Marriage and Love

12.
Aesop was 15 years in the house of Iadmon when the question of marriage came up. (482 BC.) Iadmon was enthusiastic about the idea. As he got older he wanted to see more order and happiness about him. He recalled his marriage was success. Once when he and his wife had time alone they sat together in the courtyard and talked of their early years. What struggle they had! So unlike and yet they thought nothing but the joy of sharing it all as one.
What she could not stop in her husband was his greed, she recalled. But she noted with satisfaction he did not bring that avarice into home. Looking at the old companion she noted he had totally put his incessant talk on money-grubbing behind. Thinking over it she asked, ”Where did our greed go to?”
Iadmon looked at her in surprise. “Greed? O dear!” he sighed, ”You meant to say my weakness? Did you not?”
She said patting his hand, ”When I married (*512 BC.), your greed also became mine. How I trembled to hear others speak ill of you. It was as if they cast it to spite me!”
“Where did our tears go to?”
“I suppose the same place where our fears, joys and dreams go to.” He looked at her and he thought he saw her as she was some thirty years ago with her youthfulness still so unforgettably etched in her face. “Can you love this old goat still dear?” “Oh yes,” she said with a chuckle, ”We loved each other in the strength of our youth. Didn’t we?” She continued, “Older and wiser what do we feel? Strength stronger than before.” Yes it was the truth of experience she meant. Truth that is collated from life shared with all life-beings on the earth, in her case living with Iadmon. Truth of action was in his learning to put a lid on the greed that made her feel humiliated.
“So we shall drink to Happiness?” She nodded. They did.
(Selected: The Life of Aesop Ch-7.12 pp 135-136)

benny

One That Didn't Make It-3

Here is a story, which I wrote sometime in 1996 when I first thought of writing the Life of Aesop. Till I had the book in its final form there were too many, more stories than I could have possibly used. In order to achieve a smooth flow of narration I had to discard many. So here is one such a piece of Aesopiana.
Home Improvement
Iadmon who came from the island of Samos was a very strange character whose bark as his slaves found out was worse than his bite. He became mellowed and friendlier but his greed still remained hard as flint and unchanged. Once he came home after a distress sale crowing what a killing he made.
His wife Eugenia took him to the task for his money grubbing. “Haven’t you have had enough?” she asked him in irritation.
Aesop was busy with making the master’s bed and none noticed that he was present. Iadmon said defensively,” I can’t help it, dear.” He added after looking at his wife with a sidelong glance. Aesop could see that he was embarrassed,” My father was poor as his father before him.”
“So what?” his wife shot back.
“Lack of money presses me. My patrimony was nothing but this need to make wealth.”
“You did it well. But must you overdo it?”
“Perhaps not.” Iadmon said, “ Why don’t you compliment for my perseverance and so many good qualities I have acquired?” “What is the point of looking for things which are visible? I can only speak what I have lost in you. It is for you to do something about it.”
Embarrassed Iadmon came out; seeing Aesop on the way he went on finding fault with his work. Suddenly he broke off, confused and muttering something. The slave with a grin said under breath,” He was fishing for compliments with his wife while I wasn’t even fishing for complaints!”

benny

One That Didn't Make It-2

Here is a story, which I wrote sometime in 1996 when I first thought of writing the Life of Aesop. Till I had the book in its final form there were too many, more stories than I could have possibly used. In order to achieve a smooth flow of narration I had to discard many. So here is one such a piece of Aesopiana.

Comparisons Are Odious

Iadmon an Athenian trader once came to Thrace. He was interested in buying a slave, not that he had come especially for it, but the price was abysmally low and he could not resist a bargain. The boy was club- footed and his master wanted to sell the boy anyhow. While Iadmon balked Domus his master said: “Never mind his foot. He works best with his head.” Silence. “Come, come sir,” said the slave- owner. “He comes from Abdera, the same place as of Leucippos of revered memory.”
Iadmon immediately brightened up. He called the boy and asked if he knew what he was famous for. “Yes, he also comes from Abdera, like me.” “Nothing else you know, of one of great name?” The boy shook his head.
Iadmon somehow liked the intelligent looks of the boy and asked his name. “Aesop.” said the boy. “I shall expect nothing but the best, boy.” Iadmon said after he counted silver and paid to his master,” make Leucippos sit up and notice.”
Aesop taking farewell of the Thracian said thus: “Making me look as common with some great name of antiquity was unfair. Forever in my new master’s eyes I will have a competition. Who am I and who was Leucippos?”

benny

One That Didn't Make It

Here is a story, which I wrote sometime in 1996 when I first thought of writing the Life of Aesop. (www.lulu.com/content/344881) Till I had the book in its final form there were too many, more stories than I could have possibly used. In order to achieve a smooth flow of narration I discarded many. So here is one such piece of Aesopiana.

AN UNEQUAL CLASS WAR.

Agabus, a fellow slave who was older, could not understand Aesop. He had a number of hangers-on. One day he called the young slave aside and said: "We have been watching you from the time you joined us. Must you show so much enthusiasm to serve the master? Slaves cannot run with other slaves and hunt with masters as well."
"Is my loyalty in question here?" Aesop asked him.
"We slaves need to stand together. Any slave who wavers, is a chink in our armor. Understand? Master should not be able to see through our weak spots." Agabus explained.
"You have got it all wrong." Aesop said. "What covers our weak spots are our replacements. What with a great army of slaves ready to fill in our shoes, the master need only look at our works to know whom to blame."
* It is an unfortunate condition of the class struggle that money could lose in value; but labor cannot afford to.
benny

Fame as Left-over

9.
One day Xeno found Aesop upset. The cynic wanted to know why. They were before a bookshop. He pointed to the wares on display. There were many books supposedly by Aesop and were being sold like hot cakes. “Look at this, ‘Aesop’s Tables.’ Does it look like my work?” “Or this, ‘Aesop Tells It All’.”
A little further down he saw a baker’s shop where the signboard screamed in bold letters Aesop’s Dozen. The board unfortunately was in danger of falling. Spotting the owner Aesop pointed to the sign. The baker immediately called two slaves to attend to it.
Aesop later in the night returned along the same way and Xeno drew his attention to the signboard that now stood in place; it carried some inscription beneath the sign Aesop’s Dozen. It read: Freshly Baked Loaves. Aesop stops here.
Aesop winced in utter embarrassment. Xeno explained it as the price he had to pay for fame. Aesop asked his friend if he would drink somebody else’s leftover. “Never,” Xeno was sure. “If it comes in the shape of fame, there are those who lap it up!”
benny
(selected: The Life of Aesop www.lulu.com/content/344881)

Truth and Beauty

6.
In his first week into the household of Iadmon Aesop was captivated by a marble statue that was set in a park. It shone here and there picked out of darkness by a full moon. He thought it must be that of Aphrodite in her perfection. His fancies were so aroused that he went next morning along that path to go to his work place. To his surprise he realized the statue was that of Medusa. Under that brash sunlight it was calculated to harrow any viewer. So masterly the sculptor had fashioned her form. On looking at it so many times since that initial shock, he realized his first impression under the moonlight was right after all. The horror of her face had its own beauty supplied by the skill of the unknown sculptor.
Remarkable that the sculptor could bring out a certain beauty in what may at superficial glance be seen an ugly subject! Aesop later on had ample opportunity to discuss Aesthetics with artists and sculptors. He would conclude what ordinary people thought of beauty was the freshness of youth. A mistaken notion. Such beauty what was present today and gone next day cannot sustain truth.
That truth of a sculptor’s art made even a horrible aspect of Medusa come alive. ‘Truth gets more mileage out of plain truth the seashells carry, despite these may have been trampled upon by wayfarer. To those with the seeing-eye these shells yield their secret’ so said a poet once and Aesop could understand.
“Gods of Olympus who made humans might see beauty in their wrinkles as well in that vitality shown in youth,” Aesop once spoke at the Babbler’s Club on his views of Aesthetics, ”But for us humans we need to train ourselves to look deeper. So some effort is needed.” Eyes are meant to look but a seeing-eye is yet another.
How an object fulfills in a way or performs in the way it is intended at all time has a beauty: It has character. ‘Humanity shown by man and woman in all circumstances must fit the purpose for which we are created.’ He had said on another occasion. Truth must be beauty indeed.
benny.
This is a selection from my book The Life of Aesop (www.lulu.com/content/344881)

Will The Real Aesop Stand Up?

PREFACE

Mr. Wolf finally took subscription with a cable T.V Company and had a flatscreen installed in his lair. Watching TV became a routine and an addiction. Once surfing channels with his remote he was struck by a talk show. A kid was waxing eloquent and all through the show he ridiculed wolves.
He asked: ”What can one do with a wolf who has become a couch-potato?”
He himself supplied the answer: ”You still got to skin him.” Watching how the lamb was getting all the laughs he fumed: ”Talking head, your wisecracks do not worry me so much as not knowing what you have done with the rest of your body.”

No marks for guessing the source of this story.
Who has not heard of Aesop? Or read his fables? Very little is known of his life and the present book, I hope, shall to some extent satisfy that lacuna.
Who was Aesop?
The answer to this, ah my readers, is to be found in my book The Life of Aesop. Happy reading!
benny