FABLE XXX
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
Once there was a little colt. He loved to run and play.
The Little Colt was young. He was strong. He liked to run fast. People wanted to train him. He did not want to listen. He liked to do what he wanted. He ran away from people. He liked to be free.
Summer came. The Little Colt ran in big fields. Green grass grew everywhere. He ate sweet grass. He drank cool water. The sun was warm on his back. He felt very happy. He ran and played all day.
Then summer went away. Winter came. It was very cold. Snow fell on the ground. The water turned to ice. Cold wind blew hard. The Little Colt felt very cold. He had no warm place.
The Little Colt was very cold. He felt weak. He looked for a warm place. He saw a small house far away. A Farmer lived there. It had a warm stable. He thought about the stable. He needed a warm place now.
He walked to the house. He walked to the Farmer's yard. He felt very cold. He wanted to go inside. The stable was warm. He needed shelter. He went to the stable door. He hoped for help.
The Farmer saw the Little Colt. He took the colt inside. The stable was warm. He gave the colt food. He gave the colt soft hay. The Little Colt ate. He lay down in the hay. He felt safe and warm.
The next day came. The Farmer had work for him. The Little Colt must help. He carried heavy things. He walked to the market. His back felt tired. He walked very slowly. He worked all day long.
Another day came. The Little Colt worked again. He pulled a big machine. It was a plough for the field. He walked in the field. He turned the soil. He worked very hard. He felt very tired.
The Little Colt was sad. He thought about the past. He did not listen to people. He did not want to learn. Now he must work very hard. He wished he had listened. Life would be better then. He felt a little sad. The Little Colt learned that it is good to listen sometimes. Then life can be easier.
Original Story
FABLE XXX.
THE COLT AND THE FARMER.
A colt, for blood and mettled speed,
The choicest of the running breed,
Of youthful strength and beauty vain,
Refused subjection to the rein.
In vain the groom's officious skill
Opposed his pride, and checked his will;
In vain the master's forming care
Restrained with threats, or soothed with prayer:
Of freedom proud, and scorning man,
Wild o'er the spacious plain he ran.
Where'er luxuriant Nature spread
Her flowery carpet o'er the mead,
Or bubbling stream's soft gliding pass
To cool and freshen up the grass,
Disdaining bounds, he cropped the blade,
And wantoned in the spoil he made.
In plenty thus the summer passed;
Revolving winter came at last:
The trees no more a shelter yield;
The verdure withers from the field:
Perpetual snows invest the ground;
In icy chains the streams are bound:
Cold, nipping winds, and rattling hail,
His lank, unsheltered sides assail.
As round he cast his rueful eyes,
He saw the thatched-roof cottage rise:
The prospect touched his heart with cheer,
And promised kind deliverance near.
A stable, erst his scorn and hate,
Was now become his wished retreat;
His passion cool, his pride forgot,
A Farmer's welcome yard he sought.
The master saw his woful plight,
His limbs, that tottered with his weight,
And, friendly, to the stable led,
And saw him littered, dressed, and fed.
In slothful ease all night he lay;
The servants rose at break of day;
The market calls. Along the road
His back must bear the pond'rous load;
In vain he struggles or complains,
Incessant blows reward his pains.
To-morrow varies but his toil:
Chained to the plough, he breaks the soil;
While scanty meals at night repay
The painful labours of the day.
Subdued by toil, with anguish rent,
His self-upbraidings found a vent.
"Wretch that I am!" he sighing said,
"By arrogance and folly led;
Had but my restive youth been brought
To learn the lesson nature taught,
Then had I, like my sires of yore,
The prize from every courser bore.
Now, lasting servitude's my lot,
My birth contemned, my speed forgot;
Doomed am I, for my pride, to bear
A living death from year to year."
MORAL.
He who disdains control, will only gain
A youth of pleasure for an age of pain.
Story DNA
Moral
He who disdains control, will only gain A youth of pleasure for an age of pain.
Plot Summary
A proud and spirited colt rejects all attempts at training, preferring to run wild and free during the summer. When winter arrives, bringing harsh conditions, the suffering colt seeks shelter and food from a farmer it once scorned. The farmer takes it in, but then puts the colt to relentless, back-breaking labor. The colt, now broken and full of regret, laments its past arrogance, realizing its pride led to a life of servitude instead of the glory it could have achieved.
Themes
Emotional Arc
pride to humility
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often reflect societal values regarding obedience, hard work, and the consequences of poor choices, common themes in pre-industrial agrarian societies.
Plot Beats (9)
- A young, strong, and beautiful colt, full of pride, rejects all attempts by its groom and master to train it.
- The colt cherishes its freedom and runs wild across the plains, enjoying the lush summer landscape and abundant food.
- Summer ends, and a harsh winter sets in, covering the ground with snow, freezing streams, and bringing cold winds and hail.
- The colt, now weak, cold, and unsheltered, looks for refuge and sees a farmer's cottage, which it previously disdained.
- It approaches the farmer's yard, its pride forgotten, seeking the warmth and shelter of a stable.
- The farmer, seeing the colt's pitiful state, kindly leads it to the stable, feeds it, and provides bedding.
- The next morning, the colt is put to work, forced to carry heavy loads to market, enduring blows when it resists.
- The following day, its toil continues as it is chained to a plough to break the soil, receiving only meager meals for its painful labor.
- Subdued and full of anguish, the colt bitterly regrets its past arrogance and folly, realizing its pride led to a life of endless servitude instead of the success it could have had.
Characters
The Colt
A young, spirited horse of a running breed, initially possessing youthful strength and beauty. During summer, he is well-fed and muscular. By winter, he becomes lank and unsheltered, his limbs tottering with weakness from cold and hunger.
Attire: None, as he is a horse. His natural coat is his only covering.
Wants: Initially, to live a life of unrestrained freedom and pleasure. Later, to survive the harsh winter and find shelter and food.
Flaw: Arrogance, folly, and a disdain for control, leading him to reject discipline and foresight.
Transforms from a proud, wild, and free colt into a subdued, toiling, and regretful beast of burden, learning the hard lesson that unchecked freedom leads to lasting servitude.
Arrogant, proud, freedom-loving, rebellious, short-sighted, regretful, eventually submissive.
The Farmer
A practical, weathered man, likely of sturdy build from a life of manual labor. His appearance would reflect the harshness of farm life, perhaps with calloused hands and a sun-darkened face.
Attire: Simple, durable peasant clothing typical of an 18th-century European farmer: a coarse linen shirt, woolen breeches, a sturdy waistcoat, and practical leather boots. His clothes would be functional, possibly patched, and earth-toned.
Wants: To manage his farm, ensure his animals are productive, and survive the winter. He sees the colt as a resource.
Flaw: None explicitly stated, but perhaps a lack of empathy for the colt's past freedom, viewing him purely as a tool.
Remains consistent; he is a force of nature (or society) that the colt eventually submits to.
Practical, observant, firm, unsentimental, providing shelter and food out of necessity and then demanding labor in return.
Locations
Spacious Plain / Flowery Meadow
A vast, open plain covered with a 'flowery carpet' of luxuriant nature, where 'bubbling streams' softly glide to cool and freshen the grass. It is unbounded and offers abundant forage.
Mood: Free, abundant, idyllic, wild, carefree.
The colt revels in his freedom, disdaining control and enjoying the bounty of nature.
Winter Plain
The same plain, now transformed by winter. Trees are bare, verdure is withered, and the ground is covered in 'perpetual snows'. Streams are 'bound in icy chains', and 'cold, nipping winds, and rattling hail' assail the landscape.
Mood: Desolate, harsh, freezing, unforgiving, bleak.
The colt experiences the harsh realities of winter, realizing the lack of shelter and sustenance in the wild.
Farmer's Thatched-Roof Cottage and Yard
A humble, 'thatched-roof cottage' with a welcoming yard. This is the farmer's property, offering shelter and warmth, contrasting sharply with the harsh winter outside.
Mood: Hopeful, welcoming, safe, rustic, humble.
The colt, desperate from the cold, sees the cottage as a beacon of hope and seeks refuge in the farmer's yard.
Farmer's Stable
A stable, once scorned by the colt, now a 'wished retreat'. It provides warmth, shelter, and food, contrasting with the outdoor elements.
Mood: Warm, safe, secure, initially comforting, later a place of servitude.
The colt is led into the stable, fed, and sheltered, finding temporary relief from the winter. It later becomes his place of rest after hard labor.