A Woodman went into the forest and begged of the Trees the favour of a handle for his Axe. The principal Trees at once agreed to so modest a request, and unhesitatingly gave him a young ash sapling, out of which he fashioned the handle he desired. No sooner had he done so than he set to work to fell the noblest Trees in the wood. When they saw the use to which he was putting their gift, they cried, “Alas! alas! We are undone, but we are ourselves to blame. The little we gave has cost us all: had we not sacrificed the rights of the ash, we might ourselves have stood for ages.”
一个伐木工去树林里，请求树帮他的忙，做他的斧子的柄。面对这么谦卑的请求，大树立刻答应了，毫不犹豫地给了他一根小白蜡树枝，伐木工用这根树枝做成了斧子柄。一做好，他就开始砍森林里面最贵重的树。树们看到他们送他的礼物被如此使用，便都哀号道：“哎呀！哎呀！我们要完了，但是我们只能怪我们自己啊。我们送出的那根小树枝，令我们所有人都跟着葬送掉了性命，如果没有牺牲那根小白蜡树枝，也许我们会永远站在这里。”