Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks

A Preface For ParentsLa Fontaine composed the most entertaining Fables everwritten in any language, and made them a model of literaryperfection; yet our translators and compilers have somehowneglected him. His Fables are lyric poetry of a high order, and this alone has doubtless been a barrier to a betteracquaintance with his work when transferred to our owntongue. Done into prose, the Fables are no longerLa Fontaine, but take their place with the manyrespectable, dull translations which English readers try toadmire because they are classics--though the soul thatmade them such has been separated from the dead body