A woodcutter who was chopping wood on the banks of a river had lost his axe. Not knowing what to do， he sat himself down on the bank and wept. The god Hermes， learning the cause of his distress， took pity on him. Hermes plunged into the river， brought out a gold axe and asked the woodcutter if this was the one which he had lost. The man said that wasn't the one. So Hermes dived back in again and this time he brought out a silver axe. But the woodcutter said that wasn't his axe either.

Hermes plunged in a third time and brought him his own axe. The man said indeed this was the very axe which he had lost.

Then Hermes， charmed by his honesty， gave him all three.

Returning to his friends， the woodcutter told them about his adventure. One of them took it into his head to get himself some axes as well. So he set off for the riverbank， threw his axe into the river deliberately and then sat down in tears. Then Hermes appeared to him and， learning the cause of his tears， he dived in and brought him too a golden axe， asking if it was the one which he had lost.

The man， all joyful， cried out， \"Yes! It is indeed the one !\"

But the god， horrified at such effrontery， not only withheld the gold axe but didn't return the man's own.

This fable shows that the gods favor honest people but are hostile to the dishonest.

從前有個(gè)樵夫在河畔砍柴，一不小心斧子掉進(jìn)了河里。他不知該怎么辦，只好坐在岸上哭了起來(lái)。赫耳墨斯神知道樵夫悲傷的原因之后，不禁動(dòng)了惻隱之心。于是他跳下河去撈起一把金斧子，問(wèn)樵夫是不是他掉的那把斧子。樵夫說(shuō)不是。赫耳墨斯又跳入河中，這次撈起了一把銀斧子，樵夫說(shuō)那也不是他的。

赫耳墨斯第三次跳進(jìn)河里把樵夫的斧子撈了上來(lái)。樵夫說(shuō)一點(diǎn)沒(méi)錯(cuò)，正是他丟的那把。

見(jiàn)樵夫那么誠(chéng)實(shí)，赫耳墨斯深受感動(dòng)，把三把斧子全給了他。

回到朋友那兒，樵夫把他的奇遇一五一十地講給他們聽(tīng)。其中一個(gè)人聽(tīng)后，心想何不自己也去試試運(yùn)氣。于是他也去河畔砍柴，故意讓斧子落入河里，然后坐在那里傷心落淚。赫耳墨斯同樣出現(xiàn)在他的面前，知道事情原委后，便跳入河中也撈起一把金斧子，問(wèn)是不是他丟的。

那人大喜過(guò)望，連忙喊道：“沒(méi)錯(cuò)，正是這一把!”

赫耳墨斯對(duì)他這種無(wú)恥行為十分反感，不但沒(méi)把金斧子賞給他，連他原有的那把斧子也沒(méi)還給他。

這則寓言告訴我們上天厚待誠(chéng)實(shí)的人，鄙夷不誠(chéng)實(shí)的人。