The Tortoise and the Mouse

A tortoise crawling o’er the plain,
Bearing her shelly house,
Met ‘fore she long had traveled
A fat and pompous mouse,
Who said: “I pity one past telling,
Who hath to carry such a dwelling.”

“Reserve your pity, pray, my friend,”
The tortoise calm replied,
“And hie you to the palaces
Of man, to bloat your pride;
Though mine is formed of clumsy bone,
And is not handsome– ’tis my own.”

* * * * *

The Shepherd and His Sheep

A shepherd shearing sheep one day
Declaimed most zealously
Upon the care was ta’en of sheep,
From utter charity.
How they had homes to rest their feet
And in the winter food to eat.

The sheep he held was mute —”
The angry peasant cried,
“Ungrateful! no acknowledgment?”
When calmly it replied —”
“Well, God must pay men for their care:
From what is made the coats they wear?”

Translation from Poets and Poetry of Poland A Collection of Polish Verse, Including a Short Account of the History of Polish Poetry, with Sixty Biographical Sketches of Poland’s Poets and Specimens of Their Composition by Paul Soboleski

Żółw i Mysz

Że zamknięty w skorupie niewygodnie siedział,
Żałowała mysz żółwia; żółw jej odpowiedział:
“Miej ty sobie pałace, ja mój domek ciasny;
Prawda, nie jest wspaniały – szczupły, ale własny”.

* * * * *

Owieczka i Pasterz

Strzygąc pasterz owieczkę nad tym się rozwodził,
Jak wiele prac ponosi, żeby jej dogodził.
Że milczała: “Niewdzięczna!” – żwawie ją ofuknie.
Więc rzekła: “Bóg ci zapłać… a z czego te suknie?”