The Old Man and the Horse
A Chinese Proverb
| Word (English) | Translation (Russian) |
|---|---|
| misfortune | несчастье |
| blessing | благословение, удача |
| to break (broke, broken) | ломать(ся) |
| to tame | приручать, объезжать |
| to avoid | избегать |
| war | война |
| to doubt | сомневаться |
| wisely | мудро |
| to comfort | утешать |
| to occur | случаться |
“What a misfortune!” – “Какое несчастье!”
“Who knows?” – “Кто знает?”
“It turned out to be…” – “Оказалось…”
“Maybe it's a blessing.” – “Может, это к счастью.”
“Don't jump to conclusions.” – “Не делай поспешных выводов.”
The Story
Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in a small village near the border. He had a beautiful white horse. Everyone admired the horse and said, “What a lucky man you are!” But the old man only replied, “Who knows? Maybe it's not a blessing.”
One day, the horse ran away and disappeared. The neighbours came to comfort him: “What a misfortune!” they said. The old man calmly answered, “Who knows? Maybe it's not a misfortune.”
A few weeks later, the horse returned, bringing with it a herd of wild horses. Now the old man had many horses. The neighbours were amazed: “What a blessing!” they cried. But the old man said again, “Who knows? Maybe it's not a blessing.”
His son tried to tame one of the wild horses. He fell and broke his leg. The neighbours sighed, “What a misfortune! Now your son is crippled.” The old man, as before, replied, “Who knows? Maybe it's not a misfortune.”
Soon after, a war broke out. All the young men were called to fight. Many died on the battlefield. But the old man's son could not go because of his broken leg. He stayed home and survived. The neighbours finally understood: “What seemed like a misfortune turned out to be a blessing, and what seemed like a blessing turned out to be a misfortune.”
The old man smiled wisely and said, “Life is full of surprises. We should never judge an event too quickly. Only time can show the true meaning of things.”