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Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)

500. THE BAT, THE BOOBY AND THE BRAMBLE BUSH
Perry 171 (Syntipas 36)

The bat, the booby and the bramble bush made a corporation and went into business together. The bat got some gold on credit, the booby some copper and the bramble bush some clothing. They loaded the goods on a ship and immediately set sail. All of a sudden the sea began to surge and a squall blew up, churning the waters into an immense wave which broke the ship into pieces and sent everything on board down to the bottom of the sea. Ever since that time, the bat has flapped in headlong flight from her creditors, hiding herself away and venturing out only at night; the booby spends his time on the sea, looking for the copper, and the bramble bush grabs hold of every wayfarer's cloak, hoping to find the missing clothes.
This fable shows that after some risky business has come to an end, everyone must stay attentive so that they don't fall into the same misfortune once again.

Note: The bird referred to here (Greek kepphos) was a type of seabird proverbial for stupidity, hence the English translation 'booby'.


Source: Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.