The Tortoise and the Hare by Aesop with narration by Ari Ross Long ago,
In a green meadow bordered by whispering woods,
The animals of the forest often gathered to share stories,
Play games,
And boast about their talents.
The birds praised their songs,
The deer their graceful leaps,
And the squirrels their nimble climbing.
But no one boasted louder than the Hare.
Ha!
None of you can match my speed.
I could race the wind and leave it behind.
I could run to the far hill and back before Tortoise here even takes ten steps.
He he he he he!
The animals chuckled,
Some amused,
Some annoyed.
For though Hare's speed was real,
His pride was larger still.
The Tortoise,
Slow and thoughtful,
Lifted his head from grazing.
His eyes were calm,
His voice unhurried.
Hare,
You do run fast,
That is true,
But constant boasting does little good.
Even the slowest creature may reach the end if he simply keeps going.
Ha ha ha ha!
You beat me?
Oh,
Don't make me laugh.
You move so slowly.
Ha!
I could dance circles around you.
Why,
I could nap in the middle of a race and still win without breaking a sweat.
The animals gasped at Hare's arrogance.
A hush fell over the meadow.
Then,
To everyone's surprise,
Tortoise spoke again.
Let us prove it.
Let us race from here to the old oak tree by the river.
Let all the animals see which of us is truly the winner.
Excitement swept through the meadow.
The Fox,
Known for fairness and keen eyes,
Agreed to serve as judge.
Word spread quickly and soon the entire forest buzzed with anticipation.
At dawn the next day,
Animals from every corner of the woods gathered.
Birds lined the branches,
Rabbits peaked from burrows,
And even owls,
Who rarely stirred by day,
Watched from the treetops.
The Fox drew a line in the soft earth.
This is the starting line.
Ahead lies the meadow path.
Winding past the brook and the tall grasses,
Whoever first touches the great oak at the riverbank shall be the victor.
Hare stretched his long legs proudly,
Bouncing with energy.
Tortoise stood quietly,
Steady as stone,
Though his eyes shone with quiet determination.
Then the Fox uttered,
Runners,
Take your marks,
Get set,
Go.
With a burst of speed,
Hare leapt forward like lightning,
Dust flying behind him.
The crowd roared.
Tortoise lowered his head and began,
Step by step.
In moments,
Hare was far ahead.
He glanced back and saw Tortoise only a few paces from the start.
Pathetic.
This isn't even a race.
I'll have time to explore.
Hmm,
Maybe grab a snack.
So Hare dashed into a patch of clover,
Where bees hummed lazily.
He nibbled sweet plants with honey nectar,
Humming proudly to himself.
The forest animals shouted,
Go,
Tortoise.
Keep going.
Don't stop.
But Hare only grinned,
Licking his whiskers.
Hare then bragged,
They cheer for him.
When I win,
They'll see who deserves their praise.
Meanwhile,
Tortoise pressed onward.
He passed beneath tall grasses,
Where butterflies danced in the sunlight.
The brook gurgled beside him,
And he moved in rhythm with its steady sound.
Tortoise said softly to himself,
One step,
Then another.
The oak is far,
But each step brings me closer.
The race is not about speed.
It is about persistence,
And not stopping.
Though slow,
His heart was calm,
And little by little,
The starting line grew far behind.
After exploring and playing,
Hare grew drowsy.
He found a patch of soft grass beneath a willow tree,
Its leaves swaying like a lullaby.
Why hurry,
Hare thought.
That slowpoke won't even reach this spot for hours.
I'll close my eyes just for a moment.
And with that,
Hare curled into a ball,
And drifted into deep slumber.
In his dreams,
Hare imagined himself crowned with garlands.
The animals cheering,
His name echoing across the meadow.
But outside Hare's dream,
The race went on.
Slowly,
Steadily,
Tortoise marched past the willow,
Past the flowers,
Past the place where Hare snored softly.
The animals whispered in awe.
Look,
He's past Hare.
Can he truly win?
Still,
Tortoise did not boast.
He only kept walking,
His eyes fixed on the distant oak tree by the river.
Hours passed before the Hare stirred.
He stretched,
Yawned,
And blinked against the afternoon sun.
Well,
That was refreshing.
Time to finish this race.
But as he bounded back to the path,
His smile faded.
In the distance,
Nearing the oak tree,
Was Tortoise.
What?
No,
Impossible.
He's ahead of me.
Panic seized him.
He dotted forward,
His legs a blur,
Faster than he had ever run before.
Birds scattered from his path,
And the ground trembled under his leaps.
But as Hare raced,
Tortoise was only a few steps from the oak.
The animals cried out,
Their voices filling the air.
Oh,
Go Tortoise.
You're almost there.
Don't stop.
With one last determined step,
Tortoise reached the oak tree and touched its rough bark.
The fox raised his tail high.
The winner is the Tortoise.
Cheers erupted through the forest.
The birds sang louder.
The squirrels danced.
And even the deer stomped their hooves in joy.
Hare skidded to a halt,
Panting,
His ears drooping in shame.
I,
I lost.
All my boasting,
And I still lost.
How could this be?
The Tortoise said in a kind,
Steady voice.
You lost,
Hare,
Because you trusted only in speed and forgot wisdom.
Slow and steady may not dazzle,
But it always reaches the end.
The animals gathered close,
Nodding at Tortoise's words.
From that day on,
Hare was less boastful.
Though still fast,
He learned to respect the steady strength of others.
And the Tortoise,
He became quite a hero of the meadow,
A symbol of patience,
Humility,
And perseverance.
A moral of the story is that each of us has our own pace and path.
We need not rush,
Nor boast,
Nor compare ourselves to others.
What matters is to keep moving forward with courage in our hearts and faith in our steps.
Even the smallest progress,
If steady,
Will lead us to great victories.
It is patience,
Persistence,
And humility that bring true success.
In simpler terms,
Sometimes being the fastest isn't what matters most.
What matters is to keep going,
Even if you move slowly.
If you try your best and don't give up,
Just like the Tortoise,
You can also reach your goal.
The End
