Cover art from The Fantastic Fables of Aesop‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ and Other Poetry from Aesop’s Fables, by Rob Crisell The Society July 30, 2023 Children's, Humor, Limerick, Poetry 12 Comments . The Tortoise and the Hare in limericks A tortoise and hare were a-talkin’. Said Hare: “Why, your slowness is shockin’! __If we ran a race, __You’d be a disgrace. I’d win, even if I were walkin’.” Said Tortoise, “No, hare, I would beat you. As swift as you are, I’d defeat you.” __They lined up to run. __Hare said: “Three, Two, ONE!” At zero, her fleet rabbit feet flew. Sure enough, Hare saw she was winning. “That tortoise is barely beginning! __Since he can’t close the gap, __I have time for a nap.” She fell asleep, practically grinning. As Hare took her rest, Tortoise passed her. Awaking, she sensed a disaster. __Hare finished the race, __But got second place. Slow and steady is better than faster. . MORAL Those who snooze Often lose. . . The Lion and the Three Bulls Three bulls were once the closest friends, And grazed in a pasture together. They rarely argued, never fought, Stayed faithful in fair and foul weather. One day a lion saw the bulls And decided that he would soon eat them. He knew, united, they would win, But divided, he could defeat them. He told false tales around the pasture Of jealousy, distrust, and lies. The bulls soon grew to hate each other And with one another cut ties. Each bull staked out a private place As far apart as could be. Then Lion caught them one by one, And ate them individually. . MORAL United we stand, divided we fall. When friendship fails, our enemies call. . The above two poems appear in Rob Crisell’s new book The Fantastic Fables of Aesop (De Portola Press, 2023). See a page from the book below. . . . Rob Crisell is a poet, author, teacher, attorney, winemaker, and actor in Temecula, CA. He is a visiting instructor of Shakespeare and poetry in the Murrieta Valley elementary schools. His TED Talk “How NOT to Hate Shakespeare” can be found here. He is a former editor with Highlights for Children, American Archaeology magazine, and others. For details, visit www.robcrisell.com. Illustrations by Jamie Nicole Jones NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 12 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson July 30, 2023 I love these rhyming Aesop’s Fables. They are perfect for reading to children, yet I am delighted as an adult to read them and remember the lessons I once learned from reading the originals. Reply rohini July 30, 2023 These are brilliant! I love them. You should do a collection. Reply Rohini July 30, 2023 My hare-like haste It was a waste I didn’t look You have the book. The moral’s plain to see And here’s the note to me… Read everything right to the end Before you hit the key to send! Reply jd July 30, 2023 I thought you did a good job in your reply too, Rohini. It’s a good lesson for me as well. Reply rohini sunderam August 3, 2023 Thank, you. With such delightful poetry, I was in a hurry. jd July 30, 2023 Enjoyed your poems very much as well as the illustration from your book. A visit to the Ted talk next. Reply Brian A Yapko July 30, 2023 Rob, I enjoyed both of these poetic treatments of beloved fables tremendously. They have a special combination of charm, clarity and conversational tone which makes them an excellent introduction to poetry while providing all the moral benefits of Aesop’s originals. Reply Cynthia Erlandson July 31, 2023 These are delightful! Defeat you/feet flew is great. Reply Yael August 1, 2023 These are great fun to read, really well done. I think these would be good for children of all ages. Reply Shaun C. Duncan August 1, 2023 Both are nicely done, but the use of limericks for “The Tortoise And The Hare” is particularly delightful. Done well, it’s an extremely playful form and it suits the subject matter well. I must say, it’s nice to read some well-written poetry for kids. As a parent of young children, the poor-quality of prosody in modern children’s books is extremely frustrating, particularly since it’s one of the last places in the publishing industry where traditional poetry is accepted. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant August 2, 2023 A wonderful idea, beautifully executed! I love these poems. Reply Rob Crisell August 2, 2023 Thank you all for your kind comments. As most of you undoubtedly will understand, my efforts to try to get publishers to think kindly of my poetry for children was painful and ultimately unsuccessful. As a part-time poetry instructor of 5th graders, however, I know how much children enjoy (rhyming!) poetry. I’m hopeful that my book finds its way into the hands of kids and their parents despite the absence of a distributor. Thanks again. 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Roy Eugene Peterson July 30, 2023 I love these rhyming Aesop’s Fables. They are perfect for reading to children, yet I am delighted as an adult to read them and remember the lessons I once learned from reading the originals. Reply
Rohini July 30, 2023 My hare-like haste It was a waste I didn’t look You have the book. The moral’s plain to see And here’s the note to me… Read everything right to the end Before you hit the key to send! Reply
jd July 30, 2023 I thought you did a good job in your reply too, Rohini. It’s a good lesson for me as well. Reply
jd July 30, 2023 Enjoyed your poems very much as well as the illustration from your book. A visit to the Ted talk next. Reply
Brian A Yapko July 30, 2023 Rob, I enjoyed both of these poetic treatments of beloved fables tremendously. They have a special combination of charm, clarity and conversational tone which makes them an excellent introduction to poetry while providing all the moral benefits of Aesop’s originals. Reply
Yael August 1, 2023 These are great fun to read, really well done. I think these would be good for children of all ages. Reply
Shaun C. Duncan August 1, 2023 Both are nicely done, but the use of limericks for “The Tortoise And The Hare” is particularly delightful. Done well, it’s an extremely playful form and it suits the subject matter well. I must say, it’s nice to read some well-written poetry for kids. As a parent of young children, the poor-quality of prosody in modern children’s books is extremely frustrating, particularly since it’s one of the last places in the publishing industry where traditional poetry is accepted. Reply
Rob Crisell August 2, 2023 Thank you all for your kind comments. As most of you undoubtedly will understand, my efforts to try to get publishers to think kindly of my poetry for children was painful and ultimately unsuccessful. As a part-time poetry instructor of 5th graders, however, I know how much children enjoy (rhyming!) poetry. I’m hopeful that my book finds its way into the hands of kids and their parents despite the absence of a distributor. Thanks again. Reply
