The Wolf and the Dog by Jean de La Fontaine

Name: The Wolf and the Dog
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

A starving wolf meets a magnificent mastiff, far fatter, sleeker, and stronger than himself. Though the wolf would like to make a meal of the dog, he judges that the mastiff is capable of defending himself. Instead, he politely admires the dog’s healthy appearance. Tray tells him that he could be equally well fed if he left the woods and joined him, rather than struggling among lean, hungry companions who must fight for every mouthful. The wolf asks what duties such comfort would require. The dog explains that the work is easy: he must bark sometimes, drive away duns and beggar men, welcome friends, and please his master. In return, he receives well-cooked food, including pullets, pigeons, and savoury dishes, along with many caresses. Overcome by hunger, the wolf agrees to go with him. As they travel, however, the wolf notices a sore place on the mastiff’s neck. Tray admits that it may be caused by the collar used to chain him. When the wolf learns that the dog cannot always run where and when he chooses, he rejects the arrangement. He declares that no rich food can compensate for servile chains and runs away to preserve his freedom.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Allegory · 643 words

First lines

A prowling wolf, whose shaggy skin / (So strict the watch of dogs had been) / Hid little but his bones, / Once met a mastiff dog astray. / A prouder, fatter, sleeker Tray, / No human mortal owns. / Sir Wolf in famish'd plight, / Would fain have made a ration / Upon his fat relation; / But then he first must fight; / And well the dog seem'd able / To save from wolfish table / His carcass snug and tight. / So, then, in civil conversation / The wolf express'd his admiration / Of Tray's fine case. Said Tray, politely, / 'Yourself, good sir, may be as sightly; / Quit but the woods, advised by me. / For all your fellows here, I see, / Are shabby wretches, lean and gaunt, / Belike to die of haggard want. / With such a pack, of course it follows, / One fights for every bit he swallows. / Come, then, with me, and share / On equal terms our princely fare. ' / 'But what with you / Has one to do? ' / Inquires the wolf. 'Light work indeed,' / Replies the dog; 'you only need / To bark a little now and then, / To chase off duns and beggar men, / To fawn on friends that come or go forth, / Your master please, and so forth; / For which you have to eat / All sorts of well-cook'd meat -- / Cold pullets, pigeons, savoury messes -- / Besides unnumber'd fond caresses. ' / The wolf, by force of appetite, / Accepts the terms outright, / Tears glistening in his eyes. / But faring on, he spies / A gall'd spot on the mastiff's neck. / 'What's that? ' he cries. 'O, nothing but a speck. ' / 'A speck? ' 'Ay, ay; 'tis not enough to pain me; / Perhaps the collar's mark by which they chain me. ' / 'Chain! chain you! What! run you not, then, / Just where you please, and when? ' / 'Not always, sir; but what of that? ' / 'Enough for me, to spoil your fat! / It ought to be a precious price / Which could to servile chains entice; / For me, I'll shun them while I've wit. ' / So ran Sir Wolf, and runneth yet.[1]

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The Wolf and the Dog 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, Allegory, Moral Poetry, Animal Fiction
Length: 643 words
Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Genres

Fable — The poem uses talking animals, a compact allegorical plot, and a clear moral contrast between liberty and secure servitude.
Didactic Literature — Its central purpose is to instruct readers that freedom is more valuable than comfort obtained through dependence and restraint.
Allegory — The wolf and dog represent opposing human conditions: independent poverty versus comfortable but constrained service.
Moral Poetry — Written in verse, the work develops an ethical judgment about autonomy, dignity, and the cost of material security.