Grades 3-5 reading level · Fable

The Old Man and Death

AN old labourer, bent double with age and toil, was gathering sticks in a forest. At last he grew so tired and hopeless that he threw down the bundle of sticks, and cried out: "I cannot bear this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would only come and take me!"

As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared and said to him: "What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call me."

"Please, sir," replied the woodcutter, "would you kindly help me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?"

We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.

From The Old Man and Death by Aesop, translated by Joseph Jacobs (1894). Public domain.

Check your understanding

1. What was the old man doing in the forest?

2. Who appeared when the old man called out?

3. Retell what happens in the story from the moment the old man throws down his sticks to the end.

4. Why did the old man ask Death to help him lift the sticks instead of taking him away?

5. The story ends by saying, 'We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.' How does the old man's action show this lesson?

6. Have you ever wished for something when you were upset, but then changed your mind later? Explain what happened.