The Shepherd and the Sea by Jean de La Fontaine

Name: The Shepherd and the Sea
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

A shepherd living beside the sea is content with his small but secure flock until stranded kegs of gold tempt him to sell his sheep and become a merchant. The ocean then carries away all his wealth. Forced back into sheepkeeping, he is no longer the owner and chief shepherd he once was; instead of a poetic Corydon or Thyrsis, he is merely Peter. Through time and labour, he restores his means with wool-bearing sheep. When calm winds gently move the ships one day, he tells Madam Ocean to seek money elsewhere, because he knows her treachery too well. The tale argues that certain money already possessed is worth far more than uncertain hoped-for wealth, and that people should remain content with their condition rather than heed ambition, which enriches few while ruining many through piracy and storms.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale · 403 words

First lines

A shepherd, neighbour to the sea, / Lived with his flock contentedly. / His fortune, though but small, / Was safe within his call. / At last some stranded kegs of gold / Him tempted, and his flock he sold, / Turn'd merchant, and the ocean's waves / Bore all his treasure -- to its caves. / Brought back to keeping sheep once more, / But not chief shepherd, as before, / When sheep were his that grazed the shore, / He who, as Corydon or Thyrsis, / Might once have shone in pastoral verses, / Bedeck'd with rhyme and metre, / Was nothing now but Peter. / But time and toil redeem'd in full / Those harmless creatures rich in wool; / And as the lulling winds, one day, / The vessels wafted with a gentle motion, / 'Want you,' he cried, 'more money, Madam Ocean? / Address yourself to some one else, I pray; / You shall not get it out of me! / I know too well your treachery.'

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The Shepherd and the Sea is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

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Work type: Fable
Author: Jean de La Fontaine
Date: 1668 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale, Allegory, Pastoral Poetry
Length: 403 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Genres

Fable — The work is a short allegorical narrative featuring a shepherd whose failed pursuit of maritime wealth teaches an explicit moral lesson; it is also identified as deriving from Aesop.
Didactic Literature — Its closing passage directly states the lesson: present, secure possessions are preferable to uncertain hopes of greater wealth, and ambition can be ruinous.
Moral Tale — The shepherd's loss, recovery, and rejection of renewed temptation form a cautionary story about contentment, prudence, and the dangers of greed.
Allegory — The sea functions as a figurative force representing treacherous speculation and false promises of prosperity, while the shepherd's flock represents modest but dependable security.