A dying farmer told his lazy sons of a treasure in the field; their digging taught them that hard work is the real treasure.

The story begins: There lived an old farmer who had three lazy sons. They never worked and always depended on their father, so the farm slowly fell into ruin.

The Story

Once there was an old farmer in a small village. He had a large field and three sons. But the sons were very lazy. They spent their days sleeping, chatting and wandering about, and never touched the plough or the spade.

The farmer worked hard all his life, yet his heart was heavy. He worried what would happen to his sons when he was gone. He knew that idle men soon fall into poverty.

In time the farmer grew old and fell seriously ill. Feeling that his end was near, he called his three sons to his bedside.

In a weak voice he said, "My dear sons, I have hidden a great treasure somewhere in our field. When I am gone, dig the ground and you will surely find it." Then, a few days later, the old man died.

After the funeral, the sons remembered their father's words. Eager to be rich, they took spades and began to dig the whole field. They turned up every corner of the soil, but they found no gold or silver anywhere.

Disappointed, they thought their labour had been wasted. But since the earth was now well dug and softened, the eldest son suggested that they sow seeds so the digging would not be for nothing.

They planted crops in the well-tilled soil and watered them with care. In a few months the field was covered with a golden harvest, far larger than any their father had ever grown.

When they sold the crop, they earned a good deal of money. Then they understood the meaning of their father's words. The real treasure was not buried gold but the habit of hard work.

From that day the three brothers gave up their idle ways. They ploughed and sowed every season, and their farm prospered year after year.

Moral: Industry is the key to success. / There is no substitute for hard work.