FABLE LXI
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
One sunny morning, a big Turkey walked. She walked in the woods. Her little chicks walked with her. They were small chicks. They followed their mother. Turkey looked for food. She was bored. Barn food was not new. She wanted new food. "Look, my chicks," Turkey said. "See all these small ants. They are good to eat."
Turkey saw many ants. Many, many ants. She told her chicks. "Eat these ants," she said. "They are tasty food. Very tasty food. They are good for us. Eat them now." Little chicks ate ants. They ate many ants. Turkey ate many ants too. She ate so many ants.
Turkey then talked about people. She talked and talked. "People eat us," she said. "This is not fair. It is very bad. People eat too much. They are greedy. They take our lives. Our lives are short. This is very bad. Very, very bad." She complained loudly. She made a loud sound.
A small Ant heard Turkey. The Ant was very small. Ant was on a tree branch. She sat on the branch. Ant listened to Turkey talk. Turkey talked loudly. Ant listened carefully. Turkey did not see Ant. Ant was too small.
Ant spoke to Turkey. "Listen to me," Ant said. "Think about what you do. You eat ants. Many ants. People eat you. Is this good? Is it fair? You talk about others. But you do the same. Think about that."
Ant said, "Do not eat so many ants. Stop eating them. You eat many ants. You talk about people. But you do the same thing. Yes, you do." Ant said, "Think about yourself! Think about your actions." The Turkey was quiet. She thought about it. Look at your own actions. Then talk about others. This is a good lesson.
Original Story
FABLE LXI.
THE TURKEY AND THE ANT.
A Turkey, tired of common food,
Forsook the barn, and sought the wood;
Behind her ran her infant train,
Collecting here and there a grain.
"Draw near, my birds," the mother cries,
"This hill delicious fare supplies;
Behold the busy negro race,
See millions blacken all the place.
Fear not: like me, with freedom eat;
An Ant is most delightful meat.
How blessed, how envied were our life,
Could we but 'scape the poulterer's knife!
But man, cursed man, on Turkeys preys,
And Christmas shortens all our days.
Sometimes with oysters we combine;
Sometimes assist the savoury chine:
From the low peasant to the lord,
The Turkey smokes on every board;
Sure, men for gluttony are cursed,
Of the seven deadly sins, the worst."
An Ant, who climbed beyond her reach,
Thus answered from the neighbouring beech:
"Ere you remark another's sin,
Bid thy own conscience look within;
Control thy more voracious bill,
Nor, for a breakfast, nations kill."
MORAL.
In other folks we faults can spy,
And blame the mote that dims their eye;
Each little speck and blemish find:
To our own stronger errors blind.
Story DNA
Moral
It is easy to see faults in others while remaining blind to one's own greater errors.
Plot Summary
A Turkey, foraging with her young, hypocritically complains about human gluttony and how men prey on turkeys, while simultaneously encouraging her chicks to eat ants. An Ant, overhearing this, rebukes the Turkey from a nearby tree, advising her to examine her own conscience and control her own voracious appetite before criticizing others. The fable concludes with a moral about being blind to one's own faults while readily spotting those of others.
Themes
Emotional Arc
ignorance to mild rebuke
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The term 'negro race' used to describe ants is a problematic historical artifact of language and should be handled with care or updated in modern adaptations.
Plot Beats (6)
- A Turkey, bored with common barn food, takes her young to the woods to forage.
- She instructs her chicks to eat ants, calling them 'delightful meat'.
- The Turkey then complains about humans, who prey on turkeys and shorten their lives for gluttony, calling it the worst sin.
- An Ant, who has climbed a beech tree, overhears the Turkey's hypocritical speech.
- The Ant responds, telling the Turkey to look within her own conscience before remarking on others' sins.
- The Ant advises the Turkey to control her own 'voracious bill' and not 'kill nations' for breakfast.
Characters
The Turkey ★ protagonist
A large, plump domestic turkey with a broad chest and sturdy legs. Her body is covered in iridescent bronze-green feathers, with a distinct red wattle and snood hanging from her head and neck. She moves with a confident, somewhat ponderous waddle.
Attire: Natural plumage of a domestic turkey: iridescent bronze-green body feathers, black and white barred tail feathers, and a bare, reddish-pink head and neck.
Wants: To find food for herself and her young, to complain about her perceived injustices, and to avoid becoming human food.
Flaw: Hypocrisy and gluttony. She criticizes humans for their 'gluttony' while indulging in her own, failing to see her own destructive behavior.
She remains unchanged, failing to recognize her own flaws despite the Ant's direct criticism.
Hypocritical, self-righteous, gluttonous, protective (of her young), complaining.
Image Prompt & Upload
A large, plump domestic turkey standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. She has iridescent bronze-green body feathers, black and white barred tail feathers, and a bare, reddish-pink head and neck with a prominent, fleshy red wattle and a long snood hanging over her yellowish-brown beak. Her small, dark eyes are beady. She stands with a proud, slightly indignant expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Ant ◆ supporting
A small, segmented insect with a hard exoskeleton, six slender legs, and distinct antennae. Its body is dark, likely black or dark brown, and it is agile and quick in its movements.
Attire: Natural exoskeleton of an ant, dark and segmented.
Wants: To point out hypocrisy and offer a moral lesson.
Flaw: Physically vulnerable due to its small size compared to the Turkey.
Remains consistent as the voice of reason and moral truth.
Perceptive, direct, morally astute, courageous (to speak truth to a larger creature).
Image Prompt & Upload
A tiny, dark-colored ant standing upright on a small branch, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It has a segmented body, six slender legs, and distinct antennae. Its head is small with compound eyes. It stands with an alert, observant posture. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
The Barnyard
A typical farmyard setting, likely with scattered grains and common farm detritus, where the Turkey usually finds her food.
Mood: mundane, familiar, slightly discontent
The Turkey's usual, unexciting feeding ground, which she decides to abandon.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sun-drenched, dusty farmyard with scattered straw and a few discarded husks on the packed earth. In the background, weathered wooden planks of a barn wall are visible, with a small, open doorway. The light is bright and clear, casting short shadows. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Wooded Hillside
A natural, untamed area adjacent to the farm, featuring a small hill and a prominent beech tree. The ground is teeming with ants.
Mood: natural, bustling with insect life, scene of confrontation
The Turkey leads her young to this spot to feast on ants, and an Ant from the beech tree confronts her.
Image Prompt & Upload
A gentle, sunlit hillside at the edge of a deciduous wood, with a large, mature beech tree dominating the foreground. Its smooth, grey bark is illuminated by soft morning light filtering through its broad, green leaves. The ground is covered in leaf litter and exposed soil, with visible ant trails and a bustling ant colony entrance. In the distance, the dense foliage of the forest creates a verdant backdrop. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
