The Wolf and the Lean Dog by Jean de La Fontaine

The fable first recalls a troutling who tries in vain to persuade a hungry fisherman not to fry him, illustrating the folly of giving up a certain gain for a hoped-for future one. It then contrasts the fisherman’s prudence with a wolf who finds a lean dog wandering far from home and intends to eat him. The dog argues that he is too thin to be worth eating and promises that he will soon grow fat after his master’s daughter’s wedding, when calves and fowls will be slaughtered. The wolf believes him and postpones the meal. Several days later, the wolf returns to see whether the dog has fattened. The dog is safely at home behind a fence and tells the wolf to wait while he fetches the porter. The porter is an enormous dog who gives wolves no chance of survival. Realizing the danger, the wolf politely sends his respects to the porter and runs away. His speed, rather than his judgement, saves his life.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Tale · 490 words

First lines

A troutling, some time since,[1] / Endeavour'd vainly to convince / A hungry fisherman / Of his unfitness for the frying-pan. / That controversy made it plain / That letting go a good secure, / In hope of future gain, / Is but imprudence pure. / The fisherman had reason good -- / The troutling did the best he could -- / Both argued for their lives. / Now, if my present purpose thrives, / I'll prop my former proposition / By building on a small addition. / A certain wolf, in point of wit / The prudent fisher's opposite, / A dog once finding far astray, / Prepared to take him as his prey. / The dog his leanness pled; / 'Your lordship, sure,' he said, / 'Cannot be very eager / To eat a dog so meagre. / To wait a little do not grudge: / The wedding of my master's only daughter / Will cause of fatted calves and fowls a slaughter; / And then, as you yourself can judge, / I cannot help becoming fatter. ' / The wolf, believing, waived the matter, / And so, some days therefrom, / Return'd with sole design to see / If fat enough his dog might be. / The rogue was now at home: / He saw the hunter through the fence. / 'My friend,' said he, 'please wait; / I'll be with you a moment hence, / And fetch our porter of the gate. ' / This porter was a dog immense, / That left to wolves no future tense. / Suspicion gave our wolf a jog, -- / It might not be so safely tamper'd. / 'My service to your porter dog,' / Was his reply, as off he scamper'd. / His legs proved better than his head, / And saved him life to learn his trade.[2]

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Horse And The Wolf by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cock And The Fox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Little Fish And The Fisher by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Monkey And The Cat by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cat And The Old Rat by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Ass And The Dog by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — The work is a concise animal-centered moral tale in the tradition of Aesop and La Fontaine, ending with a practical lesson about prudence and survival.
• Didactic Literature — Its narrative explicitly teaches that abandoning a secure advantage for uncertain future gain is imprudent.
• Animal Tale — A wolf and dogs act as speaking, reasoning characters whose encounter drives the plot and conveys human behavior.
• Allegory — The animals represent recognizable human types: the gullible predator, the self-interested deceiver, and the dangerous guardian.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · seventeenth-century literature · animal characters · wolf · dog · trout · fisherman · predator and prey · hunger · deception · persuasion

What this Textopian page supports

The Wolf and the Lean Dog 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, Animal Tale, Allegory, Narrative Poetry
• Length: 490 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Wolf and the Lean Dog 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
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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