The Crow and the Pitcher

A CROW perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life.

のどがかわいて死にそうなカラスが水差しを見つけ、水があるかもしれないと思って、喜んでそこへ飛んでいった。ところが、着いてみると、がっかりしたことに、水差しの中の水はほんの少ししかなく、どうしてもくちばしがとどかなかった。カラスは水にとどくよう、思いつくかぎりのことをやってみたが、どれもうまくいかなかった。とうとうカラスは、運べるだけたくさんの小石を集めてきて、くちばしで一つずつ水差しの中に落としていった。そうして水を自分のとどくところまで上げ、命が助かったのである。

Necessity is the mother of invention.

必要は発明の母。