Vishnu Sharma
|
India

The King and the Foolish Monkey

A loyal monkey, guarding a sleeping king, accidentally cuts off the king's nose trying to swat a bothersome fly.
Understanding
Loyalty
Consequences
Panchatantra Fables - The King and the Foolish Monkey
Audio available for B1 version

Once upon a time, there was a king who had a pet monkey. This monkey was very loyal to the king and was always by his side. The king treated the monkey like a close friend and allowed him to accompany him wherever he went.

One hot summer day, the king decided to take a nap under the shade of a tree. The monkey, ever watchful and loyal, sat nearby to guard the king as he slept. As the king lay resting, a fly began to buzz around his face, bothering him in his sleep. The monkey saw this and decided to protect the king from the pesky fly.

The monkey swatted at the fly with his hand, but the fly quickly dodged the attack and returned to bother the king. The monkey grew angrier and more determined to get rid of the fly. He decided that he would use the king's sword to make sure the fly would not bother the king anymore.

The foolish monkey took the king's sword and waited for the perfect moment to strike. The fly landed on the king's nose, and the monkey saw his chance. With a swift swing of the sword, the monkey tried to kill the fly. However, he not only missed the fly but also accidentally cut off the king's nose.

The king awoke in immense pain and was horrified to find that his loyal monkey had caused such harm. The foolish monkey realized the terrible mistake he had made but could do nothing to undo it. The king, left with a disfigured face, could no longer trust the monkey and banished him from the kingdom.

Once upon a time in a kingdom that could be just around the corner from your school, there was a King and his best friend, a monkey. These two were like mac and cheese, always together.

"Hey, Monkey, want to join me on a royal walk?" the King would ask.

Monkey would do a silly dance and say, "Skip the royal walk, let's do a royal jig!"

So, one super-hot summer day, the King thought, "Wow, it's so hot! Time for a royal nap under this tree." Monkey, always the joker, decided to stand guard but in his own fun way. He pretended to be a ninja. "Hi-yah! Take that, pretend bad guys!"

Then a tiny, buzzing fly thought it would be fun to dance around the King's nose. "Bzzz, bzzz," went the fly, acting like the King's nose was a playground.

"Hey, Fly!" Monkey yelled, "No dancing around the King's nose!"

Monkey tried to swat the fly, but it dodged like it was playing dodgeball. "You think you're quick? Just you wait!"

Monkey had a wacky idea. "The King's sword will make you go away for sure!" Monkey said, picking up the shiny sword.

The fly landed again on the King's nose. "Gotcha now," Monkey thought.

Whoosh! Monkey swung the sword, but instead of hitting the fly, he accidentally chopped off the King's nose!

The King woke up yelling, "Ouch! What's going on?"

Monkey realized his mistake. "Oops! I was trying to get the fly, not give you a new look!"

The King checked his face and said, "Monkey, you might be my best friend, but you're not my royal guard anymore. Please leave."

Monkey felt as sad as if someone had stolen his bananas. "Alright, I get it. I'm off to find my own adventures."

And so, the King and the Monkey lived their own lives after that. The King was a bit more careful about who he trusted, and Monkey learned that sometimes, you've got to think twice before you do something really, really silly. Especially when swords are around.

And they all learned something that day: sometimes good plans turn into bad ideas, especially if you're swinging swords near noses.

King and Monkey, best friends true,
Always together, a loyal crew.
King loved Monkey, they roamed far and wide,
From royal palace to the countryside.

One summer day, the sun in the sky,
King lay down, with a sleepy sigh.
Monkey stood guard, a sentinel grand,
Protecting the king, on this warm land.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, came a little fly,
Round the king’s face, oh my, oh my!
Monkey frowned, “No buzzing allowed,
Not near my king!” he declared aloud.

He swung his hand, a swish and a swat,
But Mr. Fly was quick, caught he was not.
Monkey thought, “Hmm, a plan I'll devise,
A royal sword will be the fly’s demise!”

With tiny paws, he lifted the blade,
Ready to end the buzzing parade.
Fly landed softly on the king's snout,
Monkey swung the sword, with a daring shout.

Oh, what a miss! Oh, what a blunder!
Monkey's big swing was a terrible thunder.
No more buzzing, but oh, what cost!
The king's nose was gone, forever lost.

King woke up, "Oh, what have you done?"
His face in pain, trust was undone.
Monkey's eyes filled with tears of woe,
He'd made a mistake, and it did show.

From that day on, they were friends no more,
Monkey left the kingdom, his heart was sore.
But let this tale be a lesson clear,
Even with good intent, caution we should steer.

Share
Feedback

Word Finder

Understanding Questions

Word Finder

Understanding Questions

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the monkey wanted to protect the king from the fly?
  2. The monkey used the king's sword to try to kill the fly. Do you think this was a good decision? Why or why not?
  3. Can you think of a time when you had good intentions, but your actions didn't turn out as expected?
  4. This story shows us that actions taken in anger or haste can lead to unfortunate outcomes. Can you think of other ways the monkey could have handled the situation?
  5. How can we apply the lessons from this story in our own lives, especially when dealing with problems that seem annoying but are not dangerous?

Fable Quotes

Understanding the problem is half the solution; haste only begets regret.
True loyalty is protective but never reckless.
Every action, no matter how small, carries weight and consequence.
About

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.