A Cask of Blessings is opened; only Hope is left.
This fable is a retelling of the Pandora’s Box myth.
Babrius Translation (Jove’s Cask)
Jove in a cask all blessings pack’d and hid,
A charge for man : but first secured the lid.
Unbridled man, agog to scan the gift
And its contents, essay’d the top to lift.
Releas’d, each blessing mounted to the sky
And would not bide below, when free to fly.
Hope only tarried. Her the lid secured,
When closed at last. And thus hath Hope endured
In human homes. In her sole form we see
Earnest of all the goods, that then did flee.
How do you think an AI might simplify this fable? Here is one answer, and the illustration above was made from this simplification:
Hope in the Jar
Long ago, Jove placed every blessing known to the world into a single jar and sealed it tight. He gave it to mankind but warned them not to open it. Yet humans, curious and impatient, lifted the lid. At once, all the blessings flew out and vanished into the sky, never to return. Only one remained, Hope, trapped inside when the lid was shut again just in time. Since then, although the world may lack many blessings, Hope still dwells with us, reminding us not all is lost.
Moral
Hope is the last and strongest gift, stay true to it, even when all else escapes you.
Perry. #312