▁peace , ▁into ▁diss atisf action , ▁fool ish ness ▁and ▁dis aster . ▁Two ▁centuries ▁earlier , ▁the ▁German ▁poet ▁Got th old ▁E ph ra im ▁Less ing ▁had ▁given ▁the ▁theme ▁an ▁even ▁dark er ▁re inter pret ation ▁in ▁his ▁" The ▁Water ▁S nake " ▁( Die ▁Wass ersch l ange ). ▁T aking ▁its ▁beginning ▁from ▁the ▁Ph a ed rus ▁version , ▁the ▁poem ▁rel ates ▁how ▁a ▁f rog ▁asks ▁the ▁s nake ▁why ▁it ▁is ▁dev our ing ▁his ▁kind . ▁' B ecause ▁you ▁have ▁invited ▁me ▁to ,' ▁is ▁the ▁reply ; ▁but ▁when ▁the ▁f rog ▁den ies ▁this , ▁the ▁s nake ▁decl ares ▁that ▁it ▁will ▁therefore ▁eat ▁the ▁f rog ▁because ▁he ▁has ▁not . ▁Part ▁of ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁variations ▁on ▁A es op ic ▁them es , ▁this ▁appears ▁as ▁the ▁last ▁in ▁Gary ▁Bach l und ' s ▁recent ▁setting ▁of ▁five ▁f ables ▁by ▁Less ing ▁( F ün f ▁F abel en , ▁ 2 0 0 8 ). ▁ ▁Ear lier ▁settings ▁have ▁included ▁one ▁by ▁Louis - N icol as ▁Cl ér amb ault ▁of ▁words ▁based ▁on ▁La ▁Font aine ' s ▁f able ▁( 1 7 3 0 s ) ▁and ▁Louis ▁La com be ' s ▁setting ▁of ▁La ▁Font aine ' s ▁own ▁words ▁( Op . ▁ 7 2 ) ▁for ▁four ▁men ' s ▁voices ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁his ▁ 1 5 ▁f ables ▁de