The Calf and the Old Ox
Once upon a time, on a lovely farm where dazzling flowers bloomed, there lived an old ox and a young bullock. From the early hours of the morning until evening, the old ox patiently plowed the field and pulled the heavy plow. The young bullock, however, did no work at all and spent the whole day happily leaping and wandering on the fresh grass. Proud of his own freedom, the bullock secretly mocked the old ox whenever he saw how tired he was. As the days flowed by in the peaceful air of the farm, caring for the bullock and feeding him seemed to be the only purpose. In the middle of a hot summer day, the old ox went on working the soil with sweat running down his forehead again.
Seeing him sigh with weariness, the bullock proudly came near him and boasted with great arrogance. “Why do you tire yourself out so much? Look, I live like a king without doing any work,” he said. The old ox slowly raised his head and calmly looked at the young bullock with his wise eyes. “Work is the security of life, my child; comfort that comes without effort rarely ends well,” he answered. The bullock paid no attention to these words, burst into laughter and began to run merrily toward the meadows. A few days later, the guests who came to the farm for a magnificent feast began to look around with curiosity.
The farmer tied a colorful rope around the neck of the bullock, who was useless but well fed and fattened. The bullock, who did not understand what was happening, was seized by deep fear when he realized that he would be taken away to be sacrificed. As he struggled in tears, he had to pass by the old ox, who was standing calmly in the field. The old ox looked sadly at the bullock, who was being dragged away, and sighed deeply. “That is why they made you do no work and only fed you and raised you,” he said with sorrow. While the hardworking old ox went on living in safety, the lazy bullock became the victim of the fate he had mocked. Those who despise the labor of others and boast of their laziness cannot escape the bitter end that catches them unprepared. Iron that works always shines.