Bajki

Abstract

Sometimes I come by books and cannot get to cataloguing them right away. In time, I lose track of where I found them. So it is with this large pamphlet, 7¼" x 10, offering eight fables by a fabulist of whom I had not known before. Aleksander Fredro (1793 - 1886) seems best known for his plays. So "Culture Pl" writes of him "His fables enjoy a special place in Polish culture, many of them having been absorbed into the popular culture so thoroughly that they are no longer even associated with their creator (such as Osiołkowi w żłoby dano about a donkey unable to make up his mind what to eat, Małpa w kąpieli about a monkey wreaking havoc in the bathroom, and Paweł i Gaweł about two warring neighbours)." I read " Małpa w kąpieli": Imitator monkey does what he sees the lady of the house doing. Gets in the tub, splashes around, loves it, gets too much hot water, plugs up the faucet and is blown out the window. The well known "Pawel I Gawel" features peaceful Paul living upstairs. Hunter and noisemaker Gaul lives downstairs. Paul’s pleading does not soften Gaul’s obstreperous behavior. So Paul turns on the faucets and “fishes” upstairs, creating “rain” on Gaul. “My home is my castle” is Paul’s tit-for-tat response. "Osiołkowi w żłoby" has a donkey which has oats and hay and can’t decide which to eat -- until he starves. Another story features two roosters killing each other over a piece of corn. A wise turkey comments: One says something stupid and immediately the other answers – stupidly. Again, four travelers argue on a cold night how to build the appropriate fire and cannot agree. They all freeze to death.