Prevod
(Certain authors are apt to lay down as infallible principles of art the very things they themselves practice.) There was a henhouse in a farmyard; In this henhouse lived a Rooster; And behind the yard, in a pigsty, A very fat Pig lay at ease. A Lamb, moreover, was being raised there, 5 All of them in good company; And who does not know that such animals Commonly live together in farmyards? Well, the Pig (if you will pardon me) Said one day to the Lamb: “How pleasant, 10 How happy, how peaceful a fate It is to be able to sleep! How wholesome! I assure you, as surely as I am a pig, That in this miserable life there is No pleasure like sprawling at your ease, 15 Snoring soundly, and letting the world go by.” The Rooster, for his part, said to this same Lamb On another occasion: “Look, innocent creature, To keep healthy, to be light on your feet, You must sleep very sparingly. 20 To rise early, in July or February, While the stars are still out, is a prudent habit, For sleep dulls the senses And leaves the body limp and weary.” Bewildered, the simple little Lamb 25 Compares the two opinions, never guessing That what each one advises Is merely what he himself prefers. Among us authors, it is a very old Trick indeed to lay down as doctrine 30 And as a lofty rule to which we all must bow Whatever we practice in our own writings.
