The Tortoise and the Two Ducks

Name: The Tortoise and the Two Ducks
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

A restless tortoise, weary of her home, longs to see the world. Two ducks promise to carry her through the open air over lands and oceans, where she may observe republics, kingdoms, cities, customs, laws, and varieties of wisdom. They arrange for her to bite firmly on a stick while each duck holds one end and flies upward. As the tortoise is carried through the sky, the astonished people below call her a flying queen. Flattered, she opens her mouth to claim the title, releasing the stick that supports her. She falls before the crowd and shatters her shell. The tale condemns the related faults of imprudence, vanity, chatter, and idle curiosity.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1678 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Fiction · 466 words

First lines

A light-brain'd tortoise, anciently, / Tired of her hole, the world would see. / Prone are all such, self-banish'd, to roam -- / Prone are all cripples to abhor their home. / Two ducks, to whom the gossip told / The secret of her purpose bold, / Profess'd to have the means whereby / They could her wishes gratify. / 'Our boundless road,' said they, 'behold! / It is the open air; / And through it we will bear / You safe o'er land and ocean. / Republics, kingdoms, you will view, / And famous cities, old and new; / And get of customs, laws, a notion, -- / Of various wisdom various pieces, / As did, indeed, the sage Ulysses. ' / The eager tortoise waited not / To question what Ulysses got, / But closed the bargain on the spot. / A nice machine the birds devise / To bear their pilgrim through the skies. -- / Athwart her mouth a stick they throw: / 'Now bite it hard, and don't let go,' / They say, and seize each duck an end, / And, swiftly flying, upward tend. / It made the people gape and stare / Beyond the expressive power of words, / To see a tortoise cut the air, / Exactly poised between two birds. / 'A miracle,' they cried, 'is seen! / There goes the flying tortoise queen! ' / 'The queen! ' ('twas thus the tortoise spoke; ) / 'I'm truly that, without a joke. ' / Much better had she held her tongue / For, opening that whereby she clung, / Before the gazing crowd she fell, / And dash'd to bits her brittle shell.

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Similar titles

Genres

Fable — A brief allegorical animal tale that ends with an explicit moral lesson about imprudence, vanity, talkativeness, and curiosity.
Didactic Literature — Its central purpose is instructional: the tortoise's fatal mistake teaches readers the consequences of vain speech and poor judgment.
Animal Fiction — Talking, reasoning animals—the tortoise and ducks—serve as the principal characters and enact a human moral conflict.
Moral Tale — The plot is structured around a character flaw, a cautionary downfall, and a clearly stated ethical conclusion.

What this Textopian page supports

The Tortoise and the Two Ducks is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1678 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: 1678 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Fiction, Moral Tale, Allegory
Length: 466 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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