The Judge of the Forest
A tortoise and a frog cannot share a fish; a cunning monkey becomes the judge.
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On the shore of a lake a tortoise and a frog found a fish at the same moment. "I saw it first!" "I touched it first!" They argued and could not settle it. A monkey called down from a tree: "I am a judge, I'll divide it fairly."
The monkey took the fish and broke it in two. He put the halves on his scales. "This piece is a bit heavy," he said, and took a bite from the heavy piece. He weighed again: "Now the other one is heavy." He bit that one too. Heavy again, another bite. The tortoise and the frog watched. The fish got smaller and smaller... In the end two fishbones were left on the scales.
"Now they're equal," said the monkey. "Help yourselves." And he climbed up the tree and left; his belly was full.
The tortoise and the frog looked at the two fishbones. The frog said, "If only we had split it in half and eaten it." The tortoise said, "If only."
Kalila tells it, Dimna listens: when two people fight, a third fills his belly. What you cannot share with your brother, a monkey will share for you.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Judge of the Forest is a children's tale from Kalila and Dimna, suitable for ages 5-10 and about 1 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Kalila and Dimna category.
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