The Farmer and the Viper
- Ages 4–8
- English audio 2 min
- Mandarin audio 3 min
The Farmer and the Viper is a classic story from Aesop's Fables for Kids, for children aged 4–8. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 3 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.
On a freezing day a kind farmer warms a frozen snake inside his coat, and when it wakes up, it bites him. Aesop’s fable, gently told, in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.
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Read The Farmer and the Viper
It was a very cold winter. Snow covered the ground. A farmer was walking home with a bundle of wood on his back.
By the road, he saw a snake lying in the snow. It was frozen stiff. It did not move at all.
"Poor thing," said the farmer. "It will die in this cold." He was a kind man. He picked up the snake and put it inside his coat to keep it warm.
The farmer walked on. Slowly, the snake grew warm. It began to move. Then it woke up.
But the snake did not care who had saved it. It opened its mouth and bit the farmer's hand.
"Ouch!" cried the farmer. He threw the snake down, and it slid away into the grass. It was a poisonous snake. Soon the farmer's hand hurt badly, and he felt very sick. Slowly, he walked home.
The farmer was ill in bed for many days. His family took care of him. When at last he could sit up, he said, "I helped that snake, and it bit me. I was kind to a creature that hurts others. I should have been more careful."
Little by little, the farmer got better. He was still kind, and he still helped his neighbors. But when he saw a snake, he walked the other way.
The Chinese version: 农夫和蛇
那是一个很冷很冷的冬天。北风呼呼地刮，地上积着厚厚的雪。一个农夫背着一捆柴，深一脚浅一脚地往家走。
走着走着，他看见路边的雪地里躺着一条蛇。蛇冻得硬邦邦的，一动也不动，身上还落了一层白霜。
农夫蹲下来看了看，心想：“真可怜，再这么冻下去，它就活不成了。”他没有多想，解开棉袄，把蛇捡起来揣进怀里，用自己的身子给它暖着。
农夫继续往前走，怀里冰冰凉凉的。他一边走，一边隔着棉袄轻轻按着，生怕蛇掉出来。走了一阵子，那条蛇慢慢暖和过来了。它的身子开始动了，尾巴也一点一点卷了起来。
蛇醒了。它抬起头，吐了吐细细的舌头。它可不管是谁救了它，张开嘴，一口咬在了农夫的手上。
“哎哟！”农夫疼得叫出声来，一下子把蛇甩到地上。蛇“嗖”地钻进草丛，不见了。原来，这是一条毒蛇。农夫的手很快肿了起来，头也晕乎乎的，他跌跌撞撞地走回了家。
农夫病得很重，在床上躺了好多天，家里人日夜守在他身边。等他终于能坐起来说话了，他叹了口气，说：“我可怜那条蛇，救了它，它却反过来咬我。对会伤人的家伙发善心，是我太不小心了。”
后来，农夫的病慢慢好了。他还是那个热心肠的人，谁家有难处，他都去帮一把。可是再在路上看见蛇，他就远远地绕开走。
The Farmer and the Viper: the moral of the story
Be kind, but be wise about who you trust. Some creatures, and some people, will hurt others whatever you do for them, so keep yourself safe first.
Chinese words in The Farmer and the Viper
Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.
冬天dōng tiān
winter
冷lěng
cold
农夫nóng fū
farmer
蛇shé
snake
可怜kě lián
poor thing, pitiful
棉袄mián ǎo
padded cotton jacket
暖和nuǎn huo
warm
毒蛇dú shé
poisonous snake
Bedtime storytelling tips
- Read the snowy opening low and slow. Hunch your shoulders and say “Brr, it’s cold,” and your child will hunch up too.
- Read the bite plainly, without making it scary, and save your pause for the farmer’s words at the end.
- The story turns on cold and warm: hug your arms when it is cold and rub your hands when it gets warm. In the Chinese version the words are 冷 (lěng) and 暖和 (nuǎn huo).
Things to talk about afterwards
- Why did the farmer put the snake inside his coat?
- What did the snake do when it got warm?
- How can we help someone, or a little animal, and still keep ourselves safe?
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The Farmer and the Viper: common questions
- What is the moral of The Farmer and the Viper?
- Be kind, but be careful who you are kind to. A creature that harms others may harm you too, however much you help it. In our version the farmer says it himself: “I was kind to a creature that hurts others. I should have been more careful.”
- Does the farmer die in The Farmer and the Viper?
- In Aesop’s original, yes: the viper’s bite kills him, and as he dies he says it serves him right for pitying a wicked creature. Our bedtime version is gentler. The farmer is very ill for many days, then slowly gets better, and after that he keeps away from snakes.
- Where does The Farmer and the Viper come from?
- It is one of Aesop’s fables, number 176 in the Perry Index, said to come from a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. A viper is a kind of poisonous snake. It is not a Chinese folktale, though the Chinese story of Mr. Dongguo and the wolf (东郭先生和狼) teaches a similar lesson.
- Is The Farmer and the Viper too scary for young children?
- Our version keeps the bite short and plain, with no frightening detail, and ends with the farmer well again and still kind to his neighbors. We suggest it for ages 4 to 8.
- Is there a Chinese version of The Farmer and the Viper?
- Yes. In Chinese it is called 农夫和蛇 (nóng fū hé shé), “the farmer and the snake.” This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one.
Source and how we retold it
Aesop’s fables, number 176 in the Perry Index. Aesop is said to have been a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. His fables were first passed on by word of mouth and collected by later writers, and they have long been in the public domain. In the original, the farmer is bitten by the viper and dies, saying as he dies that it serves him right for pitying a wicked creature. To suit bedtime, our retelling has him badly hurt and ill for many days; when he can sit up he says the same thing, and slowly he gets better. The farmer carrying firewood home at the start, and the ending where he still helps his neighbors but walks the other way when he sees a snake, are our additions.
The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.
If you liked The Farmer and the Viper, there are more stories in Aesop's Fables for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.
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