Hrvatski / C1
Medvjed i drijen
Kad je rano u proljeće izašao iz svoje rupe, medvjed je ugledao drijen u cvatu. Ostala stabla još nisu ni počela cvasti, pa je ta razlika odredila njegov izbor.
Medvjed je, naime, pretpostavio da će drijen, budući da je procvao prije ostalih, prvi donijeti i zrele plodove. Nije razlikovao redoslijed cvjetanja od redoslijeda sazrijevanja: početnu prednost stabla smatrao je jamstvom da će ono zadržati prednost i poslije.
Izvalio se pod drijenom i čekao da drenjine dozru. No dok je tako ležao i čekao upravo te plodove, sve je ostalo voće sazrelo i prošlo.
Na tom se neskladu priča završava. Medvjedov odabir nije bio bez ikakva povoda; oslanjao se na vidljivu činjenicu, rani cvat drijena. Pogreška je nastala kad je iz nje izveo zaključak o nečemu drugome. Čekajući plodove za koje je očekivao da će biti prvi, propustio je vrijeme svega ostalog voća.
English summary · includes the ending
A bear leaves his den early in spring and sees a cornel tree already covered in blossom. The other trees have not yet begun to flower. He takes this early blossom as a sign that the tree's fruit will also ripen before all the others.
The bear lies down beneath the tree and waits for its fruit to become ripe. While he continues waiting there, every other kind of fruit ripens and its season passes.
The story ends with this contrast. The tree that flowered first did not provide the first ripe fruit, as the bear had expected. His mistake was to assume that the order of flowering would also be the order of ripening.
No other animal tricks him, and no further search for food is described. His own conclusion keeps him waiting under one tree while he misses the time when the rest of the fruit is ready.
Adapted for Lejrbål from the credited source.
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