batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4198-l4209
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l4198-l4209
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE ASS AND THE DOG / THE ASS CARRYING THE IMAGE / THE ATHENIAN AND THE THEBAN
/ THE GOATHERD AND THE GOAT; lines 4198-4209
start: '4198'
end: '4209'
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: It's no use trying to hide what can't be hidden.
summary: A goatherd tries to bring a straying goat back to the flock. After calling
and whistling fail, he throws a stone and breaks one of her horns. He asks her
not to tell his master, but she says the broken horn would reveal the deed even
if she stayed silent.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A goatherd is gathering his flock to return to the fold.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: One goat strays and refuses to join the rest of the flock.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The goatherd calls and whistles for a long time, but the goat takes no notice.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The goatherd throws a stone at the goat and breaks one of her horns.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The goatherd asks the goat not to tell his master.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The goat replies that her horn would cry aloud even if she held her tongue.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The appended moral states that it is useless to try to hide what cannot be
hidden.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Goatherd
description: A person gathering his flock and trying to make a straying goat return.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Goat
description: A goat who strays from the flock, ignores the goatherd, has one horn
broken, and speaks in reply.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Master
description: The goatherd's master, mentioned as the person the goatherd does not
want informed.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: herder
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He is gathering his flock to return to the fold.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: wrongdoer attempting concealment
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He breaks the goat's horn and begs her not to tell his master.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: straying animal
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The goat strays and refuses to join the rest of the flock.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: speaker revealing visible evidence
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The goat says her broken horn would cry aloud even if she stayed silent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: offstage authority
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The goatherd fears the master being told about the broken horn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: broken horn
literal_form: one of the goat's horns, broken by the thrown stone
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: stone
literal_form: a stone thrown by the goatherd
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: flock and fold
literal_form: the flock being gathered to return to the fold
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Straying goat resists return
summary: The goatherd gathers the flock for return to the fold, but one goat strays
and ignores his calls and whistles.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Injury and attempted concealment
summary: The goatherd throws a stone at the goat, breaks one of her horns, and asks
her not to tell his master.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Visible injury as witness
summary: The goat says the broken horn would reveal the goatherd's act even if she
remained silent, and the moral generalizes that what cannot be hidden should not
be concealed.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: visible evidence exposes concealed wrongdoing
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The goatherd tries to suppress disclosure after breaking the goat's horn,
but the goat points out that the visible injury itself would reveal what happened;
the moral states that some things cannot be hidden.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy contains only broad motif families; the specific
fable pattern is more precise than the supplied "wisdom" category.
- id: motif:2
label: animal speech delivers practical moral lesson
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The goat speaks to correct the goatherd's attempt at concealment, and the
appended moral states the lesson explicitly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage supports a wisdom-fable reading, but no narrower supplied
taxonomy reference directly names speaking animals or moral exempla.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 4198-4202
quote_or_summary: A goatherd gathers his flock to return to the fold; one goat strays
and refuses to join the others.
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: 4202-4205
quote_or_summary: The goatherd calls and whistles for a long time, but the goat
takes no notice.
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: 4205-4206
quote_or_summary: The goatherd throws a stone at the goat and breaks one of her
horns.
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: 4206-4207
quote_or_summary: In dismay, the goatherd begs the goat not to tell his master.
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: quote
locator: 4207-4208
quote_or_summary: '"my horn would cry aloud even if I held my tongue."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt quoted.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: '4209'
quote_or_summary: '"It''s no use trying to hide what can''t be hidden."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt quoted.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The narrative details and moral are explicit. Motif mapping is limited because
the supplied taxonomy has only a broad wisdom category relevant to this fable.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not make a comparison to another text, tradition, or motif family beyond its explicit moral pattern.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l4198-l4209
passage_sha256=96c71d3a4757eaf5ff246019c19a2302488f5d15893d2aad7dd3779a06797a60