A Woodman went into the forest and begged of the Trees the favour of a handle for his Axe.The principal Trees at once agreed to so modest a request, and unhesitatingly gave him a young ash sapling, out of which he fashioned the handle he desired.No sooner had he done so than he set to work to fell the noblest Trees in the wood.When they saw the use to which he was putting their gift, they cried, "Alas!alas!We are undone, but we are ourselves to blame.The little we gave has cost us all: had we not sacrificed the rights of the ash, we might ourselves have stood for ages."
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THE TREES AND THE AXE
A Woodman went into the forest and begged of the Trees the favour of a handle for his Axe.The principal Trees at once agreed to so modest a request, and unhesitatingly gave him a young ash sapling, out of which he fashioned the handle he desired.No sooner had he done so than he set to work to fell the noblest Trees in the wood.When they saw the use to which he was putting their gift, they cried, "Alas!alas!We are undone, but we are ourselves to blame.The little we gave has cost us all: had we not sacrificed the rights of the ash, we might ourselves have stood for ages."
我们付出的一点点代价却让我们所有人付出了代价：如果我们没有牺牲骨灰的权利，我们自己可能会屹立多年。”
