Aesop
|
Greece

The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs

A greedy farmer and his wife cut open their golden-egg-laying goose, hoping for more gold, but lose everything instead.
Greed
Patience
Gratitude
Aesop's Fables - The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
Audio available for B1 version

A long time ago, a poor farmer and his wife lived in a small village. They didn't have much. One day, the farmer found a special goose that looked different from the others. He brought it home and took care of it.

The next morning, the farmer saw a golden egg next to the goose. He and his wife were very surprised. They sold the egg and made a lot of money. Every day, the goose laid a golden egg, and the farmer and his wife became rich.

But they wanted more money, so they thought about getting all the gold inside the goose at once. They believed the goose must have a lot of gold inside it. So they decided to kill the goose and get the gold.

The farmer killed the goose, but when he cut it open, there was no gold inside. They had lost the goose that made them rich. Now, there would be no more golden eggs, and they lost all their wealth.

Once upon a time, a farmer and his wife lived a simple life. They weren’t rich, but they had enough to get by. Every day, they worked hard on their small farm, taking care of their animals and crops.

One morning, the farmer walked through the barnyard. He saw a goose that looked different from the rest. Its feathers shimmered in the sunlight, almost as if they had a golden glow.

“That goose looks special,” the farmer thought. He decided to bring it home and take good care of it.

The next morning, when the farmer went to check on the goose, he gasped in surprise. Lying next to it was something shiny.

“A golden egg!” he shouted. He ran to find his wife. “Look, look! The goose laid a golden egg!”

His wife’s eyes widened. “This must be worth a fortune!” she said excitedly. They sold the egg and made more money than they had ever seen.

The next day, the goose laid another golden egg. Then another, the day after that.

Day after day, the goose laid a single golden egg. Before long, the farmer and his wife were very rich. But as their wealth grew, so did their greed.

“Why are we waiting for just one egg a day?” the farmer grumbled. “If the goose lays golden eggs, then it must be full of gold inside!”

His wife nodded. “If we take all the gold at once, we’ll never have to wait again!”

The farmer agreed. “You’re right. Let’s cut the goose open and take it all!”

So, with dreams of endless riches, the farmer picked up a knife and cut the goose open. But when he looked inside, he froze.

There was no gold. Just an ordinary goose, like any other.

“Oh no. What have we done?” his wife whispered.

They had been so greedy that they destroyed the very thing that had made them rich. Now, there were no more golden eggs, and no way to get them back.

A poor man and his wife live in a small town. They do not have much. One day, the man finds a goose. This goose is special. He takes it home and takes care of it.

The next day, the man sees a gold egg by the goose. He and his wife are very surprised. They sell the egg and get a lot of money. Every day, the goose gives them a gold egg. They become rich.

But they want more money. They think the goose has a lot of gold inside. They decide to cut the goose open and get all the gold.

The man cuts the goose, but there is no gold inside. They lose the goose that gives them gold eggs. Now, there are no more gold eggs. They are poor again.

Once upon a time, a farmer and his wife lived a simple life. They weren’t rich, but they had enough to get by. Every day, they worked hard on their small farm, taking care of their animals and crops.

One morning, the farmer walked through the barnyard. He saw a goose that looked different from the rest. Its feathers shimmered in the sunlight, almost as if they had a golden glow.

“That goose looks special,” the farmer thought. He decided to bring it home and take good care of it.

The next morning, when the farmer went to check on the goose, he gasped in surprise. Lying next to it was something shiny.

“A golden egg!” he shouted. He ran to find his wife. “Look, look! The goose laid a golden egg!”

His wife’s eyes widened. “This must be worth a fortune!” she said excitedly. They sold the egg and made more money than they had ever seen.

The next day, the goose laid another golden egg. Then another, the day after that.

Day after day, the goose laid a single golden egg. Before long, the farmer and his wife were very rich. But as their wealth grew, so did their greed.

“Why are we waiting for just one egg a day?” the farmer grumbled. “If the goose lays golden eggs, then it must be full of gold inside!”

His wife nodded. “If we take all the gold at once, we’ll never have to wait again!”

The farmer agreed. “You’re right. Let’s cut the goose open and take it all!”

So, with dreams of endless riches, the farmer picked up a knife and cut the goose open. But when he looked inside, he froze.

There was no gold. Just an ordinary goose, like any other.

“Oh no. What have we done?” his wife whispered.

They had been so greedy that they destroyed the very thing that had made them rich. Now, there were no more golden eggs, and no way to get them back.

Once upon a "not so average" day in a teeny-tiny village, there lived a farmer and his wife. Their day-to-day life was, let's be honest, as bland as unbuttered toast. If they were any more ordinary, they'd be a pair of socks.

Enter stage left: a quirky looking goose, strutting its stuff, flaunting its feathery self like it just came out of a salon. “Oi,” the farmer said, squinting at it. “You look... different. Like you've got a secret dance move no one knows about. Come along!”

The farmer's wife looked at the goose, and then back at her husband. "Dear, are you sure about this? It looks... different. Kind of fabulous, actually."

“Trust me,” the farmer winked, “I've got a feeling about this one."

The next morning, just as the sun peeked over the hills (and boy was it nosy), next to our fabulous goose was – brace yourselves – a GOLDEN EGG. It was shiny, it was sparkly, and if eggs had a theme song, this one would've been a hit!

The farmer's wife blinked, "Oh-em-geese! Is that... GOLD?"

The farmer, trying to act all cool, replied, "Yup! Knew that goose had some moves!"

From that day, their tiny, toast-bland home was transformed into a daily golden fiesta. Ka-ching! They went from "we can barely buy a loaf of bread" to "honey, should we buy that fourth toy carriage?"

But you know how it is with stories. We get one piece of candy, and we think there's a whole candy store hidden somewhere. They looked at each other, twinkling eyes meeting twinkling eyes. "I have an idea," said the farmer, rubbing his hands together, "a not-so-brilliant idea, actually."

"You're thinking... inside the goose?" the wife asked, wiggling her eyebrows in a way that meant, "I'm curious, but also a tad unsure."

"Exactly!" the farmer exclaimed, imagining a little toy box of gold inside the goose.

But, oh! When they peeked inside, there was no secret toy or shiny trinket, just... well, goose stuff. No more glitters, no more sparkles, and definitely no golden breakfasts.

The wife sighed, "Well, that was... unexpected."

The farmer nodded, “Guess we're back to the drawing board, eh?”

And so, the tale unfolds, revealing a simple truth: in the quest for more, one might lose sight of the true treasures they already possess.

Once upon a village glade,
Where trees and flowers would never fade,
Lived a farmer, simple and true,
With his wife, in a house with a view.

Amid the flock, one goose stood apart,
With a radiant glow, and a shimmering heart.
Home he took this bird so fine,
Hoping good fortune would soon be thine.

Come the dawn, with the sunrise so grand,
A golden egg, in the barn did stand.
Eyes wide, the couple did stare,
At the egg so rare, beyond compare.

With each sunrise, an egg did appear,
Bringing them wealth, year after year.
Yet greed crept in, as it often does,
Whispering tales of golden fuzz.

"Imagine the riches," said the wife with glee,
"If inside the goose, all the gold we see!"
So the decision was made, their fate sealed tight,
They’d cut the goose, by the end of the night.

To their shock and profound regret,
Inside was emptiness, a haunting silhouette.
Their treasure lost, the goose's song done,
Gone were the days under the golden sun.

Share
Feedback

Word Finder

  1. Shimmered

    Shined softly with a moving light.

  2. Widened

    Opened or expanded more than before.

  3. Gasped

    Took a quick breath from surprise.

  4. Fortune

    A large amount of money.

  5. Excitedly

    Feeling very happy and eager.

  6. Wealth

    Having a lot of money or valuable things.

  7. Grew

    Became bigger or increased.

  8. Greed

    Wanting too much of something.

  9. Grumbled

    Complained in a low voice.

  10. Destroyed

    Ruined something completely.

Understanding Questions

  1. What did the farmer notice about the goose when he first saw it?
  2. How did the farmer and his wife become rich?
  3. Why did the farmer and his wife decide to cut the goose open?
  4. What did they find inside the goose after they cut it open?
  5. How did the farmer and his wife feel at the end of the story?
Word Finder
  1. Poor

    Having very little money and things.

  2. Special

    Different and important in a good way.

  3. Care

    Look after someone or something.

  4. Gold

    A shiny, yellow metal.

  5. Surprised

    Feeling something unexpected and sudden.

  6. Sell

    Give something for money.

  7. Rich

    Having a lot of money and things.

  8. Decide

    Choose what to do.

  9. Inside

    The inner part of something.

  10. Lose

    No longer have something.

  1. Shimmered

    Shined softly with a moving light.

  2. Widened

    Opened or expanded more than before.

  3. Gasped

    Took a quick breath from surprise.

  4. Fortune

    A large amount of money.

  5. Excitedly

    Feeling very happy and eager.

  6. Wealth

    Having a lot of money or valuable things.

  7. Grew

    Became bigger or increased.

  8. Greed

    Wanting too much of something.

  9. Grumbled

    Complained in a low voice.

  10. Destroyed

    Ruined something completely.

Understanding Questions
  1. Where do the poor man and his wife live?

    1. In a city
    2. In a town
    3. In a forest
    4. On a farm
  2. What does the man find one day?

    1. A gold egg
    2. A goose
    3. Money
    4. A chicken
  3. What does the goose give them every day?

    1. Silver eggs
    2. Money
    3. Gold eggs
    4. Food
  4. Why do the man and his wife cut the goose open?

    1. They want to eat it.
    2. They think it has gold inside.
    3. They don't like the goose.
    4. They want to sell it.
  5. What happens after they cut the goose?

    1. They find gold.
    2. The goose flies away.
    3. They lose the goose and become poor.
    4. The goose gives more eggs.
  1. What did the farmer notice about the goose when he first saw it?
  2. How did the farmer and his wife become rich?
  3. Why did the farmer and his wife decide to cut the goose open?
  4. What did they find inside the goose after they cut it open?
  5. How did the farmer and his wife feel at the end of the story?
  1. What unusual discovery did the farmer make while working in the fields, and what was his initial reaction?
  2. Describe the change in the farmer and his wife's financial situation after the goose began laying golden eggs.
  3. What led the farmer and his wife to decide to cut the goose open, and what did they expect to find inside?
  4. What was the outcome of the farmer and his wife killing the goose, and how did it affect their wealth?
  5. Reflecting on their actions, what realization did the farmer and his wife come to after losing their source of riches?
Reflection Questions
  1. How did the farmer and his wife react when they found a golden egg next to the goose one morning?
  2. Why did the farmer and his wife decide to cut the goose open?
  3. Have you ever been in a situation where wanting too much led to losing something important? What happened?
  4. What lesson do you think this story teaches about greed and patience?
  5. How can we practice being thankful for what we already have in our daily lives?
Fable Quotes
In the haste to have it all, one can lose even the little that they have.
Patience is the gardener who reaps the golden harvest.
Even the smallest blessings can yield great wealth when met with gratitude.
Just One More Fable
About

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.