{"id":15622,"date":"2012-07-11T22:55:01","date_gmt":"2012-07-11T20:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=15622"},"modified":"2017-10-20T13:36:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T11:36:18","slug":"la-fontaines-fable-le-lievre-et-la-tortue-the-hare-and-the-tortoise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/la-fontaines-fable-le-lievre-et-la-tortue-the-hare-and-the-tortoise\/","title":{"rendered":"La Fontaine’s Fable: “Le Li\u00e8vre et la Tortue” (The Hare and the Tortoise)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This non-exclusively French\u00a0fable is about one of the most famous running races that ever took place in the history of the world—and probably the most unlikely!<\/p>\n

Most bookmakers didn’t think twice before picking their winner, between\u00a0the overconfident\u00a0“fast and furious”\u00a0li\u00e8vre\u00a0<\/em><\/em>(hare)\u00a0and the “slow and steady” tortue<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(tortoise.)<\/a><\/p>\n

Le Li\u00e8vre et la Tortue <\/em>(The Hare and the Tortoise) is the tenth fable of the 6th\u00a0Book of Jean de la Fontaine, in his Fables compendium, published for the first time in 1668, during the reign of the “Sun King”, Louis XIV<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We know that La Fontaine was inspired by the Greek writer Aesop, considered the father of fable genre<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Other La Fontaine’s fables, such as le Corbeau et le Renard <\/a><\/em>(The Crow and the Fox)<\/a>\u00a0are largely\u00a0indebted to the “Kalila wa Dminah<\/em><\/span>” stories, translated in Arabic from Persian by Al-Muqaffa’, which were in turn\u00a0borrowed from the ancient\u00a0Indian collection of fables “Panchatantra<\/em><\/span>“, known in Europe as the “Fables of Bidpai<\/span>” (sometimes spelled “Pilpai”), or the “Morall Philosophie of Doni<\/span>“, which were\u00a0published in England a few decades before the birth of La Fontaine.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M5eSlhdjGeA<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Walt Disney’s 1935 famous cartoon adaptation of the fable<\/span><\/p>\n

Aesop<\/strong>‘s “Hare and Tortoise” (Translated by\u00a0George Fyler Townsend<\/strong>, 1867)<\/p>\n

The Hare and the Tortoise<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: “Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race.” The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue.<\/p>\n

Slow but steady wins the race.”<\/em><\/p>\n

La Fontaine’s Fable<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rien ne sert de courir; il faut partir<\/a> \u00e0 point!<\/strong><\/em>
\nLe li\u00e8vre et la tortue en sont un t\u00e9moignage.<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00abGageons, dit celle-ci, que vous n’atteindrez point<\/strong><\/em>
\nSit\u00f4t que moi ce but. – Sit\u00f4t? \u00cates-vous sage ?<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Repartit l’animal l\u00e9ger :<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ma comm\u00e8re, il vous faut\u00a0purger<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Avec quatre grains\u00a0d’ell\u00e9bore.)<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – Sage ou non, je parie encore.”<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ainsi fut fait; et de tous deux<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On mit pr\u00e8s du but les enjeux :<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Savoir quoi, ce n’est pas l’affaire,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ni de quel juge l’on convint.<\/strong><\/em>
\nNotre li\u00e8vre n’avait que quatre pas \u00e0 faire,<\/strong><\/em>
\nJ’entends de ceux qu’il fait lorsque, pr\u00eat d’\u00eatre atteint,<\/strong><\/em>
\nIl s’\u00e9loigne des chiens, les renvoie aux\u00a0calendes,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Et leur fait arpenter les landes.<\/strong><\/em>
\nAyant, dis-je, du temps <\/a>de reste pour brouter,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pour dormir et pour \u00e9couter<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D’o\u00f9 vient le vent, il laisse la tortue<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aller son train de s\u00e9nateur.<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elle part, elle s’\u00e9vertue,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elle se h\u00e2te avec lenteur.<\/strong><\/em>
\nLui cependant m\u00e9prise une telle victoire,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tient la\u00a0gageure\u00a0\u00e0\u00a0peu de gloire,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Croit qu’il y a de son honneur<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 De partir tard. Il broute, il se repose,<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Il s’amuse \u00e0 toute autre chose<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Qu’\u00e0 la gageure. A la fin, quand il vit<\/strong><\/em>
\nQue l’autre touchait presque\u00a0au bout de la carri\u00e8re,<\/strong><\/em>
\nIl partit comme un trait; mais les \u00e9lans qu’il fit<\/strong><\/em>
\nFurent vains : la tortue arriva la premi\u00e8re.<\/strong><\/em>
\n“Eh bien! lui\u00a0cria-t-elle, avais-je pas raison ?<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 De quoi vous sert votre vitesse ?<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Moi l’emporter! et que serait-ce<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Si vous portiez une maison ?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=O-m8Nq5UWPw<\/a><\/p>\n

La Fontaine en chansons<\/em>: “le Li\u00e8vre et la Tortue<\/em>“<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Also read in the French Blog:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n