John, The Man Who Was Born Tired
20th January 2023
Categorized Under: Myths and Legends from Around the World
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JOHN, THE MAN WHO WAS BORN TIRED
Like every day, John slept peacefully in the garden of his house under the shade of a tree while his mother sew clothes all day without rest to later sell them in the town market. They were very poor, and the money they earned from their sale was barely enough to eat. John didn’t care about everything his mother did for him, and although he was strong and healthy, he seemed as if he had been born tired. He was lazy, didn’t like to work, and didn’t lift a finger to help with the housework.
One day, she felt more tired than ever, and she told him: Son, I love you very much, and I need your help, but if you don’t work to earn your daily bread, with all the pain in my heart, I tell you that you will have you have to leave this home and look for another place to live because I can no longer support you.
John looked at his mother in disbelief. How could she have told him that? Even so, he agreed to obey her, so the next day he went out to look for work.
After walking through the field for a while, he arrived at a farm, and to his good luck, the farmer told him to help him clean the barn. At the end of the day, when the farmer gave him a silver coin for his work, John took it with trembling hands and headed home. He was so distracted that when he passed through a bridge, the silver coin fell into the river, and he could no longer recover it. “You’re a fool!” his mother told him, “You should have put the coin in your pocket.” “Next time, I’ll do it,” replied John.
The next day, John went out and found work with another farmer. At the end of his day, the farmer paid him his salary with a can of fresh milk, and remembering what his mother told him, he placed it inside his pants pocket. However, as he was walking, the can of milk opened, and all the milk spilled out before he could get home. You are such a fool!, his mother said, you should have put the can of milk on your head. Then John replied, I´ll do it next time.
The next day, John went to town and found work in a store where they made cheese. That afternoon, the owner paid him for his work with a large piece of cheese. John thanked him, and following his mother’s advice, he placed it on his head and went home. As he walked under the hot sun, the cheese began to melt, soaking his hair. You are a fool! – his mother told him when she saw him arrive. You should have brought the cheese in your hands. Next time I’ll do it, replied John.
Again, as soon as the sun came up, John went to town, where he found a job with a man who made bread. When he finished his work, the baker paid him with a cat. John took the cat in his hands and began to walk towards his house. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, the cat scratched him so much that he had no choice but to let him go. You are a fool! – his mother told him when she saw his hands covered in blood – you should have tied the cat with a rope and dragged it out behind you. Next time I’ll do it, replied John.
He did not give up, and the next day he went to work with a man who sold meat. When he finished working, the butcher generously paid him with a large piece of meat, and at that moment, John remembered what his mother had told him. So, he took a rope from his pants pocket, tied the meat, and dragged it to his house. Poor John because, when he arrived, it was covered in dirt, dry leaves, and animal waste and was no longer edible. You’re a fool! – his mother told him – you should have put the meat on your shoulders. Next time I’ll do it, replied John.
And with the light of a new day, John left his house and found work with another farmer who gave him a donkey for his work. Although John was robust, it was difficult for him to carry the donkey on his shoulders, but he finally made it and began to walk toward his house.
During his tour, he passed by the house where a wealthy man lived with his only beautiful daughter. Sadly, the young woman was deaf and dumb. The doctors in town had told her father that it was because she never laughed. “No child can hear or speak until he has first learned to laugh,” so they told him. The man had tried in many ways to make his daughter laugh. He even dressed as a clown, but nothing worked. His despair was so great that he told the townspeople that the man who made her daughter laugh would become her husband and inherit half of her fortune. Of course, many tried, but none were successful.
That afternoon, when John passed by the rich man’s house, the young woman was in front of the window. She looked at him in amazement and wondered if it was really a donkey he was carrying on his shoulders. As he got closer, she realized he was, and it seemed funny to see the poor donkey sitting with its legs stretched out in the air. Then, she began to laugh out loud, and when she did, she instantly began to listen and speak, just as the doctors had predicted. His father was so happy that he kept his promise and allowed John to marry her.
Finally, John became a rich man. He lived happily in a huge house with his wife and mother and never had to work again.
AUTHOR: JOSEPH JACOBS (1890)
ADAPTED BY: KIDSINCO
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