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