সৎ কাঠুরের গল্প (The Honest Woodcutter) হলো সততার পুরস্কারের একটি কালজয়ী কাহিনী। এক দরিদ্র কাঠুরে নদীর ধারে কাঠ কাটার সময় তার লোহার কুঠারটি হারিয়ে ফেলে। জলের দেবতা (বা দেবদূত) এসে সোনার ও রূপার কুঠার দেখালেও সে কেবল তার নিজের লোহার কুঠারটিই গ্রহণ করে [১, ৩]। এই সততায় মুগ্ধ হয়ে দেবতা তাকে তিনটি কুঠারই উপহার দেন। [২]
এখানে গল্পটি ইংরেজিতে দেওয়া হলো:
The Honest Woodcutter
Once upon a time, there lived a very poor woodcutter in a village. He was very honest. Every day, he used to go to the forest to cut wood and sell it in the market to earn his living.
One day, while he was cutting wood on the bank of a deep river, his axe accidentally slipped from his hand and fell into the water. The river was too deep, and he could not find his axe. The poor woodcutter sat on the bank and began to cry bitterly because he had no money to buy a new one.
+1
Hearing his cries, a water fairy (or God Mercury) appeared before him and asked, "Why are you weeping?" The woodcutter told her about his lost axe. The fairy dived into the river and brought out a golden axe. She asked, "Is this your axe?" The woodcutter replied, "No, this is not mine."
Scribd
Scribd
+2
The fairy dived again and brought a silver axe. The woodcutter again refused to take it, saying it was not his. Finally, she dived for the third time and brought out the iron axe. The woodcutter happily exclaimed, "Yes! That is my axe!"
+1
The fairy was very impressed with his honesty. She rewarded him by giving him all three axes—the gold, the silver, and his own iron axe. The woodcutter went home happily.
Scribd
Scribd