The Poor Man and the Rich Man丨Aesop’s Fables from Every Land

0:00Baby bus! Grims fairy tales, the poor man and the rich man. Once, there was a very rich man who lived with his wife in a great big house. One night, there came a knocking on their door. Who's that? Whoever it is, tell them to go away. Who are you? What do you want? I'm a poor traveler. Do you think I could stay the night and maybe have a little bread to eat? This isn't a hotel-y old bum. If I gave food away to everyone who came knocking, I'd be starving myself. Get lost! Go get a job! Oh, that was really mean, right? The traveler walked on until he came to the house of a poor man. He explained that he just wanted a little food and some place to rest for the night. I know what it's like to be cold and hungry.

1:01I don't have much, but what I have, I'll share with you. Come in, come in. The next morning, when the lights spilled into the little cottage... You shared your dinner and breakfast with me and gave me a comfortable bed of straw. I want to do something to thank you. You don't have to do that. I insist you can make any three wishes and I'll make them come true. Really? Oh, well, I wish I could always be happy. Done. You're going to find a loving wife and have two beautiful children. What else? Food. At least bread and cheese. I don't need much. Just enough to keep from being hungry. You always have food on your table. No matter what, what else do you want? Oh, I'm not sure. What else could I want?

2:04Well, your house is old and drafty. How about a new house? Something comfortable for you and your new family. The poor man agreed. In an instant, a beautiful new house appeared. It's wall sturdy and bright, window shining and a little garden blooming out front. Wow, thank you. Later that day, the rich man and his wife were out for a walk when they saw the poor man's new house. Where did that come from? I'm sure there was a rundown shack there yesterday. Hey you, how'd you get this fine house? A stranger came by and asked to stay the night. This morning he gave me three wishes. And this was one of them. Isn't it amazing? That must be the man you slammed the door on. How could you be so foolish?

3:04Hmm, maybe there's still time. I can get on my horse and chase the man down. I'll make him give me three wishes too. The rich man rode after the stranger. Whoa, horse. Stranger, do you need a place to stay the night? No, thanks. Well, I offered. I think you should grant me three wishes like you did for that other guy. You don't want that. Trust me. I do. I insist you make my wishes come true. Okay, okay. Go back home and the next three things you wish for will happen. Woohoo! Thrilled. The rich man started to ride home. On the way, his horse got scared by a snake and reared up. Calm down, you silly horse. Just a snake. Why are you giving me so much trouble? Sometimes I wish you were never born.

4:06Just like that, the horse disappeared. And the rich man dropped to the ground. But don't worry. The horse was perfectly fine. It had simply been whisked away by magic. Far from the grumpy rich man. Oh, no. That was my first wish and I wasted it. Well, can't leave this expensive saddle lying here. I'll put it on my back and walk home. It was a long, hot walk. Along the way, the rich man tried to decide what else to wish for. It was hard because he wanted to wish for something so great that he would never want anything else again. My wife would say I'm not smart enough to come up with good wishes. She sits all day in the house doing nothing. I wish this saddle was off my back and she had to sit on it and couldn't get off. Instantly, the saddle disappeared. Free of carrying it, the rich man ran home.

5:09But when he came in the door, he saw... What did you do? This saddle appeared underneath me and I can't get off. Just deal with it. I'm going to use my last wish and get us all the money in the world. What could will that do me if I'm stuck on a saddle? But it's money. Gold treasure. What could be better than that? If I can't enjoy the money, you won't enjoy the money. You need to use your last wish to get me off this saddle. The rich man realized he had no choice. So he used his wish to set his wife free. Three wishes and all have to show for it is a vanished horse. I can't believe it. You should have let me make the wishes. I would have done it right. No, you wouldn't. Of course I would. At least I would have lose our horse. Oh please, you wouldn't have done anything ever believe it. And that's the way this story ends. Remember, be careful what you wish for. It just might come true.

6:14Question time. Hey kids, if you could choose only one, a beautiful big house, lots of yummy food, or being happy every day. Which would you choose? Why? Tell us in the comments if you want to shout out.