L'odeur volée
The Case of the Stolen Smell
C'est une fable traditionnelle sur l'équité et la cupidité. Elle nous enseigne que chercher à faire payer des choses qui ne coûtent rien peut nous amener à ne rien recevoir en retour.
Il y a longtemps, dans une ville animée, vivait un pauvre homme nommé Tom.
Long ago in a busy town, there lived a poor man named Tom.
Il n'avait pas d'argent pour manger, mais chaque jour il passait devant un boulanger.
He had no money for food, but every day he walked past a baker's shop.
Le boulanger a fait le plus merveilleux pain.
The baker made the most wonderful bread.
L'odeur était si bonne que Tom s'arrêtait pour l'inhaler profondément.
The smell was so good that Tom would stop and breathe it in deeply.
Un jour, Tom a apporté un morceau de pain dur et sec de chez lui.
One day, Tom brought a piece of hard, dry bread from home.
Il se tenait devant la boulangerie et tenait son pain près de la fenêtre.
He stood outside the baker's shop and held his bread near the window.
En sentant l'odeur du pain frais à l'intérieur, il a mangé son propre morceau sec.
As he smelled the fresh bread inside, he ate his own dry piece.
La bonne odeur rendait son pauvre repas meilleur.
The good smell made his poor meal taste better.
Le boulanger a vu ça arriver plusieurs fois.
The baker saw this happen many times.
Il s'est mis en colère.
He became angry.
Cet homme me vole!
"This man is stealing from me!"
Il a dit.
he said.
"Il prend l'odeur de mon pain sans payer!"
"He takes the smell of my bread without paying!"
Le boulanger est allé voir le juge.
The baker went to the judge.
"Ce pauvre homme vole l'odeur de mon pain tous les jours", a- t- il dit au juge.
"This poor man steals the smell of my bread every day," he told the judge.
"Il doit me payer pour ce qu'il a pris".
"He must pay me for what he has taken."
Le juge trouva que c'était une affaire étrange, mais il appela Tom au tribunal.
The judge thought this was a strange case, but he called Tom to court.
"Est-ce vrai que vous sentez le pain du boulanger?"
"Is it true that you smell the baker's bread?"
a demandé le juge.
asked the judge.
"Oui, monsieur", a déclaré Tom.
"Yes, sir," said Tom.
"Je n'ai pas d'argent pour une bonne nourriture.
"I have no money for good food.
L'odeur m'aide à manger mon pain sec".
The smell helps me eat my dry bread."
Le juge se tourna vers le boulanger.
The judge turned to the baker.
"Combien voulez-vous pour l'odeur volée?"
"How much money do you want for the stolen smell?"
"Trois pièces d'argent", dit le boulanger avec un sourire avide.
"Three silver coins," said the baker with a greedy smile.
Le juge a hoché la tête.
The judge nodded.
Il a demandé à Tom: "Avez-vous trois pièces d'argent?"
He asked Tom, "Do you have three silver coins?"
Tom a mis la main dans sa poche et a sorti ses trois dernières pièces.
Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out his last three coins.
Ils étaient tout ce qu'il avait au monde.
They were all he had in the world.
"Dans votre main, secouez les pièces", dit le juge.
"Shake the coins in your hand," said the judge.
Tom secoua les pièces.
Tom shook the coins.
Ils faisaient un son agréable.
They made a pleasant ringing sound.
"Baker, tu as entendu ce bruit?"
"Baker, did you hear that sound?"
asked the judge.
"Yes, I heard it clearly," said the baker, eager to get his money.
"Good," said the judge.
"The payment is complete.
Tom has paid for the smell of your bread with the sound of his money.
The sound of money for the smell of bread - this is fair.
Tom, you may keep your coins."
The baker's face turned red.
He had been too greedy.
Tom walked away with his coins still in his pocket, and the people in the court smiled at the wise judge's decision.
Moral: If you try to sell what costs you nothing, you may be paid with the same.