The Old Man and His Horse

On the northern marches lived an old man said to be wise — the old man of the frontier. One morning his horse ran off toward the steppes. The neighbours came to pity him. He only answered: "Who knows? It may be a blessing."

Months passed. The horse came back — and with it, wild horses of the steppes. The neighbours came to congratulate him on his fortune. The old man answered: "Who knows? It may be a misfortune."

His son loved to ride the new horses. One day he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbours came to console him. The old man answered: "Who knows? It may be a blessing."

A year later, the horsemen of the steppes crossed the frontier. Every able-bodied man went to war; of those, nine in ten did not return. The son, because of his leg, had stayed in the village. Father and son came through the war together.

“Everything in life is like the old man's horse.”