LE CIERGE
by Jean de La Fontaine · from Fables de La Fontaine
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, there were special bees. They made sweet honey and soft wax. These bees lived in pretty homes. They worked hard every day. They made lots of sweet honey. They also made soft, yellow wax. This wax was very good.
People took the sweet honey. They left the soft wax. Workers used the wax. They made many things. They made small candles from the wax. Our Little Wax Candle was one. It was white and thin. It stood very still. It was ready for its job.
The Little Wax Candle looked around. It saw a Strong Brick. The brick was red and very hard. Fire made the brick strong. The brick stayed the same for many years. It did not change at all. It was strong and firm. The Little Wax Candle watched it. It wished to be strong too.
The Little Wax Candle had a big wish. It wanted to be like the Strong Brick. It wanted to be strong and hard. It wanted to stay forever and ever. It thought fire made the brick so strong. It thought fire could make *it* strong too. It did not know its soft wax. It had a very silly idea.
It saw the bright, hot fire. It wished to be strong. It decided to go near the fire. It wanted to be like the Strong Brick. It moved closer to the hot, dancing flames. It thought the fire would make it hard. It made a very big mistake.
It did not know its nature. It was made of soft, soft wax. The fire was too hot for wax. It got very, very hot. It started to get soft right away. Then it melted away quickly. It turned into a small puddle. It was not strong like the brick.
The Little Wax Candle learned a sad lesson. It is good to know what you are. Everyone is special and different. A candle is not a brick. A brick is not a candle. Each one has its own job. It is important to know your own self. Be happy with who you are.
Original Story
LE CIERGE.
C’est du séjour des dieux que les abeilles viennent.
Les premières, dit-on, s’en allèrent loger
Au mont Hymette[64], et se gorger
Des trésors qu’en ce lieu les zéphyrs entretiennent.
Quand on eut des palais de ces filles du ciel
Enlevé l’ambrosie en leurs chambres enclose,
Ou, pour dire en françois la chose,
Après que les ruches sans miel
N’eurent plus que la cire, on fit mainte bougie,
Maint cierge aussi fut façonné.
Un d’eux voyant la terre en brique au feu durcie
Vaincre l’effort des ans, il eut la même envie;
Et, nouvel Empédocle[65] aux flammes condamné
Par sa propre et pure folie,
Il se lança dedans. Ce fut mal raisonné:
Ce cierge ne savoit grain de philosophie.
Tout en tout est divers: ôtez-vous de l’esprit
Qu’aucun être ait été composé sur le vôtre.
L’Empédocle de cire au brasier se fondit:
Il n’étoit pas plus fou que l’autre.
XIII
Story DNA
Moral
Do not compare yourself to others or attempt to imitate them without understanding your own nature and limitations.
Plot Summary
Bees, said to come from the gods, produce wax which is then used to make tapers. One taper, observing a brick hardened by fire and enduring through time, foolishly desires to achieve the same permanence. In its ignorance, the taper throws itself into the flames, only to melt instantly. The story concludes by emphasizing that all beings are diverse and should not attempt to imitate others without understanding their own fundamental nature.
Themes
Emotional Arc
ignorance to destruction
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Jean de La Fontaine was a 17th-century French fabulist, known for drawing on classical sources and animal fables to satirize human nature and societal norms.
Plot Beats (7)
- Bees, divine in origin, are described as producing honey and wax.
- After honey is extracted, the remaining wax is used to create candles and tapers.
- One taper observes a brick, hardened by fire, which withstands the test of time.
- Inspired by the brick's durability, the taper foolishly wishes to achieve the same permanence.
- The taper, likened to Empedocles, throws itself into the fire.
- The taper, lacking philosophical understanding of its own composition, immediately melts.
- The narrator concludes that all beings are diverse and no two are composed alike, emphasizing the taper's folly.
Characters
Le Cierge (The Wax Candle)
A cylindrical object, initially solid and white, made entirely of beeswax. Its height and girth are typical of a large candle or taper, designed to provide light. It possesses a wick running through its core.
Attire: N/A (object)
Wants: To achieve immortality and permanence, like the fire-hardened brick, by imitating its perceived method of endurance.
Flaw: Ignorance of its own nature and the fundamental differences between materials; a profound lack of self-awareness and philosophical understanding.
Begins as an ordinary wax candle, develops an ambition for permanence, and ends by self-destructing in fire, proving its folly.
Impulsive, envious, foolish, lacking in wisdom, self-destructive.
La Brique (The Brick)
A rectangular block of earth, hardened by fire, with a rough, reddish-brown or terracotta surface. It appears sturdy and resistant to the passage of time.
Attire: N/A (object)
Wants: N/A (inanimate object, serves as a symbol of permanence)
Flaw: N/A (its role is to represent strength)
Remains unchanged throughout the story, serving as a static symbol of endurance.
Resilient, enduring, stoic (as an inanimate object).
Empédocle (Empedocles)
A historical Greek philosopher, likely depicted with the typical appearance of an ancient Greek scholar: a robust build, perhaps with a beard, reflecting his status and intellectual pursuits.
Attire: Simple, flowing chiton or himation, typical of ancient Greek attire, likely in natural, undyed linen or wool.
Wants: To prove his divinity or achieve immortality by leaping into Mount Etna, driven by 'sa propre et pure folie' (his own pure folly).
Flaw: Hubris, a 'pure folly' that led to his self-destruction.
N/A (serves as a historical reference point for folly)
Philosophical, perhaps eccentric, driven by his own unique (and ultimately self-destructive) beliefs.
Locations
Mount Hymettus
A mountain known for its abundant flora, where the first bees are said to have settled, gathering nectar from the treasures maintained by the zephyrs.
Mood: Natural, bountiful, ancient, idyllic.
The mythical origin place where bees first settled and gathered ambrosia.
Wax Workshop/Candle Maker's Space
A functional space where beeswax, after the honey has been removed from the hives, is processed into candles and tapers.
Mood: Industrial, practical, warm from heat sources.
The place where the wax is transformed into candles and where the ambitious taper is created.
Brick Kiln/Furnace Interior
A fiery, enclosed space where clay bricks are hardened by intense heat, making them resistant to the passage of time.
Mood: Intense, dangerous, destructive, fiery.
The location where the taper, in its folly, throws itself, believing it can achieve the same permanence as brick.