Did the Fox lose its tail?
A fox was once caught in a trap. It was only after an arduous struggle that he could get free, But to her sorrow, his beautiful tail had been cut off and left in the trap.
“How ugly I shall look!” moaned the fox, “won’t the other foxes laugh at me?”
Thinking hard, the fox hit upon a plan to save himself from being laughed at. He called a meeting of his friends and said, “Brothers! Have you ever wondered why we carry these long tails after all?” Let us cut them off and be free from their nuisance.”
But the other foxes had noticed his cut-off tail. They laughed aloud and replied, “You used to say tails looked very fine when your own was all right. Now that you have lost yours, you want us to lose ours too.”
MORAL: Dirty tricks seldom work
The Fox & Grapes
A fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of the tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox’s mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.
The bunch hung from a high branch, and the fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped. He missed it. The first time he jumped for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again, he tried, but in vain.
Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.
He said. “Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for.”
And off he walked very, very scornfully.
There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach.