There once was a shepherd boy who was bored out of his mind.
Watching the sun and the sheep all alone,
From the top of the hillside.
So lonely and sad, the shepherd boy was
Nothing amused him, nothing could bemuse him
Nothing could free him from his solitary throne.
"Not a single laugh can be heard!" he thought with a groan
And then, a wicked thought his way came: What harm could it do?
If he were to suddenly cry WOLF!
The villagers came running, ready to strike!
They bellowed and screamed,
With pitchforks and spikes.
The villagers arrived at the top of the hill,
huffing and puffing and to their surprise
No wolf could be seen, and the sheep stood still.
There was just a boy and his two faced lie.
Do not cry WOLF! they said
If there is no WOLF!
Angry and deceived back home they went
Leaving the shepherd boy alone once again.
The next day passed and soon another,
Bored once more, the boy suddenly wondered
What harm could it do, if just one more time
WOLF! he sang out again, This time it's no lie!
Come, you must,
Help me if you can!
To his naughty delight, the villagers came running
But as they arrived they realized the truth:
The sheep were all right,
No wolf was forthcoming.
"Save your frightened song
for when there really is something wrong!
Don't cry WOLF
If there is no WOLF!" they reproached.
But the boy just grinned and watched them go.
He enjoyed the attention and the roar of the village
He liked the noise and found the quiet constrictive.
What harm could it bring? It was all in good fun.
No reason to rethink,
It was a good time for everyone!
And on it went, a third time and fourth
Untill the villagers grew tired
And little by little stopped coming along.
In desperation, they sent their wise old man:
"Nobody believes a liar...." he said
even when he is telling the truth!"
Beware of your jokes,
Boredom is a problem of the youth.
And one day, at the break of dawn
Just as the shepherd boy lay sleeping
A big bad wolf prowled the vincinity.
He stalked and he crawled,
slow and steady with his eyes a blazing
until he pounced a growl!
until he pounced a growl!
The boy awoke with a fright!
WOLF, WOLF he cried,
COME QUICK, I’m scared for my sheep's life!
But sadly , just as was warned,
The shepherds cry went unattended.
The villagers thought it was just another joke
A lie, told one time too many.
The flock had scattered, since no one came
Leaving the boy all alone and quiet in his pain.
At sunset the villagers took notice
The shepherd boy still hadn’t returned
What happened they wondered?
Up the hill they went once more.
And as they arrived, the boy lay weeping:
"There really was a wolf here!
I cried and cried and none of you came!"
The old man hugged him, tried to comfort the boy,
as they walked back together.
“There, there,We’ll help you look for the sheep in the morning,”
And putting his arms around the youth:
“Let the lesson be learned. Nobody believes a liar....
Even when he is telling the truth.”
Text adapted from the original by Ana Pies N.
Text adapted from the original by Ana Pies N.
