Source text · edition and source credits · no added LexiArk translation or commentary

Fable · Story

The Swallow, the Serpent, and the Court of Justice

Aesop (George Fyler Townsend translation)Ancient Greek fable tradition · Townsend translationStory
SOURCE TEXT · English source edition
A SWALLOW, returning from abroad and especially fond of dwelling with men, built herself a nest in the wall of a Court of Justice and there hatched seven young birds. A Serpent gliding past the nest from its hole in the wall ate up the young unfledged nestlings. The Swallow, finding her nest empty, lamented greatly and exclaimed: “Woe to me a stranger! that in this place where all others’ rights are protected, I alone should suffer wrong.”