FABLE LXXX
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
Mama Hen loved her little chicks. She showed them how to find food. She scratched the ground. One little chick went to the well. It fell in the deep water. The little chick got lost. It could not come back. Mama Hen was very sad.
Mama Hen saw her son. It was Young Rooster. He was big and strong now. Mama Hen loved him so much. Her heart felt happy for him. He was a brave young rooster. She was proud.
"My son," she said. "You are big now. But listen to my words. The well is a very bad place. Our little chick got lost there. It could not come back. Please stay away from it. It is very bad. Keep my words."
Young Rooster thanked his mother. But he did not want to listen. He thought her words were silly. He felt very brave. He saw the well each day. He wanted to go there. He did not like her rule.
Each day, he walked near the well. He walked a little closer. He wanted to see the well. He wanted to know what was inside. He wanted to know. He was not scared. He liked to be brave.
"Why did she say that?" he thought. "Mama Hen does not know I am brave. Maybe she hides a thing. Is there food in the well? I am strong. I am not a scared chick. I will go."
He made up his mind. He walked to the well. He went to the edge of the well. He looked inside. The water was very deep. He stretched his neck.
He saw a rooster in the water. He thought it was a different rooster. This rooster looked very angry. Young Rooster got very angry too. He ruffled his feathers. He wanted to fight this rooster. He made a loud sound.
He jumped right in. He wanted to fight the rooster. He fell into the deep well. He splashed and splashed. The water was cold. He was very wet.
Young Rooster could not get out. He felt very sad. He thought of Mama Hen. "I should have listened," he cried. "I did not listen to her warning. It is too late. He was sorry." He made a big mistake. Always listen to your Mama and Papa. They tell you good things. They keep you safe. It is always good to listen. Your parents know what is best.
Original Story
FABLE LXXX.
THE OLD HEN AND YOUNG COCK.
As an old Hen led forth her train,
And seemed to peck, to show the grain;
She raked the chaff, she scratched the ground,
And gleaned the spacious yard around.
A giddy chick, to try her wings,
On the well's narrow margin springs,
And prone she drops. The mother's breast
All day with sorrow was possessed.
A Cock she met—her son, she knew;
And in her heart affection grew.
"My son," says she, "I grant, your years
Have reached beyond a mother's cares;
I see you vigorous, strong, and bold;
I hear, with joy, your triumphs told.
'Tis not from Cocks thy fate I dread;
But let thy ever-wary tread
Avoid yon well; that fatal place
Is sure perdition to our race.
Print this, my counsel, on thy breast;
To the just gods I leave the rest."
He thanked her care; yet, day by day,
His bosom burned to disobey;
And every time the well he saw,
Scorned, in his heart, the foolish law;
Near and more near each day he drew,
And longed to try the dangerous view.
"Why was this idle charge?" he cries;
"Let courage female fears despise!
Or did she doubt my heart was brave,
And, therefore, this injunction gave?
Or does her harvest store the place,
A treasure for her younger race?
And would she thus my search prevent?—
I stand resolved, and dare th' event."
Thus said, he mounts the margin's round,
And pries into the depth profound.
He stretched his neck; and, from below,
With stretching neck advanced a foe:
With wrath his ruffled plumes he tears;
The foe with ruffled plumes appears:
Threat answered threat, his fury grew;
Headlong to meet the war he flew;
But when the watery death he found,
He thus lamented as he drowned:
"I ne'er had been in this condition,
Had I obeyed the prohibition."
MORAL.
Obey your parents, or 'twill be your fate,
To feel repentance when it comes too late.
Story DNA
Moral
Obey your parents, or you will feel repentance when it comes too late.
Plot Summary
An old hen, having lost a chick to a well, warns her grown son, a proud young cock, to avoid the dangerous spot. Despite her earnest counsel, the cock's pride and desire to defy authority grow. He rationalizes his mother's warning as foolish and approaches the well. Mistaking his own reflection for a rival, he plunges into the water to fight and drowns, regretting his disobedience in his final moments.
Themes
Emotional Arc
warning to regret
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables traditionally served as moral instruction, often featuring animal characters to illustrate human flaws and virtues.
Plot Beats (10)
- An old hen leads her chicks, demonstrating how to find food, but one chick falls into a well and drowns.
- The hen later meets her grown son, a vigorous cock, and expresses her affection.
- She warns him specifically about the well, calling it a fatal place for their kind, and asks him to remember her counsel.
- The cock thanks her but secretly burns with a desire to disobey, scorning her 'foolish law'.
- He draws closer to the well each day, longing to test its danger.
- He questions his mother's motives, wondering if she doubted his bravery or was hiding something.
- Resolved, he mounts the well's margin and peers into the water.
- He sees his own reflection, mistakes it for a rival, and becomes enraged.
- He flies headlong into the well to fight his perceived foe.
- As he drowns, he expresses his regret for not obeying his mother's prohibition.
Characters
The Old Hen
A plump, medium-sized hen with a sturdy build, her feathers are a mix of earthy browns and muted reds, showing signs of age and wear from diligent foraging. Her legs are strong and scaly, accustomed to scratching the ground.
Attire: Her natural plumage of earthy brown and reddish-brown feathers, slightly ruffled from constant activity.
Wants: To protect her offspring and ensure their survival, passing on her hard-earned wisdom.
Flaw: Her inability to directly control her adult son's actions, leading to sorrow.
She begins as a diligent mother, experiences sorrow over a lost chick, and then attempts to impart wisdom to her adult son. Her arc is one of unheeded warning and eventual sorrow.
Wise, maternal, diligent, cautious, sorrowful.
The Young Cock
A vigorous, strong, and bold young rooster. His body is lean and muscular, indicative of his youth and strength. He carries himself with an air of confidence.
Attire: His natural plumage, likely a striking array of iridescent greens, blues, and reds, with a long, flowing tail of darker, glossy feathers.
Wants: To prove his courage, defy perceived restrictions, and satisfy his curiosity, believing himself superior to 'female fears'.
Flaw: Overconfidence, pride, disobedience, and a fatal lack of judgment.
He begins as a proud and disobedient son, dismissive of his mother's warnings. His arc is one of tragic downfall, learning the consequences of his disobedience only in his final moments.
Vigorous, bold, disobedient, proud, curious, defiant, overconfident.
The Giddy Chick
A small, fluffy, and somewhat clumsy chick, still in its early stages of development. Its feathers are soft and downy.
Attire: Its natural covering of soft, downy feathers, likely pale yellow or light brown.
Wants: To explore and test her nascent abilities, driven by youthful curiosity.
Flaw: Lack of experience and judgment, leading to a fatal accident.
Her brief arc is one of a tragic accident, serving as a catalyst for the Old Hen's warning to her son.
Giddy, curious, impulsive, inexperienced.
Locations
Spacious Farmyard
A wide, open farmyard, likely unpaved earth or packed dirt, where an old hen scratches for grain and chaff. It is a place of daily activity for the fowl.
Mood: bustling, ordinary, initially safe
The old hen teaches her chicks to forage, and later, the young cock observes the well from a distance.
The Well's Narrow Margin
The precarious edge of a water well, described as narrow, where a giddy chick first falls, and later, the young cock meets his demise. It is a dangerous, elevated rim around a deep, dark opening.
Mood: perilous, tempting, fatal
A chick falls into the well, causing the mother hen sorrow. The young cock later defies his mother's warning and falls into the well, drowning.