The Monkey and the Dolphin

The Monkey and the Dolphin by Esopo

The Monkey and the Dolphin, by Esopo: A monkey and a dolphin were best friends. They lived in a small village near the sea. One day, the monkey saw a coconut tree on the beach and climbed it to get some coconuts. The dolphin saw this and wanted to help him, so he swam to the shore and brought the coconuts back to the monkey. The monkey was very grateful and thanked the dolphin. From that day on, they continued to help each other whenever they could.

By Esopo · First published 1602 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fables, Animal Tales · 228 words

First lines

When people go on a voyage they often take with them lapdogs or monkeys as pets to wile away the time. Thus it fell out that a man returning to Athens from the East had a pet Monkey on board with him. As they neared the coast of Attica a great storm burst upon them, and the ship capsized. All on board were thrown into the water, and tried to save themselves by swimming, the Monkey among the rest. A Dolphin saw him, and, supposing him to be a man, took him on his back and began swimming towards the shore. When they got near the Piraeus, which is the port of Athens, the Dolphin asked the Monkey if he was an Athenian. The Monkey replied that he was, and added that he came of a very distinguished family. "Then, of course, you know the Piraeus," continued the Dolphin. The Monkey thought he was referring to some high official or other, and replied, "Oh, yes, he's a very old friend of mine. "

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The Monkey and the Dolphin is listed on Textopian as a fable by Esopo, dated 1602 CE.

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fable · morality · animal characters · friendship · deception · trust · betrayal · ocean · land · wisdom · cautionary tale · nature

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