Once there was a poor stonecutter. Each day he went to the mountain and cut blocks of stone, and then took them to
the market to sell.
He was quite happy, until one day he looked through the gate of a rich man’s house. He saw the rich man sitting in the
shade with servants bringing him food to eat.
“Surely the rich man is greater than I am”, sighed the poor stonecutter. “I wish I were rich. Then I would be truly happy”.
The spirit of the mountain heard the stonecutter and gave him what he wanted. At once, the stonecutter found himself
sitting in the garden of a nice house with servants bringing him food.
“Now I will be truly happy” thought the stonecutter. But a few days later he was standing outside. The sun was beating
down on his head. It was so hot that he had to go inside.
“Surely the sun is greater than I am”, he sighed. “I wish I could be the sun. Then I would be truly happy”.
The spirit of the mountain heard the stonecutter and gave him what he wanted. At once the stonecutter became the sun
burning in the sky.
“Now I will be truly happy” thought the stonecutter. But soon a cloud came between him and the earth so that no one
could see him.
“Surely the cloud is greater than I am”, he sighed. “I wish I had the power to be a cloud. Then I would be truly happy”.
The spirit of the mountain heard the stonecutter and gave him what he wanted. At once the stonecutter became a cloud
raining upon the earth. Where the rain came, people ran for their houses.
“Now I will be truly happy”, thought the stonecutter. But he noticed that when the rain beat down on the mountain, the
mountain was not affected.
“Surely the mountain is greater than I am”, he sighed. “I wish I could turn into a mountain. Then I would be truly happy”.
The spirit of the mountain heard the stonecutter and gave him what he wanted. At once, the stonecutter became a
mountain, strong and firm.
“Now I will be truly happy”, thought the stonecutter. But soon he noticed a small stonecutter coming up the side of the
mountain. The stonecutter cut blocks of stone from the mountain and took them away.
“Surely the stonecutter is greater than I am”, he sighed. “I wish I were a stonecutter. Then I would be truly happy.”
The spirit of the mountain heard and gave him what he wanted. At once he was a poor stonecutter again. At this he was
thankful, and never wished again to be something that he was not.
(New Routes, September/2009. ISSN 1516‐3601. Page 37.)
The sentence “He was quite happy” means that
