Hares and Wolves

"Hares and Wolves" is a fable by Leo Tolstoy that explores themes of deception, greed, and the consequences of one’s actions. The story features a clever hare who outsmarts a cunning wolf, illustrating the struggle between the weak and the powerful. Through its simple narrative and moral lessons, Tolstoy critiques human nature and highlights the importance of wit and resilience in the face of adversity. This charming tale serves as both a cautionary tale and a reflection on the dynamics of survival in a world dominated by predation.

								
The hares feed at night on tree bark; the field hares eat the winter rye
and the grass, and the threshing-floor hares eat the grain in the
granary. Through the night the hares make a deep, visible track through
the snow. The hares are hunted by men, and dogs, and wolves, and foxes,
and ravens, and eagles. If a hare walked straight ahead, he would be
easily caught in the morning by his tracks; but God has made a hare
timid, and his timidity saves him.

A hare goes at night fearlessly through the forests and fields, making
straight tracks; but as soon as morning comes and his enemies wake up,
and he hears the bark of dogs, or the squeak of sleighs, or the voice of
peasants, or the crashing of a wolf through the forest, he begins to
toss from side to side in his fear. He jumps forward, gets frightened at
something, and runs back on his track. He hears something again, and he
leaps at full speed to one side and runs away from his old track. Again
something makes a noise, and the hare turns back, and again leaps to one
side. When it is daylight, he lies down.

In the morning the hunters try to follow the hare tracks, and they get
mixed up on the double tracks and long leaps, and marvel at the hare's
cunning. But the hare did not mean to be cunning. He is merely afraid of
everything.
								Rate this book:0.0 / 0 votes