The Beggar and Happiness

One evening, a beggar was returning home. Cursing his fate, he bitterly complained:

"Where is Happiness? Damn this Happiness!"

Fate willed that Happiness should respond and come to listen to his complaints and lamentations. And so, as soon as the beggar uttered these words, Happiness grabbed him by the hand and said:

"Come with me. Do not be afraid. I am your Happiness." Happiness lifted him into the air and carried him far, far away; then it set him down at the entrance to a cave and said:

"Inside that cave lie all the treasures of the world. Go down and take whatever you desire. But do not take too much. Let your burden be light, so that you can carry it home. The road ahead is long and difficult, and you will walk alone, without a companion. If you drop your burden on the ground, you will lose it forever. Be wise and do not be greedy."

Thus spoke Happiness and disappeared. The beggar descended into the cave, and his eyes widened at the sight of so many treasures and precious stones. He began grabbing the most beautiful ones and filling his sack with them. After an hour, he emerged from the cave, carrying a heavy load on his shoulders.

After taking a few steps with his sack, the beggar gasped from exhaustion; sweat poured down his face and covered his entire body. He felt his strength fading and realized he could no longer carry his burden.

"What if I put the sack on the ground and roll it?" he thought. "Surely, I can roll it home intact."

And so he did. Triumphant and anticipating the joy of possessing wealth, the beggar rolled his filled sack. But just as he neared his home, he straightened his back—and the sack suddenly vanished. The poor man's hands clutched at thin air. He looked around, began to shout and cry, cursing his wretched fate.

At that very moment, Happiness reappeared. It looked at him angrily and said:

"You have wronged your happiness and yourself. Nothing satisfies you; no amount of wealth is enough for you. You were given much, and you should have taken only what you could carry. But you were greedy and burdened yourself with more than you could bear. Now you have lost everything. Let this be a lesson to you, teaching you to be content with little."

More fairy tales

• Who is Stronger
• The Magic Box
• The Lazy Craftsman
• 2. Sinbad the Sailor (The Second Voyage)
• The Cunning Seller