The Satyr and the Traveller

A satyr and his family are eating hot porridge in their forest grot when a hungry, cold, wet traveller arrives and is invited to share their meal. Before eating, the traveller blows on his fingers to warm them, then blows on his steaming porridge to cool it. Astonished that the same breath can produce opposite effects, the satyr asks for an explanation. When the traveller says that his blowing warms his hands and cools his food, the satyr refuses to shelter him, fearing a mouth that “blows both hot and cold.”

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Allegory · 280 words

First lines

Within a savage forest grot / A satyr and his chips / Were taking down their porridge hot; / Their cups were at their lips.

You might have seen in mossy den, / Himself, his wife, and brood; / They had not tailor-clothes, like men, / But appetites as good.

In came a traveller, benighted, / All hungry, cold, and wet, / Who heard himself to eat invited / With nothing like regret.

He did not give his host the pain / His asking to repeat; / But first he blew with might and main / To give his fingers heat.

• Open reader

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Genres

• Fable — A brief allegorical narrative featuring a satyr and a traveller, ending with a clear moral judgment about inconsistency and deceit.
• Didactic Literature — The poem is designed to instruct readers through its lesson that someone who 'blows both hot and cold' cannot be trusted.
• Allegory — The traveller's contradictory uses of breath symbolize double-dealing speech and unreliable behavior in human relationships.
• Narrative Poetry — The work tells a complete story in verse, using dialogue, setting, action, and a concluding resolution.

Tags

fable · verse narrative · Aesopian tradition · moral allegory · satyr · traveller · hospitality · forest grotto · savage forest · domestic meal · hot porridge · cold and wet traveller

What this Textopian page supports

The Satyr and the Traveller 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, Allegory, Narrative Poetry, Verse Tale
• Length: 280 words
• Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Satyr and the Traveller 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