The Vixen and the Hare |
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Translated by Johnathan Moore y Nubia Lujan
These two little animals where once together, the vixen and the hare through the plain. Then there was snow, there was nothing green on the plain, and no one came through there, when the vixen got hungry, she said to the hare:
“I am already hungry”
“I am also hungry, my stomach is crying out to me, I’m starving.”
“We’ll eat later, there’s nothing growing in the land all around us.”
“I am starving; if my mouth could reach my ears, I would eat them right up.”
“When I feel like eating, I suck on my tail, and I calm my hunger.”
“You don’t get as much grease out of it! But, since I don’t have a long pretty tail, how am I to suck on it? And it doesn’t even stand up: I can’t get a bite of it. I am starving. Even the rocks look like squash. Now that I’m thinking of squash, look at that maiden selling fruit and is coming to us; bringing who knows how much [diversity of] fruits, vegetables and watercress, that smell a lot. Look , smell it.”
The vixen inhaled and exclaimed:
“That’s true! Just thinking about all that I’ll be eating makes my mouth water.”
“Hear what I am going to tell you: I have already worked out what we should do to take away and steal the basket from that maiden with everything she carries. You go lay down pretending to be dead while I'm going to hide; after she sees that you are dead, she will put her basket on the floor and when she helps you, then I will take the fruit basket, taking it with me as the devil takes a soul.”
“This is very good what you have planned; But, if after lending a hand to help she kills me for real? I have to tell you I’m scared she will put me in a pot and cook me. “
“It’s up to you. I have already done a lot with planning to take the basket. However it is, when she tries to help, you will shake and wallow; then she will be frightened and release you.”
According to what they talked about, this happened. As soon as they saw the girl approaching, the hare laid in the middle of the road and the girl rested her basket on the floor and picked up the hare. While the girl was very happy, the vixen came out of hiding, snatched the basket with its mouth and ran away like lightning. The girl, who saw the thief leave with her basket of fruit, ran after it, while the hare shook, rolled over, ran away and went to meet the vixen. The hare ran and ran and could not catch the vixen. The hare said to the vixen:
“Stop! Stop!”
The vixen was leaving sparks. Arriving to the forest, they rested. They were already tired, their hearts were pounding. The hare did not take his eyes off the basket of fruit. The vixen was plotting as to what to do to eat the vegetables and fruit by herself. The vixen said to the hare:
“How voracious you have become!”
And the hare, who was not dumb at all, was thinking under his ears about what to do to teach her not to be so miserable. Pretending to be asleep, she sat down. The vixen, as soon as she saw that the hare was sleeping firmly took the basket.
She was leaving with it when the hare woke up and shouted:
“Where are you going with that?”
“Do not be angry, I’m going to put it in the shade. Can’t you see they’re roasting in the sun?”
“Then we’ll go together; the sun is also burning me too.”
They left. They reached the edge of the puddle. The hare returned to his nagging of when they were going to eat that. The vixen, annoyed, just looked at her partner.
“You already know that gluttony is a sin; if you want to be well or to live well fast now, and then tomorrow you will eat.”
“I have no reason to do that.”
“What I will tell you” said the hare “is that I will take the basket to my house and there I’ll wait for you tomorrow.”
The vixen screamed:
“Oh no, hares making vixens fast, never. I don't know where you have seen that.”
“What I am trying to tell you is that if we could catch the fish in that puddle, we would eat very well, and I laugh at what we will eat first.”
“It’s fine what you have planned” the vixen said to her “but the more I think about it, the less I can find a way to catch the fish. There is ice there.”
“It seems like a lie that an intelligent vixen does not know how to catch fish. Now you will see how I, with my claws and my nails, can open a hole where you can put your tail. The fish must be starving, so when they see your tail they will bite it and then you will pull it outside and, thus, we will have fish.”
The vixen sat on the banks of the puddle where there was ice. She stuck her tail and waited to get the fishes out.
“These fishes are smart; they don't bite and I'm already dying of coldness; what I’m going to catch here is a serious illness.”
“Let's see, I'll see if you already took what was to be caught.
This is what she said when he saw that the vixen was already dying of coldness.
“Get out of there and we’ll try another day.
The hare leaned close to the basket and began to eat and eat, and the other began to shout:
“Leave me what belongs to me!”
“Let me eat, and if something remains, I will save it for you.”
With what was left, she grabbed the basket and took it to her house. She was going down the hill and said mockingly:
“Come on, vixen; you wanted to outsmart me and I outsmarted you first!
“Come on, little hare, come on! Get me out of here and I'll give you everything you ask!”
“Who is to believe you! Who has lied once, will not be believed again.”
And there, the vixen froze to death.
These two little animals where once together, the vixen and the hare through the plain. Then there was snow, there was nothing green on the plain, and no one came through there, when the vixen got hungry, she said to the hare:
“I am already hungry”
“I am also hungry, my stomach is crying out to me, I’m starving.”
“We’ll eat later, there’s nothing growing in the land all around us.”
“I am starving; if my mouth could reach my ears, I would eat them right up.”
“When I feel like eating, I suck on my tail, and I calm my hunger.”
“You don’t get as much grease out of it! But, since I don’t have a long pretty tail, how am I to suck on it? And it doesn’t even stand up: I can’t get a bite of it. I am starving. Even the rocks look like squash. Now that I’m thinking of squash, look at that maiden selling fruit and is coming to us; bringing who knows how much [diversity of] fruits, vegetables and watercress, that smell a lot. Look , smell it.”
The vixen inhaled and exclaimed:
“That’s true! Just thinking about all that I’ll be eating makes my mouth water.”
“Hear what I am going to tell you: I have already worked out what we should do to take away and steal the basket from that maiden with everything she carries. You go lay down pretending to be dead while I'm going to hide; after she sees that you are dead, she will put her basket on the floor and when she helps you, then I will take the fruit basket, taking it with me as the devil takes a soul.”
“This is very good what you have planned; But, if after lending a hand to help she kills me for real? I have to tell you I’m scared she will put me in a pot and cook me. “
“It’s up to you. I have already done a lot with planning to take the basket. However it is, when she tries to help, you will shake and wallow; then she will be frightened and release you.”
According to what they talked about, this happened. As soon as they saw the girl approaching, the hare laid in the middle of the road and the girl rested her basket on the floor and picked up the hare. While the girl was very happy, the vixen came out of hiding, snatched the basket with its mouth and ran away like lightning. The girl, who saw the thief leave with her basket of fruit, ran after it, while the hare shook, rolled over, ran away and went to meet the vixen. The hare ran and ran and could not catch the vixen. The hare said to the vixen:
“Stop! Stop!”
The vixen was leaving sparks. Arriving to the forest, they rested. They were already tired, their hearts were pounding. The hare did not take his eyes off the basket of fruit. The vixen was plotting as to what to do to eat the vegetables and fruit by herself. The vixen said to the hare:
“How voracious you have become!”
And the hare, who was not dumb at all, was thinking under his ears about what to do to teach her not to be so miserable. Pretending to be asleep, she sat down. The vixen, as soon as she saw that the hare was sleeping firmly took the basket.
She was leaving with it when the hare woke up and shouted:
“Where are you going with that?”
“Do not be angry, I’m going to put it in the shade. Can’t you see they’re roasting in the sun?”
“Then we’ll go together; the sun is also burning me too.”
They left. They reached the edge of the puddle. The hare returned to his nagging of when they were going to eat that. The vixen, annoyed, just looked at her partner.
“You already know that gluttony is a sin; if you want to be well or to live well fast now, and then tomorrow you will eat.”
“I have no reason to do that.”
“What I will tell you” said the hare “is that I will take the basket to my house and there I’ll wait for you tomorrow.”
The vixen screamed:
“Oh no, hares making vixens fast, never. I don't know where you have seen that.”
“What I am trying to tell you is that if we could catch the fish in that puddle, we would eat very well, and I laugh at what we will eat first.”
“It’s fine what you have planned” the vixen said to her “but the more I think about it, the less I can find a way to catch the fish. There is ice there.”
“It seems like a lie that an intelligent vixen does not know how to catch fish. Now you will see how I, with my claws and my nails, can open a hole where you can put your tail. The fish must be starving, so when they see your tail they will bite it and then you will pull it outside and, thus, we will have fish.”
The vixen sat on the banks of the puddle where there was ice. She stuck her tail and waited to get the fishes out.
“These fishes are smart; they don't bite and I'm already dying of coldness; what I’m going to catch here is a serious illness.”
“Let's see, I'll see if you already took what was to be caught.
This is what she said when he saw that the vixen was already dying of coldness.
“Get out of there and we’ll try another day.
The hare leaned close to the basket and began to eat and eat, and the other began to shout:
“Leave me what belongs to me!”
“Let me eat, and if something remains, I will save it for you.”
With what was left, she grabbed the basket and took it to her house. She was going down the hill and said mockingly:
“Come on, vixen; you wanted to outsmart me and I outsmarted you first!
“Come on, little hare, come on! Get me out of here and I'll give you everything you ask!”
“Who is to believe you! Who has lied once, will not be believed again.”
And there, the vixen froze to death.
