A scholar and a boatman story in English: Once a scholar was going to a place by boat. The boatman set sail in his boat and the boat was moving on smoothly. A gentle breeze was blowing. There were the murmuring sounds of waves and hundreds of gulls were circling overhead. The scholar was in a good mood. He was very proud of his learning. He asked the boatman whether he knew why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The boatman replied that he is merely a very simple boatman. He did not know that much. With a snigger，the scholar informed the boatman that one fourth of his life was spoilt.
The boatman had nothing to say but stare at the scholar. However, the boat was plying on and the scholar was enjoying the nature. The boatman was going on with his job having possessed by a sense of inferiority. After a while, the scholar asked again whether the boatman had read geography. The boatman politely replied that he had never studied any book let alone geography. The scholar then told him that half of his life was spoilt. This time also the boat man remained wordless. Then the sky became covered with dark clouds.
Soon a violent storm rose. There were big waves in the river. The boat was moving tremendously. The scholar became very afraid. He did not know what to do. His face turned pale. The boatman asked him whether he knew how to swim. The scholar replied in the negative. The boatman then told him that the whole of his life was spoilt because he was going to die.
amazing story