ZAJĄC I ŻABA
by Adam Mickiewicz · from Bajki
Adapted Version
Once there was a little Hare. He felt very, very sad. He was always scared. He often felt much trouble. He felt much fear. Now, he felt very tired. His strong legs felt weak. He felt very, very sad inside. He wanted the fear to stop. He wanted to feel happy.
The Hare felt very, very bad. He thought he was the saddest. Many creatures chased him. Dogs chased him. Foxes chased him. Birds chased him. They chased him all day. They chased him all night. He was always scared.
Even at night, he was scared. A small bug made him jump. His heart beat very fast. He was never calm. He was always scared. He was never happy. This life felt too hard. He did not like it.
He felt so very, very sad. He wanted to go away. He wanted to hide always. He wanted the sadness to stop. He wanted quiet. He wanted peace. He did not want to be scared.
He said goodbye to his field. He said goodbye to his food. He loved the green cabbage. He loved the sweet turnip. He said goodbye with tears. He went to the pond. He wanted to hide there. He wanted sadness to go.
The Hare hopped to the pond. His hops were slow. He felt very sad. He cried big tears. He walked by the water. Then, he stepped on a thing. It was a little Frog.
The Frog was very scared. It jumped very fast. It jumped like a small rocket. It went from under his foot. Splash! The Frog went into the water. It hid in the pond.
The Hare saw the scared Frog. The little Frog was scared of him. The Hare was big to the Frog. He thought, 'I am scared. Others fear me too.' All feels scared at times. This made him feel much better. He did not want to hide no more. He felt a little happy. His heart felt light. He did not feel sad.
The Hare knew that day. All feels scared at times. Even big creatures feel scared. This made him feel much better. He hopped home. He was not sad no more. He knew he was not alone.
Original Story
ZAJĄC i ŻABA.
Szarak, co nieraz bywał w kłopotach i trwogach,
Nie tracąc serca, póki czuł się rączy,
Teraz podupadł na nogach,
Poczuł, że się źle z nim skończy;
Więc jęknął z głębi serca: „Ach, nie masz pod słońcem
Lichszego powołania, jak zostać zającem,
Co mię w dzień pies, lis, konik, kania,
I wrona,
Nawet i ona,
Jak chce, tak gania!
A w noc gdy drzemię, oko się nie zmrużą,
Bo lada komar bzyknie przez siatki pajęcze,
Wnet drży me serce zajęcze,
Tchórząc tchórzliwiej od tchórza.
Zbrzydło mi życie, co jest wiecznym niepokojem;
Postanowiłem dziś je skończyć samobojem.
Żegnaj więc, miedzo, lat mych wiośnianych kolebko!
Wy, kochanki młodości, kapusto i rzepko,
Pożegnalnemi łzami dozwólcie się skropić.
Oznajmuję wszem w obec, że idę się topić!”
Tak z płaczem gdy do stawu zwraca skoki słabe,
Po drodze stąpił na żabę.
Ta mu, jak raca, drgnąwszy z pod nóg szusła
I z góry na łeb w staw plusła.
A zając rzekł do siebie: „Niech nikt nie narzeka,
Że jest tchórzem bo cały świat na tchórzu stoi!
Każdy ma swoją żabę, co przed nim ucieka
I swojego zająca, którego się boi!”
Story DNA
Moral
Everyone experiences fear and is both a 'coward' and a 'bully' in different contexts; one's own suffering is not unique.
Plot Summary
A perpetually fearful hare, weary of his miserable existence, decides to end his life. As he tearfully makes his way to a pond, he accidentally steps on a frog, which flees in terror. Witnessing the frog's fear, the hare realizes that everyone experiences fear and is both a 'coward' and a 'bully' in different situations, leading him to abandon his suicidal thoughts and gain a new perspective on his own suffering.
Themes
Emotional Arc
despair to realization
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Adam Mickiewicz was a major figure in Polish Romanticism, and his fables often carried deep philosophical or moral messages, reflecting the intellectual currents of his time.
Plot Beats (8)
- A hare, who has often faced trouble and fear, feels his strength failing and believes his end is near.
- He laments his fate, describing himself as the most wretched creature, hunted by various animals day and night.
- He expresses his constant fear, even of a mosquito at night, and declares his life of eternal unrest to be unbearable.
- The hare decides to commit suicide to escape his misery.
- He bids a dramatic farewell to his beloved meadows, cabbage, and turnip, announcing his intention to drown himself.
- As he hops towards the pond, weeping, he steps on a frog.
- The frog, startled, jumps like a rocket from under his feet and splashes headfirst into the pond.
- The hare, witnessing the frog's fear, realizes that everyone experiences fear and is both a 'coward' and a 'bully' in different situations, thus abandoning his suicidal thoughts.
Characters
Szarak (The Hare)
A medium-sized European hare, lean and agile, with long, powerful hind legs. His fur is a mottled brown and grey, blending well with dry grass and earth. His ears are long and tipped with black, and his tail is short and fluffy white underneath.
Attire: None, as he is an animal.
Wants: To escape constant fear and find peace, even if it means ending his life. Later, his motivation shifts to understanding his place in the world's hierarchy of fear.
Flaw: His overwhelming fear and self-pity, which blind him to his own strengths and the relative nature of fear.
He transforms from a creature consumed by self-pity and suicidal despair into one who gains a philosophical understanding of fear's universality, realizing that even the most timid creatures have others who fear them.
Cowardly, anxious, self-pitying, prone to despair, but also capable of a sudden shift in perspective. He is initially overwhelmed by his fears.
Żaba (The Frog)
A common European green frog, plump and squat, with smooth, moist, olive-green skin mottled with darker patches. Its legs are powerful and adapted for jumping.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: To escape perceived danger.
Flaw: Its small size and vulnerability to larger creatures.
Does not have a personal arc; serves as a catalyst for the Hare's realization.
Instinctively fearful and reactive, demonstrating the universal nature of self-preservation.
Locations
The Meadow's Edge
A transitional area at the edge of a meadow, likely bordering a field, where the hare contemplates its fate. The ground would be a mix of grass and possibly some cultivated plants like cabbage and turnip.
Mood: despondent, melancholic, reflective
The hare, feeling utterly miserable and persecuted, decides to end its life, bidding farewell to its familiar surroundings.
The Pond's Edge
The immediate vicinity of a pond or small lake, where the hare encounters the frog. The ground would be damp, possibly muddy, with reeds or other aquatic vegetation growing at the water's edge.
Mood: tense, then suddenly surprising and revelatory
As the hare approaches the pond to drown itself, it accidentally steps on a frog, which leaps into the water in fright, causing the hare to have an epiphany.