The Rich Man and the Tanner

The Rich Man and the Tanner by Esopo

The Rich Man and the Tanner is a fable written by Esopo. The story goes as follows: A rich man once asked a tanner to tan his dead father's skin, hoping to be reunited with him after death. The tanner agreed, but when the rich man returned to collect the tanned skin, he realized that it was not his father, but just a piece of leather. The moral of the story is that material possessions and wealth cannot bring back what is truly valuable in life, such as relationships and memories.

By Esopo · First published 1602 · Genre: Fable, Fiction, Children Literature · 102 words

First lines

A Rich Man took up his residence next door to a Tanner, and found the smell of the tan-yard so extremely unpleasant that he told him he must go. The Tanner delayed his departure, and the Rich Man had to speak to him several times about it; and every time the Tanner said he was making arrangements to move very shortly. This went on for some time, till at last the Rich Man got so used to the smell that he ceased to mind it, and troubled the Tanner with his objections no more.

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The Rich Man and the Tanner is listed on Textopian as a fable by Esopo, dated 1602 CE.

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fable · morality · wealth · poverty · class struggle · social commentary · human nature · greed · compassion · friendship · justice · consequences

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