The Bird Wounded by an Arrow

A bird, struck by a plumed arrow and near death, laments that its suffering is partly caused by its own kind, since men have taken birds’ wings to feather fatal weapons. It warns the cruel human race not to mock, because people likewise often suffer from arms made by their fellow humans: half of mankind works to forge weapons against the other half.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Moral Literature, Allegory · 122 words

First lines

A bird, with plumèd arrow shot, / In dying case deplored her lot: / 'Alas! ' she cried, 'the anguish of the thought! / This ruin partly by myself was brought! / Hard-hearted men! from us to borrow / What wings to us the fatal arrow! / But mock us not, ye cruel race, / For you must often take our place.'

The work of half the human brothers / Is making arms against the others.[1]

[1]: Aesop.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Lion And The Gnat by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Ass Loaded With Sponges And The Ass Loaded With Salt by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Dove And The Ant by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Bear The Monkey And The Hog by Tomas De Iriarte
• The Cat Metamorphosed Into A Woman by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Lion And The Rat by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — A brief allegorical animal tale that delivers a clear moral about people contributing to the weapons and harms used against themselves.
• Moral Literature — The poem explicitly draws an ethical lesson from the bird's fate and applies it to human conflict.
• Allegory — The wounded bird represents human beings whose own creations or resources are turned against them.
• Didactic Poetry — Its compact verse form is designed to instruct readers through a pointed exemplary narrative.

Tags

fable · verse narrative · moral allegory · Aesopian tradition · seventeenth-century French literature · bird · arrow · wounded animal · dying lament · feathers · human cruelty · violence

What this Textopian page supports

The Bird Wounded by an Arrow is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Moral Literature, Allegory, Didactic Poetry, Animal Tale
• Length: 122 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Bird Wounded by an Arrow by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine