The Wind and the Sun's cousin fable: The Miser and His Gold
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A miser buries his entire fortune in a secret spot he visits daily just to gloat over it — until it vanishes, prompting a neighbor's blunt lesson about what money is really for.
A Miser sold everything he had, and melted down his hoard of gold into a single lump, which he buried secretly in a field. Every day he went to look at it, and would sometimes spend long hours gloating over his treasure.
Seorang Kikir menjual semua yang ia miliki, dan melebur seluruh simpanan emasnya menjadi satu bongkahan, yang ia kubur diam-diam di sebuah ladang. Setiap hari ia pergi untuk melihatnya, dan kadang menghabiskan berjam-jam terpaku memandangi harta karunnya.
One of his men noticed his frequent visits to the spot, and one day watched him and discovered his secret. Waiting his opportunity, he went one night and dug up the gold and stole it.
Salah satu pekerjanya memperhatikan kunjungannya yang sering ke tempat itu, dan suatu hari mengikutinya diam-diam serta mengetahui rahasianya. Menunggu kesempatan yang tepat, ia pergi pada suatu malam, menggali emas itu, dan mencurinya.
Next day the Miser visited the place as usual, and, finding his treasure gone, fell to tearing his hair and groaning over his loss. In this condition he was seen by one of his neighbours, who asked him what his trouble was.
Keesokan harinya, sang Kikir mengunjungi tempat itu seperti biasa, dan mendapati harta karunnya telah lenyap, ia pun menjambak rambutnya sendiri dan meratapi kehilangannya. Dalam keadaan itu ia dilihat oleh salah satu tetangganya, yang bertanya apa yang terjadi padanya.
The Miser told him of his misfortune; but the other replied, "Don't take it so much to heart, my friend; put a brick into the hole, and take a look at it every day: you won't be any worse off than before, for even when you had your gold it was of no earthly use to you."
Sang Kikir menceritakan musibahnya kepada tetangganya itu; tetapi tetangganya menjawab, "Jangan terlalu bersedih hati, kawanku; taruh sebongkah batu bata ke dalam lubang itu, dan pandanglah setiap hari: keadaanmu tidak akan lebih buruk daripada sebelumnya, sebab bahkan ketika emas itu masih ada padamu, emas itu sama sekali tidak berguna bagimu."
