaking wet at the bottom of the well.
The lion stayed in the water a long time trying to get out, until at last an old rope hanging from the edge of the well helped him, and he climbed out tired and dripping, all his arrogance gone. The rabbit stood in front of him and said calmly, "King of the forest, the lion you saw was nothing but your own reflection in the water. Anger and arrogance blinded you until you fought yourself." The lion felt deeply ashamed, and he knew that a little rabbit had beaten him with his mind.
As the lion sat dripping on the edge of the well, the animals gathered at a distance, watching him in amazement. He no longer looked frightening as he once had; he looked tired and ashamed. He said to himself, "I thought I was the strongest and the cleverest, but a little rabbit knew my weakness better than I did. My anger and my arrogance were my real enemy."
The lion said in a low voice, "I have been unjust and arrogant. I will leave this forest and let its animals live in peace." And the lion went far away to the mountains and never came back. The rabbit returned to his friends and told them what had happened. The animals were overjoyed. They carried the little rabbit on their shoulders and held a great celebration in the forest.
From that day on, life returned to the forest. The gazelle came out with her fawn to play in the meadow, the squirrel came down to gather acorns, and the sparrows sang again at the top of their voices. The animals worked together to gather food and store it for winter, and they asked the clever rabbit's advice about every difficult matter, so he became the wise one of the forest despite his small size.
This fable from Kalila and Dimna teaches us that intelligence and wisdom are stronger than strength and size, and that a small, clever creature can defeat a big, arrogant one. It also teaches us that anger blinds those who give in to it and that arrogance gets people into trouble, so let us think calmly before we act. This is a lovely piece of wisdom we can always remember in our lives and teach to our friends and little brothers and sisters.
Every day the lion roared in a frightening voice and chased the animals everywhere, until they stopped leaving their homes and had no time to look for food or play with their little ones. So the animals gathered under the big tree, and the gazelle said, "We can't live like this, always afraid. We must find a solution."
The mother gazelle was afraid for her fawn and wouldn't let him play outside the thick trees. The squirrel didn't dare come down to gather acorns. Even the sparrows sang quietly so as not to catch the lion's attention. The beautiful forest became sad and silent, as if fear had covered it like a big dark cloud.
After a long discussion, the animals went to the lion and said, "King of the forest, we are tired and afraid every day. Let's make an agreement: we will bring your food to your den every day, so you won't need to chase us, and we can live in peace." The lion thought for a moment. He liked the idea of food coming to him while he sat, so he said arrogantly, "Agreed. But if you are late even one day, you will see my anger!"
And so the animals took turns every day, one of them taking the food to the lion. They worked hard to gather what he wanted and gave him the best they had, but they were sad, because the lion always demanded more and never thanked anyone.
The little animals worked so hard gathering food for the lion that they no longer had enough time to gather their own. Every day the lion grumbled, "This is too little! I want more!" and never said a single word of thanks. In the evenings the animals gathered under the big tree, talking sadly: "How long will we have to live like this?"
One day it was the turn of a small, clever rabbit. He was small in size but big in mind, and he loved thinking and planning. He told the animals, "Don't be sad. I have an idea that may rid us of this lion's arrogance forever. But let me be a little late." The animals were astonished. "Late? The lion will be terribly angry!" "That's exactly what I want," said the rabbit.
Some of the animals were afraid for the rabbit. The gazelle said, "Rabbit, you're very small, and the lion is big and strong. What if he gets angry with you?" The rabbit said confidently, "Don't be afraid, Auntie. The lion's body is strong, but arrogance makes his mind weak. And I will use my mind." Then he said goodbye: "Wait for me by the pond, and I'll come back to you with happy news, God willing."
The rabbit walked very slowly. He stopped to eat some clover and sat for a while under a tree until it was midday. In his den, the lion was roaring with hunger and anger, lashing the ground with his tail and saying, "Where is my food? How dare they be late?"
On the way, the rabbit thought through every step of his plan. He passed the old well in the middle of the forest and looked in. He saw his face in the clear water, and the trees and sky reflected in it. He smiled and said, "Yes, this is the right place." Then he sat for a while practicing what he would say to the lion, so that his words would sound true and convincing.
At last the rabbit arrived, panting as if he had run a long way. The lion roared, "Why are you late, little rabbit? And where is the food?" The rabbit, pretending to be afraid, said, "King of the forest, I was carrying delicious food for you, but on the way another big lion jumped out at me, took the food from me, and said that he is the king of this forest and that he is stronger than you!"
As the rabbit spoke, he watched the lion's eyes and saw the anger growing in them little by little. He went on, "And that lion told me: Go and tell your weak king that from now on I will take all the food in the forest!" The lion struck the ground with his claw and gave a roar that shook the trees.
The lion was furious. The mane on his neck bristled, and he said, "Another lion in my forest? Impossible! Take me to him at once, so I can show him who the real king is!" "Follow me, my lord," said the rabbit. "He lives in a deep fortress near here."
The rabbit walked in front of the lion until they reached an old, deep well whose clear water shone like a mirror. The rabbit stood a little way off and said, "There, my lord. He's hiding down there. See for yourself." The lion went to the edge of the well and looked into the water, and he saw a big lion glaring back at him, its mane bristling exactly like his own.
Before the lion went any closer, the rabbit said, "My lord, be careful. The other lion is strong and very angry, so don't rush." But the lion didn't listen to the advice. Anger filled his head, and he said, "There is no one in the forest stronger than me!" He stood on the edge of the well looking down, his chest heaving with rage.
The lion roared as loudly as he could, and a mighty roar came back out of the well, because sound echoes in a deep well. The lion thought the other lion was challenging him. His anger grew, and without thinking for a single moment, he leapt into the well to face him! He fell into the deep, cold water and found no other lion at all, only himself, alone and soaking wet at the bottom of the well.
The lion stayed in the water a long time trying to get out, until at last an old rope hanging from the edge of the well helped him, and he climbed out tired and dripping, all his arrogance gone. The rabbit stood in front of him and said calmly, "King of the forest, the lion you saw was nothing but your own reflection in the water. Anger and arrogance blinded you until you fought yourself." The lion felt deeply ashamed, and he knew that a little rabbit had beaten him with his mind.
As the lion sat dripping on the edge of the well, the animals gathered at a distance, watching him in amazement. He no longer looked frightening as he once had; he looked tired and ashamed. He said to himself, "I thought I was the strongest and the cleverest, but a little rabbit knew my weakness better than I did. My anger and my arrogance were my real enemy."
The lion said in a low voice, "I have been unjust and arrogant. I will leave this forest and let its animals live in peace." And the lion went far away to the mountains and never came back. The rabbit returned to his friends and told them what had happened. The animals were overjoyed. They carried the little rabbit on their shoulders and held a great celebration in the forest.
From that day on, life returned to the forest. The gazelle came out with her fawn to play in the meadow, the squirrel came down to gather acorns, and the sparrows sang again at the top of their voices. The animals worked together to gather food and store it for winter, and they asked the clever rabbit's advice about every difficult matter, so he became the wise one of the forest despite his small size.
This fable from Kalila and Dimna teaches us that intelligence and wisdom are stronger than strength and size, and that a small, clever creature can defeat a big, arrogant one. It also teaches us that anger blinds those who give in to it and that arrogance gets people into trouble, so let us think calmly before we act. This is a lovely piece of wisdom we can always remember in our lives and teach to our friends and little brothers and sisters.
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