The Ass and Its Shadow book cover

The Ass and Its Shadow

The Ass and Its Shadow is a classic fable by Aesop that tells the story of a traveling ass (donkey) who gets into a dispute with its owner over the ass's shadow. The quarrel serves as a metaphorical lesson on the absurdity and futility of fighting over trivial and insignificant matters. The fable highlights themes of human folly, misplaced values, and the importance of common sense.

Genre: Children
54 Views


								
A Traveler had hired an Ass to carry him to a distant part of the country. The owner of the Ass went with the Traveler, walking beside him to drive the Ass and point out the way. The road led across a treeless plain where the Sun beat down fiercely. So intense did the heat become, that the Traveler at last decided to stop for a rest, and as there was no other shade to be found, the Traveler sat down in the shadow of the Ass. Now the heat had affected the Driver as much as it had the Traveler, and even more, for he had been walking. Wishing also to rest in the shade cast by the Ass, he began to quarrel with the Traveler, saying he had hired the Ass and not the shadow it cast. The two soon came to blows, and while they were fighting, the Ass took to its heels. In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance.
Rate:
5.0 / 1 vote

Aesop

Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller and fabulist, known for his collection of fables. His fables often featured animals as characters and conveyed moral lessons or wisdom through short narratives. Some of his most famous fables include "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and "The Fox and the Grapes." These timeless stories continue to be widely read and adapted to this day. more…

All Aesop books

1 fan

Discuss this The Ass and Its Shadow book with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this book in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this book to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Ass and Its Shadow Books." Literature.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.literature.com/book/the_ass_and_its_shadow_2392>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest authors community and books collection on the web!

    Spring 2024

    Writing Contest

    Join our short stories contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    month
    1
    day
    11
    hours

    Browse Literature.com

    Our favorite collection of

    Famous Authors

    »