Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Foreign language (English) > Aesop’s Fables

The Ant and the Scarab

(Aesop’s Fables)

Translation　ちいさな翻訳屋さん

おりがみをつくろう ( おりがみくらぶ より) あり

Japanese ・ English ・Japanese & English

　For the whole summer, an ant was walking around the field, gathering wheat and barley to store up for the winter.

　A scarab saw the ant and said,

“You must be out of your mind working so hard.

　This is the best season with plenty of food. There’s no need to work.

　Look around you. Other creatures are relaxed and enjoying themselves.”

“…..”

　The ant did not say anything.

　By and by, winter set in.

　Once the cold rain had washed away cow dung, the scarab, who had no food left, visited the ant.

“Ant, please spare me something to eat,”

　the scarab begged.

　The ant then replied,

“See, Scarab.

　You made fun of me when I was working.

　If you had worked as hard as I did at that time, you didn’t have to worry about your food now.”

　Just like this scarab, if we don’t save up while the economy is good,

　we’ll become poor once the economy goes into depression.

The end

(Click here to return)