Panchatantra Talkative Turtle

tale:panchatantra_talkative_turtle

Two geese, fond of a turtle whose pond is drying up, offer to carry it to a new lake on a stick gripped in its mouth, warning it not to speak. Aloft, taunted by people below who marvel at the sight, the turtle opens its mouth to retort, lets go, and falls to its death. Moral: heedless speech is its own ruin. — Panchatantra (attrib. Vishnu Sharma)