The Farmer Who Waited by the Stump

Long ago there lived a farmer. Every morning he went to his field early and hoed until evening. In the middle of his field stood an old tree stump.

One day, as the farmer was working, a hare shot out from the bushes. It was running so fast that it did not see the stump in front of it; it crashed into the stump, was stunned and fell down. The farmer ran and picked up the hare. "How lucky I am!" he said. "I found a hare without any effort at all." That evening he ate hare soup, and as he ate he thought: "If hares run into stumps, why should I tire myself out hoeing?"

The next day the farmer put his hoe aside and sat down by the stump. He fixed his eyes on the bushes and waited. Noon came, but no hare came. Evening came, and still no hare came. "It'll come tomorrow," he said.

He waited the next day, and the day after that. Weeks went by. Weeds took over the field, and the crops withered. The neighbours laughed as they passed by: "What are you waiting for?" "A hare," said the farmer, "a hare that will run into the stump."

At last harvest time came. While the neighbours' barns filled up with wheat, there was nothing in the farmer's field. And the hare never came again. The farmer looked at his empty field and scratched his head: "I suppose luck only happens once. But hard work bears fruit every day."

The next spring the farmer picked up his hoe again. Now he only rested beside the stump while he ate his lunch.

This tale tells us: we must not rely on luck that came once and stop working. True plenty comes from hard work.