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La Poule aux œufs d'or
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The Hen with the Golden Eggs

Greed, making us want it all, loses us everything.
The sole witness that I have to bring,
As the fable has it, is the one stupid man whose Hen,
Each day, laid for him an egg of gold.
Quite sure that in her body she held treasures untold,
He killed and opened her up, and found her then
Just like the Hens whose eggs awarded him no riches.
He’d destroyed his own wealth through his itches.

For the greedy the lesson’s a boon:
Lately, how many have we seen, to their utter dismay,
Who’ve made themselves paupers just in a day
By straining to get rich too soon!