A Walnut Tree standing by the roadside bore an abundant crop of fruit. For the sake of the nuts, the passers-by broke its branches with stones and sticks. The Walnut-Tree piteously exclaimed, “O wretched me! that those whom I cheer with my fruit should repay me with these painful requitals!”
Credits
Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller, believed to have lived around 620–564 BCE, whose fables have been retold across centuries and cultures. His stories typically use animals or nature to expose human flaws with wit and economy. "The Walnut-Tree" is a notably spare example of his craft — delivering its moral punch in just three sentences.
