batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1733-l1757
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l1733-l1757
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SHEPHERD'S BOY AND THE WOLF / THE FOX AND THE GOAT / THE FISHERMAN AND
THE SPRAT / THE BOASTING TRAVELLER; lines 1733-1757
start: '1733'
end: '1757'
translation: Aesop's Fables; a new translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: Deeds, not words.
summary: In one fable, a fisherman catches a single small sprat, refuses its plea
to be released until it grows larger, and keeps it because future recapture is
uncertain. In another, a traveller boasts of a great jump at Rhodes, but a listener
tells him to prove it immediately by jumping where he is.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A fisherman casts a net into the sea and draws it up with only one sprat inside.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The sprat asks to be put back into the water, saying it is small now but will
grow big later.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The fisherman refuses to release the sprat and says he may never see it again
if he puts it back.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: A man returns from travels abroad and tells stories about things he says he
did in foreign countries.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The traveller claims he made an unbeatable jump at Rhodes and says people
there would verify it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: One listener tells the traveller that if he can jump so well, they can imagine
the present place is Rhodes and he should jump there.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The fable ends with the moral statement, "Deeds, not words."
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Fisherman
description: A fisherman who catches a single sprat in his net and decides to keep
it.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Sprat
description: A small fish caught in the fisherman's net that asks to be returned
to the water.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Boasting traveller
description: A man who has travelled abroad and claims to have made a wonderful
jump at Rhodes.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Listener
description: One of the people listening to the traveller, who challenges him to
prove his claim by jumping immediately.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: holder of present gain
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The fisherman chooses to keep the sprat already caught rather than rely on
a future larger catch.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: supplicant captive
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The sprat is caught and begs to be returned to the water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: boastful claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The traveller tells others of an extraordinary jump he says he made at Rhodes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: tester of claim
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The listener asks the traveller to demonstrate the claimed ability on the
spot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: net
literal_form: fishing net
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: water
literal_form: sea and water into which the sprat asks to be returned
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: Rhodes
literal_form: place named as the site of the claimed jump
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: jump
literal_form: physical action claimed by the traveller and demanded by the listener
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The fisherman keeps the sprat
summary: A fisherman catches only a small sprat; the sprat argues for release on
the promise of future growth, but the fisherman keeps the present catch rather
than trust a future chance.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: The traveller is challenged to prove his boast
summary: A returned traveller claims an unmatched jump at Rhodes and appeals to
distant witnesses, but a listener asks him to demonstrate the deed immediately.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: certain small gain preferred over uncertain future gain
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fisherman refuses to release a small fish on the promise that it may
be larger and useful later, because future recapture is uncertain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy has only a broad wisdom category; the passage presents
a practical fable lesson rather than a mythic wisdom episode.
- id: motif:2
label: boast tested by immediate performance
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The listener rejects reliance on distant verification and requires the traveller
to prove his claim by action in the present place.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is expressed as a moral fable; no broader comparative tradition
is identified by the passage itself.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1733-1736
quote_or_summary: A fisherman casts his net into the sea and draws it up containing
only a single sprat.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1736-1739
quote_or_summary: The sprat begs to be put back into the water, saying it is small
now but will grow big one day and could be caught again later.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1739-1742
quote_or_summary: The fisherman says he will keep the sprat now because if he puts
it back he is unlikely ever to see it again.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1746-1752
quote_or_summary: A man returns from foreign travel, tells wonderful stories, and
claims he made an unbeatable jump at Rhodes with witnesses who could confirm it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1752-1756
quote_or_summary: A listener says there is no need to go to Rhodes; they can imagine
the place is Rhodes and the traveller should jump now.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: line 1757
quote_or_summary: Deeds, not words.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based directly on the supplied passage. Motif labeling is limited
to practical fable patterns and the broad available taxonomy reference 'wisdom'.
No comparison claims are made because the passage itself does not support a specific
comparative link.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only the two fables present in the supplied passage text were extracted, despite the broader locator label.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l1733-l1757
passage_sha256=b4de51ef1d242d6f4aae846c0de081db17968f1533023417c5631f2952674638