The brother Axe by Hovhannes Tumanian

ONCE A MAN went to a place(վայր) to find some work. He came to a village(գյուղ) where he saw (տեսավ)people breaking up wood(փայտ)with their hands.

“Brothers,” he said, “why do it with your hands? Don’t you have an axe(կացին)?”

‘‘What’s an axe?” asked the villagers(գյուղացիներ).

The man took his axe from his belt(գոտի), cut the wood. Seeing this, the villagers ran through the village calling:

“Hey, everybody! Come and see what Brother Axe has done!”

The villagers gathered(հավաքվեցին) about the owner of the axe, asked him, gave him valuable gifts(արժեքավոր նվերներ) to take the axe from him.

The first day the king took the axe. As he wanted to cut with an axe, it fell on his foot and cut it. He started to cry with pain.

“Come here, everybody! Brother Axe has bitten(կծել) my foot.”

The villagers began to beat(ծեծել) the axe. Then they began to put it in the fire. The flames(բոցերը) rose high. When the fire had died down(հանգչել), they saw that the axe had turned red.

“Oh!” they cried, “Brother Axe is angry(բարկացել է). Look how red he has turned! What shall we do?

They finally decided(որոշեցին) to throw the axe into prison(բերդ). So they threw it into king’s barn(ամբար). The barn was full of hay(խոտ). As soon as the red-hot axe touched the hay a great fire started.

Terrified(Վախեցած), the villagers ran after its owner, they said, “Come, please, and bring Brother Axe to his senses(Կացին ախպորը խելքի բեր)!”