Slovenčina / C1
Vdova a súdca
Chudobná vdova predstúpila pred miestneho sudcu so smutnou správou. Na poli sa prihodilo nešťastie: jej krava vraj rohmi prebodla jeho kravu. Obrátila sa teda naňho s otázkou, ako by mali túto záležitosť vyriešiť.
„Urobíme to, čo je spravodlivé,“ odvetil sudca. Riešenie predložil bez okolkov: kravy si jednoducho vymenia. Vdova si vezme jeho zranené zviera a on dostane jej kravu.
Žena uznala, že súdi spravodlivo, vzápätí však svoje podanie opravila. Pomýlila sa a okolnosti prípadu mu predložila obrátene. Nebola to jej krava, ktorá zranila jeho, ale jeho krava zranila tú jej.
„Aj ja som sa pomýlil,“ vyhlásil teraz sudca. Svojej krave predsa neprikázal, aby niečo také urobila. Bola to náhoda, a pokiaľ ide o náhodu, škodu musí znášať ten, koho postihla.
Kým sa javilo, že utrpel stratu on sám, dovolával sa spravodlivosti a považoval výmenu kráv za samozrejmú nápravu. Keď však vdova opravila, ktoré zviera patrí komu, zmenil aj zásadu, podľa ktorej rozhodoval. Udalosť ostala rovnaká; zmenilo sa iba postavenie sudcu a vdovy v nej. S poškodením vlastnej kravy by sa sudca nechcel zmieriť, no od vdovy očakával, že škodu prijme ako obyčajnú náhodu.
English summary · includes the ending
A poor widow goes to the local judge with a problem. She says her cow has injured his cow with its horns in a field. She asks what they should do about it. The judge says they must do what is fair. He decides that they should exchange cows, so he will receive her cow and she will take his injured one.
The widow agrees that his decision is fair, but corrects her account. She has told the story the wrong way round: it was his cow that injured hers.
The judge immediately changes his answer. He says he has also made a mistake. He never ordered his cow to hurt another animal, so this was an accident. The person who suffered the loss must accept it. His idea of fairness changes as soon as he learns whose cow was actually hurt.
Adapted for Lejrbål from the credited source.
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