Fabulous | 12 September 2019

In Competition No. 3115 you were invited to submit a fable for the 21st century, complete with moral. James Michie, my predecessor in the judge’s seat, was a celebrated translator of fables and if you were looking for inspiration, and don’t speak French, his 1973 rendering of a selection by La Fontaine were described by the exacting Geoffrey Grigson as ‘earthier and sharper than Marianne Moore’s’. Though this challenge didn’t see you at your sharpest — some entries tended towards the heavy-handed — those that stood out earn their authors £25 apiece.

One day a man was strolling through a wood when he heard a bird singing. It was a beguiling little song so he stopped to listen more closely. The tune fascinated him so much that he practised whistling it all the way home. The next day he returned to the same spot and whistled the song himself. To his delight the unseen bird responded, echoing his version.