Explore "The Lion Grown Old" by Jean de La Fontaine on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
A lion, mourning, in his age, the wane / Of might once dreaded through his wild domain, / Was mock'd, at last, upon his throne, / By subjects of his own, / Strong through his weakness grown. / The horse his head saluted with a kick; / The wolf snapp'd at his royal hide; / The ox, too, gored him in the side; / The unhappy lion, sad and sick, / Could hardly growl, he was so weak. / In uncomplaining, stoic pride, / He waited for the hour of fate, / Until the ass approach'd his gate; / Whereat, 'This is too much,' he saith; / 'I willingly would yield my breath; / But, ah! thy kick is double death! '[1]
[1]: Phaedrus, I. 21.