Page:Florian - The Fables, 1888.djvu/29

          The means wherewith to live,
And fain must take what others give.

His brother, up at break of day,
Went to his work with right good will;
Sung with the birds a cheerful lay,
And never failed his lot to till.
Setting aside the things unknown,
And mindful of his crops alone,
In simple faith he sow'd his field,
And was rewarded by the yield.
He dug and water'd ev'rything,
From gooseberry to apricot;
And none to market e'er could bring
Of fruits and plants a finer lot.
Hence he had money and to spare,
And with his brother well could share.
"How is't," said John, "my brother dear,
That you know how to thrive so well?"
His brother answered: "'Tis quite clear;
We need not on the myst'ry dwell,
I go to work and till the ground,
While you do naught but rack your brains;
And while with me all things abound,
You get but labor for your pains.
The question, then, I leave to you,
Which is the wiser of the two?"