Good day, dear Take in Mind readers! We continue to cover the unfortunately and unjustifiably forgotten pearls of the world of literature. Today we would like to present the Syriac Fables. It is worth making a little clarification here: of course, we will not talk about the novels by modern authors from the Syrian Arab Republic, but about works written in the classical Syriac (Leshono Suryoyo) or, more correctly, in the Syrian Aramaic language. This language was in wide use in the ancient region of Osroene, centered in the city of Edessa.
In the first centuries AD, the Syriac language became one of the most common languages of communication and literature in the Middle East, probably (and perhaps mainly) due to its use by the Eastern Christian community during worships. Until the X-XI centuries the most outstanding works of ancient Syrian literature were written in Syriac (and, as you already understood, they included not only religious texts), but then social and religious realities gradually pushed Leshono Suryoyo out of widespread use.
Let’s go back to the fables. Although some legends suggest their authorship to some mysterious Joseph, who lived in King Nebuchadnezzar’s epoch, modern research has shown that most of the Syriac fables are actually the retellings of Aesop’s fables and other works of some ancient Greek authors. Despite that, their literary and historical significance has long been transcended beyond the simple appreciation of the art of translation. First of all, not many of the original Greek fables have been kept, and, in some cases, we may get the original idea only from the Syrian Aramaic translation. Secondly, many Syriac fables, while retaining the original plot basis, were filled with completely new content and meanings. Therefore, many readers may recognize the well-known stories by La Fontaine and Krylov (for example, in the fables “The Dragonfly and the Ant” and “The Man and Death”), but they may also discover a completely new literary world, unsurpassed in originality, brightness and exoticism of the plots, and in logic and brevity of the presentation.
And now, we glad to present a few original Syriac fables, the most “delicious” part of the post.
The Lion, the Man, and the statue
A man walked with the lion along the road and argued who is the strongest creature in the world. While the lion was providing serious evidence of his strength, the man looked up and saw a statue. It was portrayed as a young man gripping a throat of a lion. The man laughed loudly and drew the attention of his companion to the statue. To this the lion said to the man:
– If there were artists and sculptors among the lions, then there would be a statue of a lion squeezing a man’s throat!
The Cat and the Roosters
When the cat heard that the roosters were sick, he dressed up in peacock feathers and went to visit them. The disguised cat asked the roosters:
– How are you?
– It would be better if you were not interested in our health, and we would not see your predatory muzzle, – the roosters answered him.
How often the treachery is hidden behind outward sympathy!
Rebuking at the wrong time
A young man swam far away and began to drown. Feeling that the strength was leaving him, he began to call for help from a wayfarer walking along the river bank. But, instead of helping the drowning man, he began to reproach the young man:
– If you can’t swim, why did you get into the water?
The young man answered him:
– First, help me, and only then criticize me!
The sick deer
One sick deer fell from the mountain into the valley. But, his relatives did not leave the patient in trouble and often visited him. However, at the same time, they feasted on the grass that grew in the valley, and the deer soon died of hunger.
The Man and the idol
One man had a home idol. Every day he sacrificed a ram or a goat to the idol. In the end, he was left without livestock, losing everything that he had. One night the idol appeared to the man in a dream and said to him:
– You have wasted your own treasure, but you reproach me!
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