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The Old Man and the Figs
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This Jewish tale is wise, witty, and very ancient.
The story comes from the Talmud and has been very lightly adapted by Bertie.
Read by Natasha. Duration 7.25
In Roman times, The Emperor Hadrian, was riding with his army through Galilee. As he passed down a lane, he noticed a very old man planting a fig tree in his garden, The Emperor ordered a solider to bring the ancient gardener before him. He then spoke to him as follows:
“Old man, why are you planting that tree? The time to plant it was in your youth, to bear you fruit for your old age. It’s too late now. At this stage of life, you can’t hope to live to taste the fruit from it.”
The old man bowed before the Emperor as best as his back would let him, and answered:
“In my youth I worked, and I still work. With God’s good pleasure I may yet try the fruit of this tree, I plant. I am in His hands.”
“Tell me your age,” said the emperor.
“I have lived for a hundred years.”
“A hundred years old, and you still expect to eat from the fruit of this tree?”
“If such be God’s pleasure,” replied the old man; “if not, I will leave it for my son, as my father left the fruit of his labour for me.”
“Well,” said the emperor, “if you live until the figs from this tree are ripe, I pray you, let me know of it.”
Ten years went by, the tree bore fruit, and the old man enjoyed its figs for his breakfast. As it so happened, the Emperor was again visiting Galilee. The old man resolved to visit him. He took a small basket, filled it with the choicest figs from the tree, and made his way to the palace. At the gate, he told the guard his purpose, and after some time, he was admitted into the presence of the Emperor.
Again he bowed as deeply as his old back would permit him, and said:
“ Ten years ago, you saw an old man planting a fig tree. You said to him ‘If you live to eat its fruit, I pray you let me know;’ and behold I that same old man. I have come and brought you the fruit of that tree so that you may also taste it.”
The Emperor was very much pleased to see that the old man had lived to enjoy his the fruit of his labours. He emptied the man’s basket of its figs, and he ordered it to be filled with gold coins.
When the old man had departed, the courtiers said to the Emperor:
“You Excellence, Why did you so honour this old Jew?”
“Heaven has honoured him, so why not I?” replied the emperor.
Now next door to this old man there lived a crafty woman. When she heard of her neighbour’s good fortune, she was filled with envy. She thought her husband should try his luck in the same quarter. She filled an immense basket with figs, placed it on his shoulder, and said, “Now carry it to the emperor; he loves figs and will fill your basket with golden coins.”
When her husband approached the gates of the palace, he told his errand to the guards, saying, “I brought these figs to the Emperor.”
When this was told to the Emperor, he ordered the man to stand in the hallway of the palace, and all who passed pelted him with his figs. He returned home to his wife, sore and crestfallen.
She looked at her poor bruised husband, and at last she chuckled and said:
“Never you mind, you should look on the bright side. If had they been coconuts instead of figs you would have suffered harder knocks.”
a greet story
This is a very, very, short story.
cool!! nice story. please have new stories Natasha and Bertie please!!~esp. world fairy tales. please reply. thanx:)
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black [...]
HELLO NATASHA ,
HOW DO YOU DO
aweeeeesome
really nice story natasha
but really small
Hello
Thanks for your comment The Old Man and the Figs is a very good World Story. The old man learns the true taste of the gold he has reaped.
Thanks for listening
Bye Bye
N*
i love it !!!!!!!!!
hey nathasha love ur storiese
Hello
Thanks for listening, this is a wise tale. The Old Man and the figs who works every day reaps his rewards when he gets gold in return for figs from the King but his wife teaches him a lesson, not to be greedy. There is a wise proverb that can sit along side this tale: ‘ we only reap what we sow’ but you may like to draw your own.
Thanks for listening
Bye Bye
N *
This storry is so amazing
This story is amazing! I like the part when the old man lives to be 110 and his tree has grown. I think the Emperor was looking very stupid.
Dear Anon, it’s a really short story…. hard to summarise it
can…..you…. giv….me…sumary?
Hello,
The old man & the figs is an excellent tale that you will find on Storynory.com
You will find all the stories including this one in itunes under Kids&familes
or download them to your podcast section
Thanks for listening
Bye Bye
N *
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[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black Friday. Category: Best Ideas Tags: best ideas, travel reveal [...]
Hello
Thank you for your comment
The Old Man & The Figs is a wise old tale that is ideal to listen to when
you are home or traveling abroad
Thanks for listening
Bye Bye
N *
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black Friday. Similar Posts: Tips for Traveling With Kids This Holiday [...]
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black Friday. Posted in Best Ideas | Tagged best ideas, travel now Similar [...]
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black Friday. Tweet Similar news:Weekly Top 10 list: GOP convention hotel [...]
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and a Figs and Katie’s Black [...]
kissy kissy
boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
What a horrible ending!! COCONUTS?!?!
i like this book
I want more of these stories Bertie! Please pretty please!
This story was funny because of the woman’s comment when she said,”Never you mind you should look on the bright side if they had been coconuts insted of figs you would have suffered harder knock’s”
i haaaaate your story
I like this story because the old man is generous, hard working, and confident in God.
I liked the way the old man shared. He was very kind. He believed. After all of the work he finally got gold coins.
it is a wonderful story i have learned alot of new words
Hello
Thank you for your comment
The old man first meets the Emperor and shows him the fig tree he has planted,
and after ten years the tree, when the tree has grown and bears the fruit, he returns to gain a reward as instructed by his wife
The Emperor throws gold coins at him, and so he does gain a reward for his hard work
Thanks for listening to this wise Jewish tale
Bye
Bye
N *
it was a good story……..
i liked the character of an old man because he was hardworking.
it gives the message of hardwork……….
Hello
This story of the Old Man and the Figs in which we learn how the old Man is rewarded by the Emperor Haidrian for working his whole life time to see the figs on his tree grow. He is given a basket of gold coins in return for his figs.
Thank you for listening to this tale
Bye Bye
N*
i new this story i am a jew
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black [...]
Interesting story. With his right attitude, God blessed the old man and the emperor blessed him too.
My homework is to think ,what a book will be about and this story is a great topic so thanks for putting this story online it’s a great story Bertie .
best story ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is soooooooo witty
i wish that wife should have given that man coconuts to give to the emperor.
ENJOY IT? I LOVE IT
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111
awesome
Ashley, this is a lovely story, I hope you enjoy it.
I have not heard the story but from all of the peoples comments it must be a pretty good story;)
I LOVE UR VOICE NATASHA!!!!!!!
I thorougly enjoyed reading n listening to this story.
Very nice story I really like it!:)
It is a very good story.
cool
Interesting twist! Jeaousy ends painfully.
Wow! Nice story and nice voice!
It was ok
I like the story it is a very nice story
you ROCK SO MUCH GOD JOB ON THE STORY LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
it is cool lollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
IT IS SO CUT!!!!!!!
good.I lke the story
Hi,
I am a man of 49 living in Hobart. I visited this site by chance because I am learning about story-telling and how children can relate to stories.
This is an excellent example of a very old fable retold for a youthful audience.
Well done. I will enjoy reading similar stories.
http://patientxmarksthespot.wordpress.com — this is my free blog for creative writing, fiction and non-fiction (also aknown as faction) and poetry site. It has only been around since November 2010 and I already about 15 long posts for November.
As My computers are at the repair shop, I will enjoy using the Tasmanian State Library computer system until then.
“LOVE thy neighbour as you love thyself”.
Peter
I love the story. I think this story is a vary nice story.
nice story
its a pretty cool story
It’s a cute story.
I think it is a nice story.
I loved that book espeshley because its in a diffrent
thing for me ….I bet that it was diffrent for evryone tooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i like the way you write stories.If you could teach me English,you would see how patient
WOW
Dear natasha I did like the story but I am going to tell you that the story is a brilliant could you read out another one PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ? I really like short stories because some of them are funnyvor because they have small chapters in them
I LUUUUUUUUOEVE SHORT STORIES FROM THE STAR SHINING STARLIGHT
It wa great I love it.
yup it was avery good story and iliked it very much as ilike this tyepe of stories you know an i would like to tell you please send me more stories
really it was very good I like it . I will read it many time
i love it is so fun
it is small story to learn english … like this .. or Junior
i hope to install a new … soon
thank you a lot
It has been a week! Can you install a new story, please????
Do you have a story yet?
It serves the old man’s neighbor right.
Storynory is excellent .Readers are wonderfull, nice accent, clear pronunciation, excellent native englih intonation .It helps very much for implaired people Thanks veru much.Congratulatio for this work Montessoti, as usual, for a long time great experience teaching. God bless your work. Carlos
We realized the person who read this story is very educated because pronuntiation is clear, calm excellent intonation.This helped us very much. Please continue with STOTYNORY audios on line .Like in this reading God do will bless you for helping the impaired people like us.Thanks veru much.Carlos.
Congratulations STORYNORY free audio stories was the excellent solution for our progressive sigth impairing because your methodology, your reading is very clear and excellent pronuntiation helped us very much (we are 3 impaired old persons using your method simultaneously).Please continue this for your fellow creatures. God do will bless you very much. Thanks you very very much.Carlos Alberto
I like the way you write stories. If you could teach me English, you would see how patient I could be.
[...] who herself sounds like a fairytale princess with her lilting British accent narrates stories like The Old Man and the Figs and Katie’s Black [...]
I WANT MORE AWAKING BEAUTY STORIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!tee hee tee hee
it is wonderful of listen and understand this story.It take everyone a high-moral value of the Emperor,lesson of old man about cause and effect of his life,va a little fun about human greed.
thanks very much.bye bye
Sooooooo good.I love it. i read it over and over again
God is Eternal. Everything that remains in God will be eternal.
Human beings have the freedom to chose. If whoever does good and practice the virtue, shall gain eternal life. That person even now can taste heaven in this present life.
Eternal life without love is Hell.
THE STORYTELLER SKIPPED SO MANY WORDS IT WAS HARD TO KEEP UP. READ FASTER PLEASE
U GUYS MUST BE ALL KIDS (OFFENSE) SO DONT SAY THIS STORY IS BEAUTIFUL CUZ IT ISNT.
This story needs to a longer story.Natsha i did not know that.I wish they would make another one.
P.S i was good
Figs? I havn’t tasted it yet!
I like this story, it was good and the old man is clever
It’s a good story. I liked. Thank you.
That’s mean, but also a good punishment.
this story is ok but i like funny and mysterie and i am a school hungry and u dont help any so if u can make some good story with mysteries so if u would put a good story
All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue because virtue is eternal.
it was a lovly story Bertie
Padma
Oh, what a great story!
I love this story….
It is a really good story.
I AM AWESOME BLACK OPS IS AWESOME!!!!
BORING SO SO SO SO SO SO BORING. YOU NEED MORE EXCITING STORIES
oooh i love figs it is so good natasha.my granddad has some ,he has an fig tree when ever it always get wripe my mom and i always get some off the tree.natasha this story what you wrote well you in made me hungry.now iam over here at the school house starving thats bad an’t it i louve to eat a lot i don’t know about you but when they say fried chicken is here,well iam already at the kitchen table .natasha i really have fun with you .but please don’t make me hungry lolly pop got to eat.
I really liked it.It was not funny or sad it did not be like the other story it was made from a man who had lots of energy.
Thanks, Bertie, I like your English. If you could teach me the English and you can see how patience I am.
a nice witty story
great pleasure
wow……is beautiful thanks the story
What a neat story!
I like this story bcuz ov the frute he gave to the emperor