Aesop
|
Greece

A Woman and Her Hen

A woman had a special Hen that laid one egg daily, so she tried feeding it more to get two eggs, but it stopped laying altogether.
Contentment
Greed
Desire
An Ostrich, Birds, and Beasts
Audio available for B1 version

Once upon a time, there was a woman who had a Hen. This special Hen would lay an egg each and every day. The woman was pleased with this daily gift but she started thinking. She wondered if there might be a way for the Hen to give her two eggs each day instead of just one.

With this thought, the woman came up with a plan. She decided to feed the Hen twice as much barley as usual, hoping this would make the Hen lay more eggs. Starting from the next day, the Hen was given double the food.

The Hen enjoyed the extra barley and started growing bigger and fatter. It looked healthier and happier. But something unexpected happened. The Hen, now fat and content, stopped laying eggs. Not a single egg was laid from that day forward.

The woman was surprised and disappointed. She had expected more eggs, but instead, she ended up with none. Her wish for more had led to less.

Once upon a jiggly-wiggly time in a far-off patch of grass called "Backyardia," lived a woman with a Hen who was basically the Beyoncé of the barnyard. Every single day, this feathered diva laid an egg that shone like a disco ball. Imagine that—chicken stardom!

Now, the woman got to thinking—an idea popped in her head like a champagne cork. "Hmm," she mused, "if my Hen is so eggstraordinary, why settle for a one-egg show? Two eggs would be like having double scoops of ice cream!"

So, what's cooking? The grand idea! She decided to treat the Hen to heaps of delicious barley, making every day a Chicken Food Festival. Our Hen was absolutely eggstatic! If chickens could boogie, she'd be doing the barnyard boogaloo.

But, hold the phone! Plot twist alert! With her tummy fuller than a pillow at a sleepover, the Hen decided it was vacay time. That's right—no eggs, zilch, nada! If she wore a hat, it'd be in the air right now, shouting, "Gotcha!"

The woman was utterly flabbergasted. From dreaming of an egg bonanza, she got zippo. It was like waiting for a double rainbow but getting gray clouds and drizzle instead.

So now, there's the woman, tallying her make-believe eggs, while her Hen struts around as if she’s just aced 'Cluck Factor'—yet not laying a single chart-topping egg.

There once was a woman, quite keen,
Who owned a prolific gold Hen.
Each day there’d be one,
Golden egg, in the sun.

She thought, "Can I get two or ten?
What if more food, to Hen I lend?"
Double the barley, she gave,
Hoping her fortunes to save.

The Hen grew plump, its feathers gleamed,
Living a life, it might have dreamed.
Yet something changed, not for the best,
The Hen decided to take a rest.

No eggs appeared, not even one,
The woman sighed, "What have I done?"
Her face turned long, her eyes grew wet,
For greed had made her lose her bet.

She learned a lesson, quite complex,
More isn't always what comes next.
Be grateful for the gifts you get,
Or you might end up with regret.

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Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the woman decided to feed the hen twice as much food?
  2. What happened to the hen after it started eating more?
  3. Can you think of a time when wanting more of something didn't work out the way you expected?
  4. What does this story teach us about being satisfied with what we have?
  5. How can we apply the lesson from this story when we feel like we want more of something?

Fable Quotes

True wealth lies not in having more, but in wanting less.
More isn't always better; sometimes it leads to less.
Unchecked desires can lead to unexpected outcomes.
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