【英】《伊索寓言》第31集：The Honest Woodcutter

Once a poor woodcutter went deep into the forest, hoping to find the best wood to sell and feed his family. He came to a tall, beautiful tree and swung his ax to make the first cut. As it happened, the head of the ax was a bit loose and it flew off the shaft. The ax head landed in a deep pool of water.

The woodcutter ran to the pool, but he could not see the ax head, no matter how hard he looked. Since he could not swim, he didn’t dare dive in and try to find the ax.

“Oh no!” he moaned. “How will I feed my family without my ax?” The man was so upset he began to weep.

A kindhearted mermaid swam to the side of the bank. She asked the man what troubled him so.

“I have lost my ax head,” the man said. “Without it, I cannot work and my children will starve.”

The mermaid felt sorry for the man and she swam away to find his ax. Soon she came back and held out a beautiful ax head of the finest silver.

“Is this your ax?” she asked.

“Oh no,” said the woodman. “Mine is only a dull iron ax.”

The mermaid dove back into the water and brought up an even more lovely golden ax head.

“Is this your ax?” she asked.

“Oh no,” said the woodman. “Mine is very plain.”

The mermaid dove back into the water and brought up the woodman’s plain iron ax head.

“Is this one yours?” she asked.

“Yes,” the woodman said with great joy. “That one is mine. Thank you so much for finding it for me.”

“Since you were honest, you may have all three,” the mermaid said.