The Boy and the Schoolmaster

A boy playing on the banks of the Seine falls into the water and survives only by clinging to the branches of a willow. When he cries to a passing schoolmaster for help, the grave preceptor first stands apart and lectures him on the consequences of foolish play, disobedience, and the burden he places on his parents. Only after delivering this rebuke does he pull the drowning boy ashore. The tale condemns critics, pedants, and other people of excessive speech who, when asked for urgent help, insist on preaching before they act.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Satire · 448 words

First lines

Wise counsel is not always wise, / As this my tale exemplifies. / A boy, that frolick'd on the banks of Seine, / Fell in, and would have found a watery grave, / Had not that hand that planteth ne'er in vain / A willow planted there, his life to save. / While hanging by its branches as he might, / A certain sage preceptor came in sight; / To whom the urchin cried, 'Save, or I'm drown'd! ' / The master, turning gravely at the sound, / Thought proper for a while to stand aloof, / And give the boy some seasonable reproof. / 'You little wretch! this comes of foolish playing, / Commands and precepts disobeying. / A naughty rogue, no doubt, you are, / Who thus requite your parents' care. / Alas! their lot I pity much, / Whom fate condemns to watch o'er such. ' / This having coolly said, and more, / He pull'd the drowning lad ashore.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Miller His Son And The Ass by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Two Mules by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cat Metamorphosed Into A Woman by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Two Bulls And The Frog by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Lion And The Ass Hunting by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Bitch And Her Friend by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — The short narrative uses a simple incident involving a drowning boy and a pedantic schoolmaster to convey an explicit moral lesson about impractical counsel.
• Didactic Literature — Its central purpose is instruction: the closing application condemns people who lecture at those in need rather than helping them promptly.
• Satire — La Fontaine mockingly targets critics, pedants, and verbose moralizers whose desire to preach outweighs their usefulness.
• Moral Tale — The plot illustrates a clear ethical principle: rebuke and abstract advice are inappropriate when immediate aid is required.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · seventeenth-century France · banks of the Seine · child in danger · near-drowning · willow tree · rescue · schoolmaster · pedantry · moral instruction · misplaced advice

What this Textopian page supports

The Boy and the Schoolmaster 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, Didactic Literature, Satire, Moral Tale, Animal-Free Aesopic Tale
• Length: 448 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Boy and the Schoolmaster 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