22 Feb Life loves the brave (JEAN DE LA FONTAINE)
The path of certainty never leads to glory! The history has recorded that a knight errant, in company with a friend sought his fortune in a romantic country. He had not traveled far when his companion observed a post, on which was written the following inscription: “Brave passer-by, if you have a desire to discover that which has never been seen by any knight errant, you have only 10 pass this torrent, and then take in your arms an elephant of stone and carry it in one breath to the summit of this mountain, whose noble head seems blended with the sky.” “But,” said the knight’s companion, “the water may be deep as well as rapid, and though, notwithstanding, we should pass it, why should we be with an elephant? What a cally and with nice elephant might be carried four steps. but for conveying it to the top of the mountain in one breath, that was not in the power of a mortal, unless it should be the dwarf figure of an elephant, fit only to be placed on the top of a stick; and then what honor would there be in such an adventure? “There is,” said he “some deception in this writing. It is an enigma only fit to amuse a child. I shall therefore leave you and your elephant.”departed; but the young man rushed with his eyes closed across the water, neither depth nor violence prevented him, and according to the inscription he saw the elephant lying on the opposite bank. He took it and carried it to the top of the hill, where he saw a town. A shriek from the elephant alarmed the people of the city, who rose in arms; but the young, nothing daunted, was deter mined to die a hero The people, however, were awed by his presence, and he was astonished to hear them proclaim him successor to their king, who had recently died. Great enterprises are only achieved by adventurous spirits. They who calculate with too great nicery every difficulty and obstacle which is likely to tie in their way, lose that time in hesitation. which the more daring seize and render avail able to the loftiest purposes
FABLES.
JEAN DE LA FONTAINE, 1621-1695
