Kriloff's Fables (Illustrated)
(If it be recalled that the source of most fables is hidde...)
If it be recalled that the source of most fables is hidden in the mists of antiquity, then Kriloff's originality can scarcely fail to be a recommendation. He wrote, in all, 201 fables and there seems little doubt that, in four-fifths of them, he was not indebted to anyone. He began as a translator in verse of La Fontaine, into whose work he, before long, introduced fresh humorous touches. Next, striking boldly in the rich field of Russian life, he displayed power as a story teller and, calling to his aid terseness, genial humour and satire, succeeded at once in obtaining a foremost place in Russian letters. Of eighty-six fables here rendered into English, seventy-one are original. In the other fifteen fables, Kriloff has borrowed as to eight of them, sometimes merely the germ, sometimes the greater part of the story ; while, in seven fables, he has followed Esop or La Fontaine with little deviation. I have sought to be faithful to Kriloff's Spirit and meaning, and have observed the length of his lines and used rhyme forms answering to those of the original compositions. It need scarcely be said that literal translation into verse is impossible.
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