Isaac Rosenfeld
THREE PARABLES AND A DISSERTATION
1.
A HORSE
There was a soldier had a horse, a good black horse, whose
legs were both dainty and strong, whose mane and tail were coarse
as horse hair is, and yet glossy and silken, and whose eyes were at
once animal and human. The soldier was not so remarkable, for
he had less in him of the beast than the horse had of man; he was
a kind, but simple and ordinary fellow who could ride well enough
but not so well as some can. The two of them were friends and con–
fided in each other, though the horse hadn't the power of speech.
The soldier talked and the horse listened and understood, which
makes a conversation.
The two traveled through the country when there was no war,
going from town to town, the soldier looking for work. In this way
they met many people, all of whom admired the power and wisdom,
the strength and daintiness of the horse. The soldier received many
offers for
his
animal, some of them generous, but he would not think
of parting with his friend; and the horse never had reason to feel
uneasy. The soldier also met many women in the course of his travels.
To some of them he made love.
In a certain part of the country, where they stayed for awhile,
the soldier met a girl who was pretty in an ambiguous way, so
~hat
he could not decide whether he wanted her. Sometimes he thought
her lovely, sometimes, not at all; nor could he strike a mean and
consider her, say, fair, for there is no single and clear impression
to which the idea of a compromise can correspond. He met her many
times during the day as he was riding down the road, and again in
the evening, and every time he saw her he was puzzled what to do
with her. The
girl
would always stop to pet the horse; but for the
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