had also pictured the transformation scene half way through in his illustration for John Ogilby’s The Fables of Aesop (1668). Chagall's print, in its turn, inspired a poem by American poet Patricia Fargnoli. Published in her collection Small Songs of Pain (2003), it considers what the physical process of changing into a woman must have felt like. With its concentration on the woman's sexual characteristics, it takes us full circle to François Chauveau’s copper engraving in the first edition of La Fontaine's Fables (1668), which suggests that the hunt for the mouse takes place immediately following the act of love. This underlines the character of Aphrodite's test of the woman and explains the love-goddess' judgement in turning her back to her original form. References External links Illustrations from books between the 16th – 20th centuries Aesop's Fables La Fontaine's Fables Fictional mice and rats Fiction about shapeshifting Works about marriage Indian folklore Indian literature Indian fairy tales ATU 2000-2199 fr:La Souris métamorphosée en fille