A TALE OF WHICH THE MORAL IS THAT NEGATION OF THE SELF IS A DOCTRINE...
Hast thou heard that in the time of old the sheep dwelling in a certain pasture So increased and multiplied That they feared no enemy? At last, from the malice of Fate, Their breasts were smitten by a shaft of calamity. The tigers sprang forth from the jungle and rushed upon the sheepfold. Conquest and dominion are signs of strength; Victory is the manifestation of strength. Those fierce tigers beat the drum of sovereignty; They deprived the sheep of freedom. Forasmuch as tigers must have their prey, That meadow was crimsoned with the blood of the sheep. One of the sheep which was clever and acute, Old in years, cunning as a weather-beaten wolf, Being grieved at the fate of his fellows And sorely vexed by the violence of the tigers, Made complaint of the course of Destiny And sought by craft to restore his fortunes. The weak man, in order to preserve himself, seeks devices from skilled intelligence. In slavery, for the sake of repelling harm, the power of scheming becomes quickene