24 农夫与冻僵的蛇

the ploughman and the frozen snake

One winter, a ploughman, found a snake stiff with cold. He took pity on it, picked it up and put it under his shirt. When the snake had warmed up again against the man’s chest, it reverted to its nature, struck out and killed its benefactor. When he realized that he was dying, the man bemoaned: “I well deserve it, for taking pity on a wicked wretch.”

The fable shows that perversity of nature does not change under the influence of kindness.