grain As Big As A Hens Egg By Leo Tolstoy

September 16th, 2010 | by Editor

Some children once found in a cave something as large as a hens egg, with a groove about the middle, and lie a seed! "
passer#by saw the children playing with it, bought it for a trifle, too it to the city, and gave it to the tsar as a curiosity!
$he tsar summoned his wise men, and commanded them to decide what ind of a thing it was, % an egg, or a seed! $he
wise men cogitated, cogitated& they could not give an answer! $he thing was lying in the window & and a hen flew in, began to
pec at it, and peced a hole in it& and all new that it was a seed!
$he wise men went to the tsar, and said' %
($his is a ernel of rye!(
$he tsar marveled! )e commanded the wise men to find out where and when this seed grew! $he wise men cogitated,
cogitated& they hunted in boos, but they found no e*planation! $hey came to the tsar, and said' %
(+e cannot give an answer! ,n our boos, there is nothing written about this& we must as the mu-his whether some one
of their elders has not heard tell of when and where such a seed was sown!(
$he tsar sent, and commanded a very aged mu-hi to be brought before him! $hey found such an old man, and brought
him to the tsar! $he green, toothless stari came in& he waled with difficulty on two crutches!
$he tsar showed him the seed, but the old man was almost blind& he .udged of it, as it were, partly by looing at it, partly
by fumbling it in his hands!
$he tsar began to as him /uestions' %
01o you not now where such a seed grows 2 )ave you never sown any such ind of grain in your field2 3r did you never in
your life purchase any such seed2(
$he old man was stupid& he could barely, barely hear, barely, barely understand! )e began to mae reply!
(4o,( said he, ( , never sowed any such grain in my field, and , never harvested any such, and , never bought any such!
+hen we bought grain, all such seed was small! 5ut,( said he, 0you must as my batyusha& maybe hes heard tell where
such seed grew!(
So the tsar sent for the old mans father, and bade him be brought before him! $he ancient old man hobbled in on one
crutch! $he tsar began to show him the seed! $he old man could still see with his eyes! )e saw very well! $he tsar began to
/uestion him' %
(1o you not now, my dear old man, where this seed can have grown2 )ave you never sown such grain in your field2 or
did you never in your life purchase such seed anywhere2(
$hough the old man was rather hard of hearing, still he heard better than his son!
(4o,( says he, ( , never sowed such seed in my field, nor such did , ever harvest& nor such did , ever buy, because in my
day there was not money anywhere& we all lived on grain& and when it was necessary, we went shares with one another! ,
dont now where such seed is grown! $hough our seed was much larger and more productive than that of nowadays, still ,
never saw such as this! 5ut , have heard from my batyusha that, in his day, corn grew much higher than it does now, and was
fuller, and had larger ernels! 6ou must as him!(
$he tsar sent for this old mans father! "nd they brought the grandfather also! $hey brought him to the tsar! $he old man
came before the tsar without crutches& he waled easily, his eyes were brilliant, he heard well, and spoe understandingly!
$he tsar showed the seed to the old man! $he old man looed at it! $he old man turned it over and over!
(,t is long,( said he, 0since , have seen such good old#fashioned grain!(
$he grandfather too a bite of the seed and chewed on the fragment!
(,ts the very thing,( said he!
($ell me, little grandfather, where and when this ind of seed grows 2 1id you never sow such grain in your field2 3r did
you never in your life buy any such among people2(
"nd the old man said' %
(Such grain as this used to grow everywhere in my day! 3n such grain as this , have lived all my life,( says he, 0and fed
my people! $his ind of seed , have sown, and this ind , have reaped, and this ind , have sent to mill!(
"nd the tsar ased, saying' %
0$ell me, little grandfather, did you buy such seed anywhere 2 or did you sow it in your field 2( $he old man laughed!
(,n my time,( said he, ( no one had ever conceived such a sin as to buy and sell grain! "nd they did not now about money!
$here was abundance of grain for all!(
"nd the tsar ased, saying' %
($ell me, little grandfather, when did you sow such grain, and where was your field2(
"nd the grandfather said ' %
(7y field was 8ods earth! +herever there was tillage, there was my field! $he earth was free! $here was no such thing as
private ownership! "ll men claimed was their wor!(
($ell me,( said the tsar, ( tell me two things more' one thing, +hy did such seed use to spring up, and now does not 2 "nd
the second thing, +hy does your grandson wal on two crutches, and your son on one crutch, but here you go with perfect
ease % and your eyes are bright, and your teeth strong, and your speech plain and clear2 $ell me, little grandfather, why these
things are so2(
"nd the old man said' %
0$hese two things both came about because men have ceased to live by their own wor % and they have begun to haner
after other peoples things! +e did not live so in old times& in old times we lived for 8od! +e had our own, and did not lust
after others!(
A Grain As Big As A Hen's Egg by loe tolstoy
(1886)
34E 1"6 S37E children found, in a ravine, a thing shaped lie a grain of corn, with a groove down the middle, but as large
as a hen9s egg! " traveller passing by saw the thing, bought it from the children for a penny, and taing it to town sold it to the
:ing as a curiosity!
$he :ing called together his wise men, and told them to find out what the thing was! $he wise men pondered and pondered
and could not mae head or tail of it, till one day, when the thing was lying on a window#sill, a hen flew in and peced at it
till she made a hole in it, and then every one saw that it was a grain of corn! $he wise men went to the :ing and said'
9,t is a grain of corn!9
"t this the :ing was much surprised& and he ordered the learned men to find out when and where such corn had grown! $he
learned men pondered again, and searched in their boos, but could find nothing about it! So they returned to the :ing and
said'
9+e can give you no answer! $here is nothing about it in our boos! 6ou will have to as the peasants& perhaps some of them
may have heard from their fathers when and where grain grew to such a si-e!9
So the :ing gave orders that some very old peasant should be brought before him& and his servants found such a man and
brought him to the :ing! 3ld and bent, ashy pale and toothless, he .ust managed with the help of two crutches to totter into
the :ing9s presence!
$he :ing showed him the grain, but the old man could hardly see it& he too it, however, and felt it with his hands! $he :ing
/uestioned him, saying'
9;an you tell us, old man, where such grain as this grew2 )ave you ever bought such corn, or sown such in your fields29
$he old man was so deaf that he could hardly hear what the :ing said, and only understood with great difficulty!
94o<9 he answered at last, 9, never sowed nor reaped any lie it in my fields, nor did , ever buy any such! +hen we bought
corn, the grains were always as small as they are now! 5ut you might as my father! )e may have heard where such grain
grew!9
So the :ing sent for the old man9s father, and he was found and brought before the :ing! )e came waling with one crutch!
$he :ing showed him the grain, and the old peasant, who was still able to see, too a good loo at it! "nd the :ing ased
him'
9;an you not tell us, old man, where corn lie this used to grow2 )ave you ever bought any lie it, or sown any in your
fields29
$hough the old man was rather hard of hearing, he still heard better than his son had done!
94o,9 he said, 9, never sowed nor reaped any grain lie this in my field! "s to buying, , never bought any, for in my time
money was not yet in use! Every one grew his own corn, and when there was any need we shared with one another! , do not
now where corn lie this grew! 3urs was larger and yielded more flour than present#day grain, but , never saw any lie this!
, have, however, heard my father say that in his time the grain grew larger and yielded more flour than ours! 6ou had better
as him!9
So the :ing sent for this old man9s father, and they found him too, and brought him before the :ing! )e entered waling
easily and without crutches' his eye was clear, his hearing good, and he spoe distinctly! $he :ing showed him the grain, and
the old grandfather looed at it, and turned it about in his hand!
9,t is long since , saw such a fine grain,9 said he, and he bit a piece off and tasted it!
9,t9s the very same ind,9 he added!
9$ell me, grandfather,9 said the :ing, 9when and where was such corn grown2 )ave you ever bought any lie it, or sown any in
your fields29
"nd the old man replied'
9;orn lie this used to grow everywhere in my time! , lived on corn lie this in my young days, and fed others on it! ,t was
grain lie this that we used to sow and reap and thrash!9
"nd the :ing ased'
9$ell me, grandfather, did you buy it anywhere, or did you grow it all yourself29
$he old man smiled!
9,n my time,9 he answered, 9no one ever thought of such a sin as buying or selling bread& and we new nothing of money! Each
man had corn enough of his own!9
9$hen tell me, grandfather,9 ased the :ing, 9where was your field, where did you grow corn lie this29
"nd the grandfather answered'
97y field was 8od9s earth! +herever , ploughed, there was my field! =and was free! ,t was a thing no man called his own!
=abour was the only thing men called their own!9
9"nswer me two more /uestions,9 said the :ing! 9$he first is, +hy did the earth bear such grain then and has ceased to do so
now2 "nd the second is, +hy your grandson wals with two crutches, your son with one, and you yourself with none2 6our
eyes are bright, your teeth sound, and your speech clear and pleasant to the ear! )ow have these things come about29
"nd the old man answered'
9$hese things are so, because men have ceased to live by their own labour, and have taen to depending on the labour of
others! ,n the old time, men lived according to 8od9s law! $hey had what was their own, and coveted not what others had
produced!
Leo Tolstoy
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