THE
WOOD CUTTER
In the days of Solomon, there used to be a wood-cutter who eked out his living by the sweat of his brow. He would go to the wood early in the morning and return home in the evening. He would cut the wood in the forest and carry it to the market to sell it. He then would buy food for his wife and hildren. It was a very hard work but he got used to it.
As usual, one
day he was working in the forest industriously. He was sweating all over but totally absorbed in his work. The royal carriage of
king Solomon passed that way. The king was surprised to see an
old man engaged in his work so. He thanked God that he did not have to do such hard work. He stopped for a while to speak to the old man. ''My name is Solomon'', the old man told him. He then related to him his daily busy schedule and a whole lot of responsibilities that he has to shoulder as the head of lthe family. Solomon the king felt shocked to hear the sad story of Solomon the woodcutter. He felt
pity for the old man. He wanted to lift off from his shoulders the burden of his responsibilities. He
took out a very expensive
diamond from his crown and handed it to the old man. ''Take it to the market and sell it to the jweller. You will get a lot of money, enough to last a long period of time''. The old man took his hands off from his work to take the diamond from Solomon. Hubliant, he began dreaming of a life of ease and comfort. The days of hardships and trials are over, he thought.
The diamond was red and shining in the hands of the old man. He was immeasurably happy and exceedingly cheerful as he was going toward the market. Unfortunately, the bubble of happiness burst out as the kite from above snatched away the diamond from the hand of the old man. The kite took it to be a lump of flush. It disappeared from his sight in a fraction of a second. Defenceless, he felt pity for himself and for the king who showed pity for him. Rather than going home without money, he had to go back to the forest to resume his work. Due to the ill-fated diamond his day was spoilt and he and his family went hungry.
As Solomon passed the next day, he fould the old man still working with the same diligence. He stopped to ask the old man about the diamond. The unlucky old man narrated his sad story. The king took pity upon him and gave him another diamond. This time the king asked the old man to take greater care of the diamond. Happy and excited, the old man left his work once again and headed toward the market. Therer was a small river on the way to the market, which he had to cross. He plunged into the river and swam bravely to reach the shore quickly. Unfortunately, thre was a strong wind and a great flood of water approaching. Fighting with the huge ebb and tide, he reached the shore with great difficulty. Despite the greatest care, the diamond slipped into water. Once again all his hopes were washed away with the diamond. Disappointed and hungry, he returned to his usual work.
The third day again Solomon found the old man cutting the wood at the same spot. The old man said what happened. Solomon took pity upon the old man and gave him another diamond.&nbsExhorting him to be careful, he left. The old man took the diamond and tied it in a cloth and quickly hid it in the pocket. A thief on the horseback was watching the old man from a distance. He got off the horse back and robbed the old man of the diamond and ran away. Hungry for three days, the old man felt sorry for himself for leaving the usual work and running after the ill-fated diamond. When the king met him on the fourth day at the same spot, he thanked the king for showing pity. He declined to take any more diamonds from him because the diamond brought him more hardships and misfortunes. He felt he should be engaged in his usual work undisturbed by the other attractions of life. The king agreed with him that with human efforts ill-luck could not be averted.
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