Foreword:
This fable represents short-sighted destruction of a valuable resource, or unprofitable action motivated by greed. Also known as 'The Golden Egg', it is found numbered 87 in the Perry Index (as 87. Goose that laid Golden Eggs). Many variations of this fable with hens or other birds are available. The expression, "Killing the goose that lays golden eggs", is sourced from this fable.
ADVERTISEMENTS
Once, a certain country man owned a poultry farm.
In his poultry farm, he raised chickens, ducks, and a few geese, the eggs of which he would sell in the market to make a living and maintain the poultry farm.
With the money he earned, he found it difficult to make ends meet, especially because his farm required much investment.
However, for the love of his poultry, and hope of making it big, he continued to grow the poultry farm.
Amongst, all the poultry, he possessed the most wonderful goose that one can imagine, but she never laid any eggs.
Nevertheless, he loved this goose the most, and took special care of her.
One morning, going to the nest of his goose, the country man found that there was an egg, all yellow and glittering.
When he picked it up, he noticed that it was as heavy as lead.
Initially, he thought a trick had been played upon him, and was going to throw it away. On second thoughts, he decided to take it home, and investigate further on this rare occurance.
Being an ignorant country man, he could make no head or tail of it, as it lay idle on his table.
This continued for a couple of days, when it happened again. His goose had laid another glittering egg, like before.
With two of them at hand, he decided to take these yellow, metallic eggs to town, and have them investigated upon by a specialist.
To his surprise, upon investigation, it was found that they were pure gold!
Although, he could not find a reason for it, and not knowing whether the goose had indeed laid those eggs, he was delighted on the news that these were golden eggs.
He sold the golden eggs, and happily recieved a substantial amount of money in return, with which he recovered from his poor financial conditions.
Back at the poultry farm, he decided to keep a constant eye on the goose.
ADVERTISEMENTS
To his delight, he observed that it was indeed the goose that laid the eggs. And, it happened every other day, that she would lay the yellow, glittering golden eggs.
Every morning, he would be excited to check on the goose, first and foremost, before checking on the other poultry for thie eggs.
And every few days, he would go to town to sell the gold, as he would sell the eggs of other poultry in the market.
He did not understand the reason for this strange occurance, that the goose laid such eggs, but took special care and attention of the goose that had changed his fortunes.
Soon, he started getting rich, with more money than he could spend. He started spending on big things, better clothes, best foods, and costlier amenities.
Before he knew it, he got lazier, from a hard-working country man.
No longer did he care for the other poultry, or their eggs, and looked upon the goose as his only prized poultry.
And, he started getting greedy for more.
He was not content anymore, and wanted to get richer more quickly. He looked upon the goose, as the only source of income, and started thinking of inventive ways to increase the output, without any success.
He wished that the goose would lay bigger eggs, more in numbers, and more often.
But it made no difference for the goose, who continued to lay only one egg every other day - neither more in numbers, nor more frequently, and certainly, not any bigger.
On the other hand, the country man regretted that he was not getting rich fast enough.
One evening, after counting his money, he came upon an idea. He imagined that the goose must contain a great lump of gold in its inside, due to which she is able to lay golden eggs.
And, he decided to cut her open to get, at once, all the gold that the goose could give.
In such turn of events, he chased the goose with a knife, killed her, and cut her open.
Having done so, to his great sorrow and disappointment, he found no golden egg or lump of gold inside, and that the goose differed in no respect from the other geese.
In his greed and short-sightedness to secure the whole store of the precious metal at once, he had killed his precious goose.
And, the deed having already been done, had destroyed his inexhaustible treasure, depriving himself of the gain of which he was assured day by day.
Moral:
Greed often overreaches itself.
Or,
Those who have plenty, and still greedy for more, often lose all they have.
Summary:
A country man owned a farm of poultry, where he raised hens, ducks, and geese. One day, he found that one of the geese had laid an egg that was yellow. Since, it was heavy and glittered, he decided to observe before throwing it away. Upon observation and testing, he was overjoyed to realize that it was gold. He sold the gold, and recieved a good amount of money in exchange. He took special attention to this goose, and it laid a golden egg every other day. With all the money from the eggs of gold that he sold, he soon became rich. The country man supposed that the goose must have a great lump of gold inside, to lay such golden eggs. He wanted to get richer by the day, and decided to kill the goose and cut her open to get all the gold at once, instead of waiting for her to lay eggs. When he did so, he found no gold inside. He realized he will have no more golden eggs, because in his greed, he had killed the very goose that laid them.