Being hot-tempered, he got angry and swore, then hurled adze, gouge, saw, and chisel through the trees. That way he labored twice: first throwing, then picking up.
In the evening he came home looking as though he'd been taken down
a peg or two. "I ran into one of those old women with the evil eye," he
complained to his younger brother. "Anyway, it was stupid of me to get
wrapped up in the idea of building that boat. A boat that sails both on
land and on water! Why, it'll be a month of Sundays before anyone builds
such a contraption! The king just wanted to show everyone who's boss."
"You never know!" the younger objected. "Time is the father of miracles. You should have kept at it."
"You keep at it, then," growled the elder, angry again. "You go to the king's forest tomorrow and waste your time."
The younger didn't answer. He wouldn't have started the job on his own, but he wasn't going to turn away from it now. You have to let yourself be led and trust that you will be led.
 |  |
Folktales