Explore "The Lion Going to War" by Jean de La Fontaine on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The lion had an enterprise in hand; / Held a war-council, sent his provost-marshal, / And gave the animals a call impartial -- / Each, in his way, to serve his high command. / The elephant should carry on his back / The tools of war, the mighty public pack, / And fight in elephantine way and form; / The bear should hold himself prepared to storm; / The fox all secret stratagems should fix; / The monkey should amuse the foe by tricks. / 'Dismiss,' said one, 'the blockhead asses, / And hares, too cowardly and fleet. ' / 'No,' said the king; 'I use all classes; / Without their aid my force were incomplete. / The ass shall be our trumpeter, to scare / Our enemy. And then the nimble hare / Our royal bulletins shall homeward bear.'
A monarch provident and wise / Will hold his subjects all of consequence, / And know in each what talent lies. / There's nothing useless to a man of sense.[1]
[1]: Abstemius.