Four princes visit the same tree at different times. One sees bare branches, another buds, another leaves and another pods. Each insists the others are wrong.
Their father explains that the season changed. Each witnessed one part of the tree’s life.
Adapted from Ellen C. Babbitt, More Jataka Tales (1916), chapter IX · Source text & illustration
Fables use imaginary events to invite reflection; interpretations vary.
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