"And though the loss may pain me, I'm content;
For, after all, it gladdens me to see.
While I am still alive, the instrument
Indebted for its harmony to me.
But say, what pleasure can its accents give
To solace thee, when thou hast ceased to live?"
(Iriarte, Literary Fables. Translated for Blackwood's Magazine.)
THE DUCK AND THE SERPENT
ONE day as a conceited Duck was waddling away from her pond, she quacked forth loudly: "What other race of creatures can boast so many gifts as we Ducks? Earth, air and water, all three are ours. When I tire of walking, I can fly if it suits me; or if I prefer I can swim."
A wily Serpent overheard the boasting speech of the clumsy bird, and full of contempt, glided up, exclaiming with a scornful hiss: "I think, Mrs. Duck, there is small reason for what you have just said. These boasted gifts of yours make a pretty poor showing, since you cannot swim like a trout, or run lightly and swiftly like a deer, or follow the eagle in his flight."
It is a mistake to think that there is merit in a little knowledge of many things. Aim to do well what you can do, if you want to stand high among your fellows.
(Iriarte, Literary Fables.)
