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Les Fables de La Fontaine: L’Huître et les Plaideurs Posted by on Sep 26, 2014 in Uncategorized

Famous French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine offers us another poetic gem in L’Huître et les Plaideurs (The Oyster and the Litigants). La Fontaine was not only a master of the French language but had the ability to tell des histoires (stories) that people from all walks of life could relate to.

You will notice that this fable strays from the typical discourse entre deux animaux (between two animals) and instead focuses on a debate entre trois hommes (between three men). The first two argue over who can lay claim to an oyster while the third acts as a judge and settles the matter by eating it, leaving the others empty-handed!

 

Un jour deux pèlerins sur le sable rencontrent

Une Huître, que le flot y venait d’apporter :

Ils l’avalent des yeux, du doigt ils se la montrent ;

À l’égard de la dent il fallut contester.

L’un se baissait déjà pour amasser la proie ;

L’autre le pousse, et dit : « Il est bon de savoir

Qui de nous en aura la joie.

Celui qui le premier a pu l’apercevoir

En sera le gobeur ; l’autre le verra faire.

– Si par là l’on juge l’affaire,

Reprit son compagnon, j’ai l’oeil bon, Dieu merci.

– Je ne l’ai pas mauvais aussi,

Dit l’autre ; et je l’ai vue avant vous, sur ma vie.

– Hé bien ! vous l’avez vue ; et moi je l’ai sentie. »

Pendant tout ce bel incident,

Perrin Dandin arrive : ils le prennent pour juge.

Perrin, fort gravement, ouvre l’Huître, et la gruge,

Nos deux messieurs le regardant.

Ce repas fait, il dit d’un ton de président :

« Tenez, la cour vous donne à chacun une écaille

Sans dépens ; et qu’en paix chacun chez soi s’en aille. »

Mettez ce qu’il en coûte à plaider aujourd’hui ;

Comptez ce qu’il en reste à beaucoup de familles ;

Vous verrez que Perrin tire l’argent à lui,

Et ne laisse aux plaideurs que le sac et les quilles.

 

Two pilgrims on the sand espied

An oyster thrown up by the tide.

In hope, both swallow’d ocean’s fruit;

But ere the fact there came dispute.

While one stoop’d down to take the prey,

The other push’d him quite away.

Said he, “‘Twere rather meet

To settle which shall eat.

Why, he who first the oyster saw

Should be its eater by the law;

The other should but see him do it.”

Replied his mate, “If thus you view it,

Thank God the lucky eye is mine.”

“But I’ve an eye not worse than thine,”

The other cried, “and will be cursed,

If, too, I didn’t see it first.”

“You saw it, did you? Grant it true,

I saw it then, and felt it too.”

Amidst this sweet affair,

Arrived a person very big,

Ycleped Sir Nincom Periwig.

They made him judge,—to set the matter square.

Sir Nincom, with a solemn face,

Took up the oyster and the case:

In opening both, the first he swallow’d,

And, in due time, his judgment follow’d.

“Attend: the court awards you each a shell

Cost free; depart in peace, and use them well.”

Foot up the cost of suits at law,

The leavings reckon and awards,

The cash you’ll see Sir Nincom draw,

And leave the parties—purse and cards.

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