The Eagle and the Beetle by Jean de La Fontaine

Name: The Eagle and the Beetle
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

Dame Eagle pursues John Rabbit, who tries to hide in a beetle’s burrow. The beetle pleads for his guest’s life, asking the eagle either to spare John or take them both, but the eagle ignores him, seizes the rabbit, and strikes down the beetle as she flies away. Seeking revenge, the beetle goes to the mountain oak where the eagle has built her nest. During her absence, he breaks every egg. The eagle returns in grief and anger but cannot find the enemy. The following year, even after she builds a higher nest, the beetle again discovers it and destroys her eggs. At last the eagle asks Jupiter for protection and places her eggs in his lap. The beetle flies up and drops dirt on Jupiter’s robes. Jupiter shakes it off and accidentally throws out the eggs. The eagle rages and threatens to leave the court. The beetle then appears before Jupiter and explains his complaint. Jupiter judges the eagle to be wrong, but their enmity cannot be reconciled. To preserve peace, he arranges for eagles to pair only when beetles are hidden and dormant underground.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Animal Tale, Moral Literature · 863 words

First lines

John Rabbit, by Dame Eagle chased, / Was making for his hole in haste, / When, on his way, he met a beetle's burrow. / I leave you all to think / If such a little chink / Could to a rabbit give protection thorough. / But, since no better could be got, / John Rabbit there was fain to squat. / Of course, in an asylum so absurd, / John felt ere long the talons of the bird. / But first, the beetle, interceding, cried, / 'Great queen of birds, it cannot be denied, / That, maugre my protection, you can bear / My trembling guest, John Rabbit, through the air. / But do not give me such affront, I pray; / And since he craves your grace, / In pity of his case, / Grant him his life, or take us both away; / For he's my gossip, friend, and neighbour. ' / In vain the beetle's friendly labour; / The eagle clutch'd her prey without reply, / And as she flapp'd her vasty wings to fly, / Struck down our orator and still'd him; / The wonder is she hadn't kill'd him. / The beetle soon, of sweet revenge in quest, / Flew to the old, gnarl'd mountain oak, / Which proudly bore that haughty eagle's nest. / And while the bird was gone, / Her eggs, her cherish'd eggs, he broke, / Not sparing one. / Returning from her flight, the eagle's cry, / Of rage and bitter anguish, fill'd the sky. / But, by excess of passion blind, / Her enemy she fail'd to find. / Her wrath in vain, that year it was her fate / To live a mourning mother, desolate. / The next, she built a loftier nest; 'twas vain; / The beetle found and dash'd her eggs again. / John Rabbit's death was thus revenged anew. / The second mourning for her murder'd brood / Was such, that through the giant mountain wood, / For six long months, the sleepless echo flew. / The bird, once Ganymede, now made / Her prayer to Jupiter for aid; / And, laying them within his godship's lap, / She thought her eggs now safe from all mishap; / The god his own could not but make them -- / No wretch, would venture there to break them. / And no one did. Their enemy, this time, / Upsoaring to a place sublime, / Let fall upon his royal robes some dirt, / Which Jove just shaking, with a sudden flirt, / Threw out the eggs, no one knows whither. / When Jupiter inform'd her how th' event / Occurr'd by purest accident, / The eagle raved; there was no reasoning with her; / She gave out threats of leaving court, / To make the desert her resort, / And other brav'ries of this sort. / Poor Jupiter in silence heard / The uproar of his favourite bird. / Before his throne the beetle now appear'd, / And by a clear complaint the mystery clear'd. / The god pronounced the eagle in the wrong. / But still, their hatred was so old and strong, / These enemies could not be reconciled; / And, that the general peace might not be spoil'd, -- / The best that he could do, -- the god arranged, / That thence the eagle's pairing should be changed, / To come when beetle folks are only found / Conceal'd and dormant under ground.[1]

Open reader

Similar titles

Genres

Fable — The poem uses speaking animals, a compact conflict, and a clear moral structure to illustrate the consequences of arrogance, injustice, and contempt for the weak.
Animal Tale — An eagle, beetle, and rabbit act as central characters whose animal identities shape the plot while also representing human social behavior.
Moral Literature — The narrative emphasizes ethical lessons: the powerful should not insult the powerless, and even a small adversary can inflict meaningful consequences.
Narrative Poetry — The work tells a complete sequence of events in verse, using rhyme, rhythm, dialogue, action, and a storyteller's voice.

What this Textopian page supports

The Eagle and the Beetle 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, Animal Tale, Moral Literature, Narrative Poetry, Allegory
Length: 863 words
Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for The Eagle and the Beetle 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