The Husband, the Wife, and the Thief

Name: The Husband, the Wife, and the Thief
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

A devoted husband receives no affection, tender words, or smiles from his wife, yet he bears his unhappy marriage without complaint until one night, when he reproaches her for never caressing him. A thief enters and terrifies the wife so greatly that she seeks safety in her husband’s arms. Delighted by this unexpected embrace, the husband thanks the thief and offers him anything he owns, even his house, provided he leaves his wife. The thief, being unrestrained by modesty, freely takes advantage of the offer. The account suggests that fear governs the passions: it can overcome aversion and even master love. Yet love can sometimes prevail, as in the case of a noble lover who set fire to his own house in order to carry a lady safely through the flames, an act admired as magnificent despite its folly.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1678 · Genre: Fable, Moral Tale, Narrative Poetry · 575 words

First lines

A man that loved, -- and loved his wife, -- / Still led an almost joyless life. / No tender look, nor gracious word, / Nor smile, that, coming from a bride, / Its object would have deified, / E'er told her doting lord / The love with which he burn'd / Was in its kind return'd. / Still unrepining at his lot, / This man, thus tied in Hymen's knot, / Thank'd God for all the good he got. / But why? If love doth fail to season / Whatever pleasures Hymen gives, / I'm sure I cannot see the reason / Why one for him the happier lives. / However, since his wife / Had ne'er caress'd him in her life, / He made complaint of it one night. / The entrance of a thief / Cut short his tale of grief, / And gave the lady such a fright, / She shrunk from dreaded harms / Within her husband's arms. / 'Good thief,' cried he, / 'This joy so sweet, I owe to thee: / Now take, as thy reward, / Of all that owns me lord, / Whatever suits thee save my spouse; / Ay, if thou pleasest, take the house. ' / As thieves are not remarkably / O'erstock'd with modesty, / This fellow made quite free.

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Genres

Fable — The poem presents a brief illustrative domestic incident and explicitly draws a moral conclusion about fear's power over human passions.
Moral Tale — Its central purpose is didactic: the husband's experience is used to comment on aversion, love, fear, and marital affection.
Narrative Poetry — The work tells a complete story in verse, using rhyme, dialogue, characterization, and a concluding reflection.
Satire — La Fontaine humorously exposes the absurdity of an emotionally neglected marriage and the husband's extravagant gratitude toward a thief.

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The Husband, the Wife, and the Thief is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1678 CE.

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Work type: Fable
Author: Jean de La Fontaine
Date: 1678 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Moral Tale, Narrative Poetry, Satire, Comic Poetry
Length: 575 words
Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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