Chapter 8 The Tragedy on the Grass in "The Tale of Reynard the Fox"

Although Reynard did not catch Chantecler, he was impressed by the garden, which had a large colony of roosters and hens living free. How could he forget those fat and tender poultry?Because I was in a hurry that day, I didn't have time to make more money. There was enough fine food there to bring back to Mauberd to feed Emelina and her children. Reynard thought to himself that it would be a pity to leave such a rich breeding ground alone, or to let it be used only by ranchers. In addition, he had personal reasons for taking revenge on Chantecler, the rooster who nearly died of pride and narrowly escaped because of Reynard's pride.

He considered trying to fish there, but was worried that if his scheme failed, the chattering hens would start rambling, and his reputation would be ruined.Thinking of this, Reynard felt uneasy. But, in any case, he must visit this paradise himself again, not only to avenge his honor, but also to get some delicious meals to wash away the shame he suffered last time. One spring morning, Reynard walked up the road leading to the residence of Chantecler and Panter, ready to throw a well-designed trap at them. When he came to the edge of the garden, Chantecler was perched on the fence, singing his most beautiful and joyful songs to the sun, to the light, to the blue sky, to the joy of life.

As soon as he spotted Reynard, all this joy died away, as a fire burning on a vine is quenched when a bucket of cold water is thrown on it. He flapped his wings vigorously, preparing to fly down and hide in a safe place.At this moment Reynard Fox stopped at once and uttered the sweetest voice to him.The sound stopped Chantecler, to his surprise and delight.So he listened with relish. "Dear cousin, why did you run away?" said Reynard, "don't you trust me? I am your good relative! "Why, do you remember that little joke we had that day? Ah, my father was right. He once said to your father that there are very few people in the world who know how to make jokes. People always mistake innocent playfulness for malice.

"That day, when I was admiring your beautiful feathers and beautiful singing voice, I could not restrain my strong desire to introduce you to my dear wife Amolina. "Because my desire is too eager, and you are not an outsider, so I did not invite you very gracefully. When I was carefully holding you in my mouth and taking you home, you broke away from my relatives to you. protection and care. "Oh, Chantecler, I don't know what to do!" Chantecler didn't know whether to believe these words, he was half-believed.So I was embarrassed to justify myself. "We are not at all used to such emotional impulses, and I would misunderstand them," he said. "And, also, my bad dreams made me nervous, and Panter's explanations frightened me even more."

"Well," said Reynard, "forget about the past. Those old fears are gone forever. Now peace is established, and no one will be slaughtered. You see, this It is the decree signed by King Noble the Lion with his paw. "War has been abolished, and we should love each other, not cheat each other. This is the will of our great king. As for our personal affairs, Chantecler, please believe me, I have seen The joy of establishing universal peace, having confessed my sins and resolved not to eat meat for the rest of my life. Fasting, fasting and prayer, these will be the content of my future life that fate has ordained for me.

"When you saw me just now, I was going to the river to recite my scriptures quietly. But since I passed by here, I came here to tell you the good news." "Is this true?" Chantecler exclaimed joyfully, convinced by Reynard's words, "with the king's decree, we can come in and out freely, and go far away from this garden. We have gone. This garden is sometimes like a prison, and the people here are always careful not to let us move a step." "Oh, Cousin, you've got us good news!" cried the rooster at the top of his voice. "Pant! Spot! Copper! . . . "

All the poultry in the farm came running, chirping and flapping their wings.Usually, Chantecler had his own people around, and there was always good news to announce to them.Today, what he wants to announce is the realization of peace and Reynard's reformation. And Reynard Fox, with his serene, serious face and Bible in his hand, had gone far away. Chantecler felt indescribably sad and excited when he thought that he had blamed and blamed such a good fox. Panter, always cautious, asked, "Can you trust him, Chantecler?" Chantecler shrugged his shoulders and said: "I saw the king's decree, and Reynard swears to God. We are free! Free to go out on the meadow! There are many earthworms and grains, It can improve our food. Come, everyone, come with me!"

Chantecler jumped to the ground.All of a sudden, the whole flock followed him. Panter, her elder sister Spot, and her younger sister Copper--a white and tender pullet hen that everyone loved most--went last. Fourteen of Chantecler's children were present, among them a young and beautiful rooster and a delicate hen born during the year.They happily walked out of the garden to see the new world that was still restricted until now.They jumped, flew, and yelled with joy. At this time, Reynard Fox hid behind a big tree, pretending to be reciting scriptures.In fact, he was watching the chickens play closely.

A sad fate fell on a little hen: she walked very close to Reynard's fox, and was caught and killed before she even uttered a cry of alarm. No one noticed the tragedy.A moment later, the same tragedy happened to another of Chantecler's sons, and then a third... Finally, one of his daughters was killed within a second. It seemed as if fate had brought them one by one to this place to die prematurely. Suddenly, Chantecler and Panter felt a little strange.Chantecler yelled a few times, but failed to gather all the staff.Then he sent out an urgent appeal, and there was a response, and the hen, the pullet, the rooster, and the capon all came running, chattering and flapping their wings.

But there are still several people in the team. Reynard was suddenly proud and excited about his success, intoxicated by the splashing blood, and couldn't control himself.He saw that this was the rarest opportunity, so he jumped into the flock of frightened chickens, three or two, and turned the grass into a slaughterhouse. The loud commotion alarmed the owner of the ranch.They rushed to the scene quickly, and immediately released the watchdog to chase Reynard Fox. Reynard, before they could catch up, killed poor Cooper standing near him with the last bite, and tried to take her with him as the last of his prey.

However, considering his own safety, he only bit off one of her wings. He had eaten a big lunch with several chickens in his belly, and he felt a little heavy, thinking that he might not escape the pursuit of those big dogs.It happened that a strange fork led him to the gate of a monastery.The priest of this monastery was an old acquaintance of his.Seeing that the door of the monastery was open, he fled in haste.After a while, the gatekeeper came and closed the gate, and Reynard was saved.