Dying, the old father called his five sons and said:
- My children, my last hour has come. Listen, what tale will I tell you before I close my eyes forever? Listen carefully, because I want you to explain it to me.
The sons did not take their eyes off their father. The old man looked at them and began to tell:
— A large oak tree grew in the forest. Acorns rained down from its mighty branches. Its roots went deep into the ground. Evil storms flew at him, but the old oak tree was not afraid of anything. One day a carpenter came to the forest. He looked around at the oak tree, rolled up his sleeves, swung his ax and began to chop down the tree. By evening, he knocked the oak tree to the ground, cut off the branches, and took the log to his workshop. There he made excellent boards from it. In the fall, a cooper came to his workshop;
He loaded the boards onto a cart and took them away. In his workshop, the cooper made rivets, hoops, a bottom from boards and made a large barrel. Every autumn he poured new wine into this barrel and sold it to peasants for weddings, name days and funerals. He did this as long as the barrel was strong. But one day one of the hoops broke. The wine poured out of the barrel and it dried out. When did the cooper come to his senses? too late - the rivets came apart and fell apart. The children picked up the hoops and began to roll them along the street, and the housewife burned the rivets and the bottom of the once strong barrel.
So explain this fairy tale to me! The five brothers began to think, but none of them could unravel their father’s tale. Then the old father shook his head and said:
- You are still young, that’s why you are not quick-witted. I will explain its meaning to you: a forest with large trees reaching to the sky is our state. The barrel is family, the rivets are us, the hoops are harmony, and the wine is joy and a happy life. As long as there is peace and harmony in the family, life will be happy. A house in which there is no agreement is a lost house! Take care of the hoops, my children!
The eldest son leaned over, kissed the old father's hand and answered:
- Thank you, father, for your wise advice. We will not forget him as long as we live.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru