A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a precious stone and exclaimed: "If your owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world."
一只公鸡在田地里四处寻觅，想给自己和母鸡们找些食物。后来，他找到了一块宝石，便对宝石说：“如果是你的主人发现了你，他一定会非常开心地把你捡起来加以妥善保存。但是在我看来，你一无是处。因为对于现在的我来说，一粒麦子比世界上一切宝石都要珍贵。”