Fables from Boccaccio and Chaucer, Dr. John Aikin (1747-1822)
A goose who was plucking grass upon a common thought herself affronted by a horse who fed near her; and in hissing accents, thus addressed him: “I am certainly a more noble and perfect animal than you, for the whole range and extent of your faculties is confined to one element.”
“I can walk upon the ground as well as you; I have, besides, wings, with which I can raise myself in the air; and when I please, I can sport on ponds and lakes, and refresh myself in the cool waters. I enjoy the different powers of a bird, a fish and a quadruped.”
The horse, snorting somewhat disdainfully, replied: “It is true you inhabit three elements, but you make no very distinguished figure in any one of them. You fly, indeed; but your flight is so heavy and clumsy, that you have no right to put yourself on a level with the lark or the swallow.”
“You can swim on the surface of the waters, but you cannot live in them as fishes do; you cannot find your food in that element, nor glide smoothly along the bottom of the waves.”
“And when you walk, or rather waddle, upon the ground, with your broad feet and long neck stretched out, hissing at everyone who passes by, you bring upon yourself the derision of the beholders.”
“I confess that I am formed only to move upon the ground; but how graceful is my make! How well turned my limbs! How highly finished my whole body! How great my strength! how astonishing my speed! I had much rather be confined to one element, and be admired in that, than be a goose in all!”
até mesmo o sonho é a morte – ele vai lutar até que ele pare, ele vai fechar as portas, ela nunca vai deixar você sozinho. talvez dizer que existem mundos melhores do que isso, ou dizer que a sobrevivência é para aqueles que se encaixam. Eu não me encaixo nesta vida.
There are advantages to be good at one thing. You get the honor of being named as a Master, etc. However, in terms of work, people are expected to wear many hats now a days -to be a Jack of everything with a little mastery of something. I think of FOCUS here as being “focused at the task at hand”. =)
hahahhaha lol This is me… the goose!!!! :D hilariouse!!! LOVELY!!1.. I should be more careful…. I love horses… but… :) to RIDE, ONLY! :P lol..hehhehe…
i guesss i have to find my way too.my family has lost its way!
Do you really think we can be focus all the time? there are certain situations when we have to be like the goose to find our way, even when being like the horse is our true happiness, exploding our qualities.
I´m like the goose sometimes…and always trying to be a horse…but I think you´re right…all the situations are necessary! I´ll try to FOOOCUUUSSS.
Well I think its fine but not true. Even though focus is good Id rather be a goose.The goose has seen things and done things than the horse will never do, its life is more complex, its enviroment too, the ability to switch from one to the other is amazing and though its not the best in any of them at the end of the day the goose would probably be a better writer or philosopher than the horse would ever grasp…
You can be spread out and wise or onedimensional and a square (or like always, anything in between).
Sinceramente, eu já vim ler algumas vezes essa história e cada vez mais acho que tanto o ganso quanto o cavalo são únicos na sua categoria e na sua posição viva de ser ganso ou ser o cavalo. Que importa? Tudos tem beleza, todos tem força. Cada um é cada um e Deus fez assim porque precisa das diferenças para equilibrar as coisas.
Nesse caso aí, tanto um, quanto o outro, estão emocionalmente confusos, pelo tipo de conversa que tiveram. Quando derem por si que unindo suas mentes o negócio muda de visão, passarão a trabalhar juntos e admirar um ao outro, mesmo com seus limites físicos.
grande beijo,
Amor,
Mari.
* pela tradução que consegui fazer, foi o que eu entendi.
Lovely, Being a goose makes U lose track some time..but remebering our talents and being who we r is all that’s meant to be..AMEEN!
In the word focus, I think of photography! A possibility of having several angles of view. To compare with the others doesn’t have interest because we are all different. It reminds me the story seen on this blog. Persons who meet around a table with the attached hands. They have the choice to feed by helping or to starve. We have all something to share us with the others :)
Light & Love,
Como podemos negar el exito del ganso, siendo un animal no en extincion, aunque seamos muy buenos en una cosa, no podemos deshechar las otras, Paulo para tener el exito como escritor, tubo que practicar otras artes, no es asi?
Claro que devemos dedicarnos a lo que nos gusta pero eso embuelve algunas cosillas en las que no seamos tan buenos y que nos llevan a la perfeccion de nuestro don.
And yet a horse can swim when it has to and take great leaps into the air to clear obstacles. Whilst this is a fable about focus, it is also a fable about how arrogance and one up-man-ship keeps us divided. The goose comes out as the second class citizen and yet the goose is as perfect a creation as the horse in the eyes of God.
It is perfectly possible to be good at, and to succeed at, more than one thing in life. Many parents do this, having both careers and children and the goose is a fearcly protective mother. It was the goose that laid the golden egg in the fairy tale and as a power animal the goose is a powerful protector and instagator of new birth.
Focus can only happen in the moment you are in, that’s where it has the power to manifest, that is how it is possible to be good at more than one thing in life. Be fully focused in the moment on what you are doing and not distracted by anything else. The goose migrates over thousands of miles every year and is focused on that journey, if it wasn’t it would never make it. The hores makes no such journey unless man takes it on one.
Blessings
Rebecca
that is a grat thot explained by u Rebecca!!!
God bless u..
well .there is other side of the story ,even if you are a giftted goose with all the perfect ability ,you dont have the right to disrespect others’quality.
I think the goose felt jealouse about the hourses appearance that is why wanted to account her gift .although hourse is strong creature but he is notthe only perfect animal .we should not forget that hourse are more cloeaver than gooses.
thank you
dear coelho,
this word defined the whole journey of life..’focus’
such wonderful fables from bocaccio and chaucer!
wow!
what a treasure.
so many ways = foci to look at a story …
how much it has broadened “my reality”.
learned so much from all your comments.
Thank you all <3
the PCB is truly special. thanks paul, for all your efforts and digging for topics.
I am a vegetarian, so i would not eat the snails…or kill them, what you should do? Call animal services or something and let them take ‘m out of the garden???
Try not to react on the Goose, whom is clearly insecure of his/hers own being. As the Horse react… same thing, Aldo the answer ‘to be a Goose in all’ is very nice put, hihi.
We are all how we are suppose to be and unique in our own being and all worth the same. All Equal.
To be successful in the world today, one needs a trade by which he is skilled enough to make a difference or at least a sustainable living. In this plight, the person learns much about a particular subject and disregards others, thus losing potential for other things (as certain principles in economics will exemplify). It is with this new direction that the individual takes, and the relinquished potential for an infinity of capabilities that fear steps in. So for me, the fable is telling us that we should know what person we are geared towards becoming, have the courage to become that person and to the best of our ability, aim to achieve greatness. For there is beauty in greatness and we live to share it with the rest of the world to give them a chance to see this spectacle and have an ambition at greatness themselves. Thank you, Mr. Coelho. I’m a fan of your greatness.
i’l like to thank every body for making me think about this funny short story in many ways..thank you paulo and thank you Olta Ana for your wise message :)
I think this is an excellent article on Mother’s Day. Let mothers be mothers and leave the careers to men!
I love you amma (mom) for dedicating yourself to us children. You are my hero! Happy Mother’s Day to you amma!
Speaking as woman, I have to say to have a choice of career is better, whether it be working, raising a family, or both…afterall the definition of career… is chosen pursuit, path or course.
Glad you love your Mum.
Let mothers be mothers and leave the careers to men!>> In which century do you think we are living?! you didn’t understand at all the moral of the story…
Look around: you will count more geese than horses ,,,
Dear Paolo,
Thank you for sharing this interesting fable to remind us of humbleness. Yes, it’s wiser to think twice before you say (or sing)- “I’m simply the best!”
Today as most of our thoughts are FOCUSed on the very important role of a mother(it’s Mothers Day where I live), let me share with you and everyone this beautiful piece –
ON MOTHERS by Kahlil Gibran
“The MOTHER is every thing – she is our consolation in sorrow; our hope in misery, and our strength in weakness.
She is the source of love, mercy, sympathy, and forgiveness. He who loses his mother loses a pure soul who blesses and guards him constantly.
Every thing in nature bespeaks the mother. The sun is the mother of the earth and gives it its nourishment of heat; it never leaves the universe at night until it has put the earth to sleep to the song of the sea and the hymn of the birds and brooks. And this earth is the mother of trees and flowers. It produces them, nurses them, and weans them. The trees and flowers become kind mothers of their great fruits and seeds.
And, the mother, the prototype of all existence, is the eternal spirit, full of beauty and love.”
Happy Mothers Day!
Love,
Luzette
When I was ten I read “Nils Holgerson”. Since that time I am facinated by wild geese. I also like horses and I rided when I was young,…
but if I had to chose,
I would be a goose!
Quack!
Does it really matter whether you are a jack of all trades or a master of one.
To be most pitied is he who feels compelled to compare his choices against those of others in order to be content in what he has chosen!
Find your thing and just do it! Whatever ‘it’ is.
Pues a mi me parece que el ganso disfrutaba de la vida y el caballo era demasiado presuntuoso. jajajaja
No estoy de acuerdo con esta fabula, como moraleja sacaria que el ganso era curioso, y aunque no llegara a perfeccionar su estilo en ningun campo el pobre lo intentaba, por contra el caballo parece que no se despeinaba el flequillo.
SALUD Y AMOR
I’m with the generalist goose on this one. The horse is a specialist: one who learns more and more about less and less until finally he knows everything about nothing.
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
“Specialization is for insects.”
-Robert A. Heinlein
Ha ha! Nicely written. However, focus has its uses. I think being focused and strong in one particular thing gives one confidence. And this confidence establishes in one’s personality, which then helps us face many different obstacles and challenges that you have so nicely outlined :)And secondly, we must differentiate between focus and narrow-mindedness. We can be the horse, but not one with the eye patches, which can look in only one direction!
That was an awesome way to exemplify the FOCUS meaning… I wish this in portuguese version if I can? Paulo, I’m from Brazil, and I wanna show it for team at the job, we have been willing to be more focused in what is more important. I really enjoyed it, thanks!!!!!
Very funny!
In the times that this proverb was written, both the horse would of ended up in the knackers yard, and the goose stuffed to be devoured as a Sunday roast. ;)
Self importance is and isn’t important but it needs perspective, after all who can take credit for something that was not created by themselves?
They were born that way to be what they are, different, and both beautiful in their own ways as nature intended.
And focus needs to be applied to bring everything into perspective otherwise no sense can be made of anything, at least not to me.
Thank you.
Very teachable…One can learn not to be higer from others.I mean we’re not better not worst than each we’re all just different from each other.
Regarding this goose think it was just one silly goose who thinks he’s better than other animals.So stimes same like some individuals acting themselves like this silly goose…
But originnaly nothing to compare: goose have own abilities & horse has own,each of them beautful creations of God…
By the way evbody knows that in ancient times ancient Roms used gooses insted of dogs as a guard at their homes since goose have the special ability to hear any tiny noise & notice evth around night or day.
So each of us we’re good in one thing & weak fr other things,each of us’ve + & – so it depends fr us either we want to improve our abilities or stay in same stage…
I am sympathetic to the duck. :-)
I meant I am sympathetic to the goose. You see I am not focused at all.
Goose or duck…they both taste nice to me. In fact horse is pretty tasty as well. This isn’t meant to be flippant….whilst they argue amongst themselves, we sharpen our knives.
In other words, don’t take yourself too seriously, we all face the same fate…sometimes much sooner than we’d wish.
,said a fatalistic lion, who came just strolling along.
Speaking these words the ground under his paws gave way and he fell into a deep trap.
Worth Reading, very nice
Better to have a mastery than to be Jack of all trade but master of none.
Hahaha funny!
I find it funny the way they make publicity to themselves and still none of both of them is better than the other. The horse might be graceful in what he does but the goose can enjoy much more things than the horse.
Silly goose and horse! :P
You said Focus! But focus where?
What I can see here and believe is that either you focus too much in yourself it is not good and either seeing other’s qualities as better than ours it is not the way. We have inside all what we need, but even so lets not think we got all what is needed to be better than the others are.
A few days ago me and my friend we decided to go at a place where a Saint has spent a night in a cave. It is a mountain and now there is a church up there.
People visit that place a lot and there are people from all the world who come there. I believe in that place because there have been made miracles because of that place and that Saint, Saint Anthony.
At one moment I got concentrated at the priest who was talking, and at the people around. That day the place was really crowded, and I said to myself, “OMG what a mess! These people walking everywhere, seem to not care about what he is saying! These people…” And than I said to myself, “Do you think that you are any better than them? No way!!! You would do the same thing if you would not care or just be concentrated to the priest.” Tan I thought about many things and many people but lets just remember one great figure in such case.
JESUS! He is GOD and still when he was living as a man he prayed a lot to fight with his human weaknesses. He is GOD and he still prayed. That is not just an example but is a lesson to not forget.
I let my heart speak up the truth I didn’t wanted to hear when I was in the midst of that crowd, and my heart’s words were: “Look these people carry with themselves their mountains of mistakes and faults and U have yours too. They might not be all the same but there’s no difference because we all are human and probably could make the same mistakes. No! Don’t be silly by comparing the mountains you carry but know that U are the same, U are human.”
Than I thought about this post:
“Stories of kings and wise men
- Honored greetings, Your Majesty – said the holy man. – When I heard that the king of Spain was coming this way, I resolved to recover the bones of your late father and present them to you. But however hard I search, I cannot find them: they are exactly the same as the bones of country folk, the poor, beggars and slaves.”
Thank you Paulo!
Love
Olta
Such wise and inspiring texts a lot to learn from them. Thank you Paulo and Olta Ana for your insight.
Helena
Each being has qualities, a goose is a goose, so no need to compare with other animals.Now I am angry on snails, because there are many in moms garden, eating plants, floweres, climbing on tree. Mom gatherd lots of snails and take them to river, but they increase fast in number. Any of you have idea how can one get rid of too many snails?
Recipes
Escargot Mushrooms
“Snails are sauteed in garlic butter and stuffed in mushroom caps. When microwaving the mushroom caps, be careful they don’t shrivel. Serve with garlic bread to lap up the running juices.”
Dear Alexandra the solution is to … cook them! ;-] There are many recipes in the Google! People like them; I do not!
LOVE,
Thelma xxx
with parsley and garlic
Try beer traps. Put beer into little pots and put them into the ground. Snails like beer, they will fall in. No fun, it works.
The lens is a transparent body bounded by at least two refractive surfaces ( goggles ), resulting in an optical system based on the natural phenomenon of refraction . Το πότε ακριβώς επινοήθηκαν οι φακοί δεν είναι γνωστό. When exactly invented the lenses are not known. Αυτό όμως που είναι βέβαιο είναι ότι ήταν γνωστοί στους αρχαίους Έλληνες που το χρησιμοποιούσαν για το άναμμα της φωτιάς με συγκέντρωση των ηλιακών ακτίνων, όπως συνάγεται καταφανώς από τους στίχους του Αριστοφάνη στις Νεφέλες : « …την λίθον την καλήν, την διαφανή, αφ ής το πυρ άπτουσιν » κ.λπ. But what is certain is that he was known to the ancient Greeks used it for lighting the fire with a concentration of solar radiation, as can be seen clearly from the lyrics of Aristophanes in the Clouds “… the stone kalin on the transparent hand price aptousin the fire “etc. [extract from GOOGLE]
..To ‘concentrate the ‘energy’ and … light a FIRE! This is the Element of FIRE! We are what we are: a … horse or a goose; we have our personality and talents. Each one of us is UNIGUE. The more knowledge we gather, use and apply in our Path, the better solutions we find. Of course we have our limits and standards. But in each step we make, by focusing our energy and power of mind and FAITH, we can not only proceed one step but make … the LEAP OF FAITH! To use our energy, sometimes our .. obsession, to achieve our goals! TO BE ‘in love’ with … LIFE and act as a .. jealous lover with … zest and zeal! ;-] To overcome .. our three-dimensional limits and become the omnipotent real, luminous SELF = OUR DREAMS!
LOVE,
Thelma xxx
I like this.It throws more light on personalities.I can see ,hear lot of people ,for the sake money and power ,equating a goose to a fish which can swim underwater ,to a surface animal as elegant as a Cheetah and to a bird as big as an Eagle.Yes in India it’s happening!!!!!!
i think that’s what i need now. FOCUS. so i could decide on what i really want to do with my life. :)