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

The Man who Broke the Statue

(Aesop’s Fables)

Translation　Oliver Rose

Japanese　←→　Japanese ＆ English　←→　English

　There was a man holding a statue of a god made of wood.

　This man was poor, so he prayed to the statue every day.

　However, no matter how much he prayed, rather than getting richer, he just got poorer and poorer.

　Finally the man got angry, grabbed the statue by the foot and threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

　At that moment, the statue's head split open and out came lumps of gold.

　The man picked them all up and shouted.

“God, how strange and stubborn you are.

　I mean, when I waited respectfully you gave me nothing but the moment I lashed out, you gave me this reward!”



　This story teaches us that mean-spirited people will give us nothing if we treat them nicely. On the other hand, if you treat them strictly, you will be rewarded.

The end

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