Slovenčina / A2

Drevený a živý kôň

Short story

Živý kôň sa ponáhľal okolo dreveného koňa. Potkol sa a nohou udrel o kameň.

Drevený kôň sa mu začal smiať.

„Ha, ha! Ty si ale nešikovný!“ povedal.

Živý kôň sa ho opýtal: „A ty si už niekedy chodil?“

„Nie,“ odpovedal drevený kôň.

„Tak sa mi smej, až keď začneš chodiť aj ty,“ povedal živý kôň.

Kto nič nerobí, ľahko môže povedať, že nikdy neurobil chybu.


English summary · includes the ending

A living horse is hurrying past a wooden horse when he trips. His hoof strikes a stone with a clear ringing sound. The wooden horse sees what has happened and laughs at him. He calls the living horse clumsy, making fun of the mistake he has just seen.

The living horse answers with a question rather than an argument about the stone. Has the wooden horse ever walked? The wooden horse admits that he has not. The living horse then tells him to save his laughter until he starts walking himself.

The final lesson is that it is easy to avoid mistakes when you do nothing at all. The wooden horse has no experience of the activity he is laughing at. The living horse has stumbled while walking; the wooden horse has never walked. That simple difference gives the short exchange its point.

Adapted for Lejrbål from the credited source.
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