Aesop's Fables in English

FablesAesop

originalC1.2year1912genreFables & parablesvibeGentleSocietyGreedaudioUS

Short animal stories, each a few minutes long, where a fox, a crow or a hare gets what its character deserves. The point of each one is stated at the end.

The book is not one story but a collection, and it has no plot running from the first page to the last. Each fable stands alone and can be read in any order, usually in a few minutes. The pattern is nearly always the same: a short setup, one event, a reversal, and a moral. The translation dates from 1912, so the English is slightly formal and old-fashioned in places, but it stays plain. Dialogue is common, since the animals argue, flatter and bargain with each other.

What kind of book“Aesop's Fables” is

Versions of “Aesop's Fables” in English: C1

Same book, adapted to a level you can read without stopping

levelA1–A2B1–B2C1–C2pagesaudiobook

Vocabulary by level

A1 66%
A2 15%
B1 8%
B2 6%
not in dictionary 2%

A sample from “Aesop's Fables” in English

One passage, the way each version writes it.

Tap any word — we will show the translation

Original · C1.2255 words

Aesop embodies an epigram not uncommon in human history; his fame is all the more deserved because he never deserved it. The firm foundations of common sense, the shrewd shots at uncommon sense, that characterise all the Fables, belong not him but to humanity. In the earliest human history whatever is authentic is universal: and whatever is universal is anonymous. In such cases there is always some central man who had first the trouble of collecting them, and afterwards the fame of creating them. He had the fame; and, on the whole, he earned the fame. There must have been something great and human, something of the human future and the human past, in such a man: even if he only used it to rob the past or deceive the future. The story of Arthur may have been really connected with the most fighting Christianity of falling Rome or with the most heathen traditions hidden in the hills of Wales. But the word “Mappe” or “Malory” will always mean King Arthur; even though we find older and better origins than the Mabinogian; or write later and worse versions than the Idylls of the King. The nursery fairy tales may have come out of Asia with the Indo-European race, now fortunately extinct; they may have been invented by some fine French lady or gentleman like Perrault: they may possibly even be what they profess to be. But we shall always call the best selection of such tales Grimm’s Tales: simply because it is the best collection.

The same passage at different levelsContinue in the reader

The original language of “Aesop's Fables” and what it gives you

How hard the language is C1.2

The vocabulary is easy: about 66% of the words are in the A1 band and another 15% in A2, and only 4% lie beyond the 5,000 most frequent words. The sentences are the harder part. They average 21.4 words, which is longer than you might expect from such short stories, because the 1912 translation links clauses with commas and semicolons. Together this fits an estimated A2 level for the text, with the sentence length as the thing most likely to slow you down.

What this means in practice: A good first book for a learner, with easy words and an easy shape, once you are used to the slightly long sentences.

What to be ready for

Plain core vocabulary. Most of the words are everyday ones for animals, food, weather and family, and they come back from fable to fable.

Early-20th-century English. The 1912 translation is a little formal and occasionally old-fashioned in word choice and word order.

Fixed story pattern. Setup, event, reversal and moral repeat in nearly every fable, so once you see the pattern the next story is easier to follow.

Names and morals. A few gods' and characters' names fall outside the dictionary, and the closing morals use abstract words such as pride, flattery and prudence.

How to read it and not quit

Read each fable twice: once for the story, once to look at how the long sentences are built from short clauses.
Watch the articles in the opening lines: a fox in the first mention, the fox after that, since the translation relies on this to track who is who.
Notice past tenses in sequence (arrived, saw, decided, said) and the pronouns he, she and it for animals, which can be confusing if your first language marks gender differently.
Look for the moral at the end and try to say it in your own words before you read it, to practise abstract vocabulary.

Contents of “Aesop's Fables” · 285 chapters

Introductionpage 1
The Fox and the Grapespage 6
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggspage 7
The Cat and the Micepage 7
The Mischievous Dogpage 8
The Charcoal-Burner and the Fullerpage 8

All 285 chapters

The Mice in Councilpage 8
The Bat and the Weaselspage 9
The Dog and the Sowpage 9
The Fox and the Crowpage 10
The Horse and the Groompage 10
The Wolf and the Lambpage 10
The Peacock and the Cranepage 11
The Cat and the Birdspage 11
The Spendthrift and the Swallowpage 11
The Old Woman and the Doctorpage 12
The Moon and Her Motherpage 13
Mercury and the Woodmanpage 13
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lionpage 14
The Lion and the Mousepage 15
The Crow and the Pitcherpage 15
The Boys and the Frogspage 16
The North Wind and the Sunpage 16
The Mistress and Her Servantspage 17
The Goods and the Illspage 17
The Hares and the Frogspage 18
The Fox and the Storkpage 19
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothingpage 19
The Stag in the Ox-Stallpage 19
The Milkmaid and Her Pailpage 20
The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Spratpage 21
The Fox and the Monkeypage 21
The Ass and the Lapdogpage 22
The Fir-Tree and the Bramblepage 23
The Frogs’ Complaint Against the Sunpage 23
The Dog, the Cock, and the Foxpage 23
The Gnat and the Bullpage 24
The Bear and the Travellerspage 24
The Slave and the Lionpage 25
The Flea and the Manpage 26
The Bee and Jupiterpage 27
The Oak and the Reedspage 27
The Blind Man and the Cubpage 28
The Boy and the Snailspage 28
The Apes and the Two Travellerspage 28
The Ass and His Burdenspage 29
The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolfpage 30
The Fox and the Goatpage 30
The Fisherman and the Spratpage 31
The Boasting Travellerpage 32
The Crab and His Motherpage 32
The Ass and His Shadowpage 32
The Farmer and His Sonspage 33
The Dog and the Cookpage 33
The Monkey as Kingpage 34
The Thieves and the Cockpage 35
The Farmer and Fortunepage 35
Jupiter and the Monkeypage 35
Father and Sonspage 36
The Lamppage 36
The Owl and the Birdspage 37
The Ass in the Lion’s Skinpage 37
The She-Goats and Their Beardspage 38
The Old Lionpage 38
The Boy Bathingpage 39
The Quack Frogpage 39
The Swollen Foxpage 39
The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawkpage 40
The Boy and the Nettlespage 40
The Peasant and the Apple-Treepage 40
The Jackdaw and the Pigeonspage 41
Jupiter and the Tortoisepage 42
The Dog in the Mangerpage 42
The Two Bagspage 42
The Oxen and the Axletreespage 42
The Boy and the Filbertspage 43
The Frogs Asking for a Kingpage 43
The Olive-Tree and the Fig-Treepage 44
The Lion and the Boarpage 44
The Walnut-Treepage 45
The Man and the Lionpage 45
The Tortoise and the Eaglepage 45
The Kid on the Housetoppage 46
The Fox Without a Tailpage 46
The Vain Jackdawpage 47
The Traveller and His Dogpage 47
The Shipwrecked Man and the Seapage 47
The Wild Boar and the Foxpage 48
Mercury and the Sculptorpage 48
The Fawn and His Motherpage 49
The Fox and the Lionpage 49
The Eagle and His Captorpage 49
The Blacksmith and His Dogpage 50
The Stag at the Poolpage 50
The Dog and the Shadowpage 51
Mercury and the Tradesmenpage 51
The Mice and the Weaselspage 52
The Peacock and Junopage 52
The Bear and the Foxpage 53
The Ass and the Old Peasantpage 53
The Ox and the Frogpage 54
The Man and the Imagepage 54
Hercules and the Wagonerpage 55
The Pomegranate, the Apple-Tree, and the Bramblepage 55
The Lion, the Bear, and the Foxpage 55
The Blackamoorpage 56
The Two Soldiers and the Robberpage 56
The Lion and the Wild Asspage 57
The Man and the Satyrpage 57
The Image-Sellerpage 58
The Eagle and the Arrowpage 58
The Rich Man and the Tannerpage 58
The Wolf, the Mother, and Her Childpage 59
The Old Woman and the Wine-Jarpage 59
The Lioness and the Vixenpage 60
The Viper and the Filepage 60
The Cat and the Cockpage 60
The Hare and the Tortoisepage 61
The Soldier and His Horsepage 61
The Oxen and the Butcherspage 62
The Wolf and the Lionpage 62
The Sheep, the Wolf, and the Stagpage 63
The Lion and the Three Bullspage 63
The Horse and His Riderpage 63
The Goat and the Vinepage 64
The Two Potspage 64
The Old Houndpage 64
The Clown and the Countrymanpage 65
The Lark and the Farmerpage 66
The Lion and the Asspage 67
The Prophetpage 67
The Hound and the Harepage 67
The Lion, the Mouse, and the Foxpage 68
The Trumpeter Taken Prisonerpage 68
The Wolf and the Cranepage 69
The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sowpage 69
The Wolf and the Sheeppage 70
The Tunny-Fish and the Dolphinpage 70
The Three Tradesmenpage 71
The Mouse and the Bullpage 71
The Hare and the Houndpage 72
The Town Mouse and the Country Mousepage 72
The Lion and the Bullpage 73
The Wolf, the Fox, and the Apepage 73
The Eagle and the Cockspage 74
The Escaped Jackdawpage 74
The Farmer and the Foxpage 74
Venus and the Catpage 75
The Crow and the Swanpage 75
The Stag with One Eyepage 76
The Fly and the Draught-Mulepage 76
The Cock and the Jewelpage 77
The Wolf and the Shepherdpage 77
The Farmer and the Storkpage 77
The Charger and the Millerpage 78
The Grasshopper and the Owlpage 78
The Grasshopper and the Antspage 79
The Farmer and the Viperpage 79
The Two Frogspage 80
The Cobbler Turned Doctorpage 80
The Ass, the Cock, and the Lionpage 81
The Belly and the Memberspage 81
The Bald Man and the Flypage 82
The Ass and the Wolfpage 82
The Monkey and the Camelpage 83
The Sick Man and the Doctorpage 83
The Travellers and the Plane-Treepage 84
The Flea and the Oxpage 84
The Birds, the Beasts, and the Batpage 85
The Man and His Two Sweetheartspage 85
The Eagle, the Jackdaw, and the Shepherdpage 86
The Wolf and the Boypage 86
The Miller, His Son, and Their Asspage 87
The Stag and the Vinepage 88
The Lamb Chased by a Wolfpage 89
The Archer and the Lionpage 89
The Wolf and the Goatpage 90
The Sick Stagpage 90
The Ass and the Mulepage 90
Brother and Sisterpage 91
The Heifer and the Oxpage 92
The Kingdom of the Lionpage 92
The Ass and His Driverpage 93
The Lion and the Harepage 93
The Wolves and the Dogspage 93
The Bull and the Calfpage 94
The Trees and the Axepage 94
The Astronomerpage 95
The Labourer and the Snakepage 95
The Cage-Bird and the Batpage 96
The Ass and His Purchaserpage 96
The Kid and the Wolfpage 97
The Debtor and His Sowpage 97
The Bald Huntsmanpage 98
The Herdsman and the Lost Bullpage 98
The Mulepage 99
The Hound and the Foxpage 99
The Father and His Daughterspage 99
The Thief and the Innkeeperpage 100
The Pack-Ass and the Wild Asspage 101
The Ass and His Masterspage 102
The Pack-Ass, the Wild Ass, and the Lionpage 102
The Antpage 103
The Frogs and the Wellpage 103
The Crab and the Foxpage 104
The Fox and the Grasshopperpage 104
The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rookspage 105
The Ass and the Dogpage 105
The Ass Carrying the Imagepage 106
The Athenian and the Thebanpage 107
The Goatherd and the Goatpage 107
The Sheep and the Dogpage 108
The Shepherd and the Wolfpage 108
The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephantpage 109
The Pig and the Sheeppage 110
The Gardener and His Dogpage 110
The Rivers and the Seapage 110
The Lion in Lovepage 111
The Beekeeperpage 111
The Wolf and the Horsepage 112
The Bat, the Bramble, and the Seagullpage 112
The Dog and the Wolfpage 113
The Wasp and the Snakepage 113
The Eagle and the Beetlepage 114
The Fowler and the Larkpage 115
The Fisherman Pipingpage 115
The Weasel and the Manpage 115
The Ploughman, the Ass, and the Oxpage 116
Demades and His Fablepage 116
The Monkey and the Dolphinpage 117
The Crow and the Snakepage 117
The Dogs and the Foxpage 118
The Nightingale and the Hawkpage 118
The Rose and the Amaranthpage 118
The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dogpage 119
The Wolves, the Sheep, and the Rampage 119
The Swanpage 120
The Snake and Jupiterpage 120
The Wolf and His Shadowpage 120
The Ploughman and the Wolfpage 121
Mercury and the Man Bitten by an Antpage 121
The Wily Lionpage 122
The Parrot and the Catpage 122
The Stag and the Lionpage 123
The Impostorpage 123
The Dogs and the Hidespage 124
The Lion, the Fox, and the Asspage 124
The Fowler, the Partridge, and the Cockpage 125
The Gnat and the Lionpage 125
The Farmer and His Dogspage 126
The Eagle and the Foxpage 126
The Butcher and His Customerspage 127
Hercules and Minervapage 128
The Fox Who Served a Lionpage 128
The Quack Doctorpage 129
The Lion, the Wolf, and the Foxpage 129
Hercules and Plutuspage 130
The Fox and the Leopardpage 131
The Fox and the Hedgehogpage 131
The Crow and the Ravenpage 131
The Witchpage 132
The Old Man and Deathpage 132
The Miserpage 133
The Foxes and the Riverpage 133
The Horse and the Stagpage 134
The Fox and the Bramblepage 135
The Fox and the Snakepage 135
The Lion, the Fox, and the Stagpage 135
The Man Who Lost His Spadepage 137
The Partridge and the Fowlerpage 138
The Runaway Slavepage 138
The Hunter and the Woodmanpage 138
The Serpent and the Eaglepage 139
The Rogue and the Oraclepage 139
The Horse and the Asspage 140
The Dog Chasing a Wolfpage 140
Grief and His Duepage 140
The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeonspage 141
The Woman and the Farmerpage 141
Prometheus and the Making of Manpage 142
The Swallow and the Crowpage 142
The Hunter and the Horsemanpage 142
The Goatherd and the Wild Goatspage 143
The Nightingale and the Swallowpage 144
The Traveller and Fortunepage 144

Reader ratings for “Aesop's Fables”

Nobody has rated it yet. Be the first.

Your rating

Reader reviews of “Aesop's Fables”

No reviews yet.

The story of “Aesop's Fables”

1484
Caxton prints Aesop in English
William Caxton printed an English version of the fables, one of the earliest books of fables to appear in English.
1912
The Vernon Jones translation
V. S. Vernon Jones's plain English retelling appeared in London in 1912, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. The short, clear sentences made it a standard text for readers coming to the fables in English.
A storyteller said to be a slave
Aesop is traditionally placed in ancient Greece, said to have been a slave. The fables were told orally long before anyone wrote them down, and the name came to cover any short animal tale with a moral.
Herodotus, Histories, book 2, mentions Aesop as a slave
Byzantine collection becomes the base text
The monk Maximus Planudes put together a collection of fables around 1300. It was the version most Renaissance printers used when the stories first reached print.

In culture “Aesop's Fables”

9 adaptations and mentions, 1912–1959

1912
Art Rackham's illustrations
Arthur Rackham's drawings for the Vernon Jones text gave the animals their long-lived English look, with gnarled trees and expressive faces.
1935
Film Disney's The Tortoise and the Hare
A Silly Symphony cartoon retelling the race, which won the Academy Award for animated short subjects.
1959
Series Aesop and Son
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show ran a recurring cartoon segment in which Aesop's son was handed a fable and ended on a pun disguised as a moral.
In the language Sour grapes
From The Fox and the Grapes: a fox who cannot reach the fruit decides it was sour anyway, and the phrase now means pretending you never wanted what you could not get.
In the language Crying wolf
The shepherd boy who raises false alarms is not believed when the wolf finally comes; to cry wolf is to give so many false warnings that a real one is ignored.
In the language The lion's share
In the fable the lion takes nearly everything from a shared hunt, and the phrase now means the largest part of anything.
In the language Slow and steady wins the race
The tortoise beats the hare by never stopping, and the story is still the shorthand for patience beating talent that coasts.
In the language Belling the cat
The mice agree a bell on the cat would save them, but nobody will tie it on; the phrase names a plan that sounds good and that no one will carry out.
In the language A wolf in sheep's clothing
A dangerous creature disguised as a harmless one; people use it for anyone whose friendly manner hides bad intent.

Questions and answers about “Aesop's Fables” in English

Was Aesop a real person?

Probably, but very little is known about him for certain. Ancient Greek writers describe him as a slave who lived around the 6th century BC, and the stories were passed on orally for generations. Many of the fables in collections today were added to his name later.

Which fables are the most famous ones?

The best known include the Tortoise and the Hare, the Fox and the Grapes, the Boy Who Cried Wolf (called the Shepherd's Boy and the Wolf here), and the Ant and the Grasshopper. These are the ones behind phrases such as sour grapes and crying wolf. You can find these classics in the collection.

Did Aesop write the morals at the end of each fable?

Not as a rule. The stories were told aloud first, and the written morals were added by later collectors and translators, so the wording of a moral can change from one edition to the next. The stories themselves are much more stable than the lessons attached to them.

Are Aesop's fables just for children?

No. They became children's reading later, but in ancient Greece they were used by adults to make a point about power, cleverness and greed without naming anyone. Many of them are quite blunt about cruelty, and not every one has a happy ending.

Do I have to read the fables in order?

No. Each fable is complete in itself, so you can open the book anywhere. Characters such as the fox and the lion appear again and again but are not the same person from story to story.

Why do the animals talk and act like people?

It is the whole trick of the form. Using a fox or a crow lets the story be about human faults like vanity or greed without pointing at a real person. The animals also act as quick labels: a lion is strong, a fox is cunning, an ant is hard-working.

Is La Fontaine's version the same as Aesop's?

No. Jean de La Fontaine retold many of the same stories in French verse in the 17th century, adding his own style and humour. If you know his versions, the plots will be familiar, but the English text here is a plain prose translation of the Greek tradition.

Is this a good book for learning English?

Yes, for the vocabulary at least. The words are mostly common ones, each story is short enough to finish in one sitting, and the repeated pattern helps you guess what comes next. The long sentences of the 1912 translation are the main hurdle.

What is the 1912 translation like to read?

It is clear and fairly formal, with the sentence style of an early-20th-century children's book. It sounds slightly old, but it is not hard to follow, and it keeps the dialogue between animals lively.

Will I get bored reading so many similar stories?

If you read the whole book in one go, probably yes, because the fables share a pattern. Most readers dip in a few at a time. Read a handful, then put it down and come back later.

In brief about “Aesop's Fables”

17 fields of imprint data and measured text characteristics. All of it checkable.

Original title: Fables · “Aesop's Fables”
Author: Aesop
First published: 1912
Original language: English
Genre: Fables & parables · Classics · Animals
Mood: Gentle
Themes: Society · Greed · Power
Setting: Ancient Greece, in a world of farms, fields, forests and rivers where animals talk · Ancient Greece, traditionally the 6th century BC; this English text is a 1912 translation
Distinct words: 4,131

Words per sentence: 21 words
Level of the original: C1.2
Versions: C1.2
Length of the original: 285 ch. · 39,596 words
Reading time: ~3 h 40 min
Source text: Standard Ebooks
Rights: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain Dedication)
Download: EPUB