A Swallow boasted of being a princess who had her tongue cut out. Crow said you talk a lot for having no tongue.
Babrius Translation (The Swallow and the Crow)
A twittering swallow hail’d a husky crow.
“Me for a royal maid of Athens know!
“And as a daughter of her kings of yore:
“Not small renown our house of heroes bore.”
To this vague prattle (love of talk was strong:)
She adds the tale of Tereus, and his wrong.
These words to her the crow in answer said:
“Pandion’s boastful child, Athenian maid!
“Had you a tongue, to what lengths would you go,
“Since, when it is cut off, you twitter so!”
How do you think an AI might simplify this fable? Here is one answer, and the illustration above was made from this simplification:
The Swallow and the Crow
A proud swallow once met a crow and began to boast. “I come from noble roots,” she said. “I am a royal maiden from Athens. My family is famous, and our name is honored.” She went on and on, even telling the sad tale of Tereus and her own sorrow, talking as if her story gave her more importance. The crow listened and then said, “Oh, daughter of Pandion! If you talk this much now, when your tongue was once cut out, I wonder how much you would say if it had not been!”
Moral
Those who love to boast will always find a way to speak, even when they’ve lost their voice.
Perry. #377