Literary Fables of Yriarte

Talking animals turn literary quarrels into compact lessons in these English verse translations of Spanish fables by Tomás de Iriarte. An elephant gathers his fellow creatures to point out vanity, idleness and ignorance, drawing both agreement and offended pride. A silkworm and a spider compare their labours, giving the poet a way to distinguish careful work from mere abundance. The collection directs its animal stories toward the habits of writers, scholars and their critics.

Elsewhere, a turkey answers a crow's superior speed with personal insults, while a caterpillar dismisses the cocoon that other creatures admire. Such scenes give envy and poor judgment a visible shape. George H. Devereux's preface explains his effort to retain the Spanish poems' form and spirit in English, including their varied metres where possible. Readers interested in fables or literary criticism will find brief narrative poems that connect disputes over writing with familiar everyday failings.