The Spendthrift and the Swallow

A young man, known for his extravagant spending, had squandered all his inheritance and was left with only one good cloak. One day, he noticed a swallow that had appeared unseasonably early. The bird was skimming along a pool, chirping gaily, and the young man mistakenly believed that summer had arrived.

In his excitement, he decided to sell his cloak. However, not many days later, winter returned with a vengeance, bringing renewed frost and cold. When he eventually discovered the unfortunate swallow lifeless on the ground, he lamented, "Unhappy bird! What have you done? By appearing before the springtime, you have not only brought about your own demise but have also led to my destruction."