There is always someone greater; true strength often needs no display.
Babrius Translation (Apollo and Jupiter)
Said the far-darter to the gods on high,
“Not one can farther shoot or throw than I.”
In sport great Jove Apollo’s challenge took,
And quick the lots in Mars’ cap Hermes shook.
Luck was with Phoebus. Soon the golden bow
And string he circles; lets the arrow go,
And shoots within the gardens of the West.
Said Jove, when the same range his feet had prest,
“Space fails me, boy. To what point can I shoot?”
Thus without shaft he won the arrow’s fruit.
How do you think an AI might simplify this fable? Here is one answer, and the illustration above was made from this simplification:
Apollo, proud of his skill, boasted to all the gods that no one could shoot an arrow farther than he could. Zeus calmly accepted the challenge. Apollo drew first, and his golden arrow streaked across the sky until it vanished at the edge of the western horizon. When Zeus’s turn came, he looked out over the limitless heavens and smiled. “There is no farther place left for my arrow,” he said. “The contest is over.” Through a single word, Zeus claimed the victory without lifting his bow.
Moral
There is always someone greater; true strength often needs no display. Boast less, let humility be your aim.
Perry. #104