Section 159
The Farmer and the Viper explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
One winter a Farmer found a Viper frozen and numb with cold, and out of pity picked it up and placed it in his bosom. The Viper was no sooner revived by the warmth than it turned upon its benefactor and inflicted a fatal bite upon him; and as the poor man lay dying, he cried, "I have...
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Public-domain original
One winter a Farmer found a Viper frozen and numb with cold, and out
of pity picked it up and placed it in his bosom. The Viper was no
sooner revived by the warmth than it turned upon its benefactor and
inflicted a fatal bite upon him; and as the poor man lay dying, he
cried, "I have only got what I deserved, for taking compion on so
villainous a creature."
Kindness is thrown away upon the evil.
Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.
What happens here
A farmer saves a frozen viper and is bitten when it revives.
Why this scene matters
This fable warns that kindness to the dangerously ungrateful may be repaid with harm.
Characters in this scene
- Farmer: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Viper: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
The farmer warms a freezing viper. Once alive again, it bites him because its nature has not changed.