A nightingale sang beautifully in the forest. All animals and birds listened to him in rapture. Even the leaves of the trees didn’t tremble lest disturb the singer.
Only the cuckoo didn’t listen to the singer. She perched closer to the nightingale and asked:
– Dear nightingale, for whom do you sing?
– I sing for everyone who loves beautiful songs – the nightingale said cheerfully.
– And what do they give you in return?
– I don’t want them to give me anything. I am happy that they listen to me with care.
The cuckoo mocked:
– You are a silly nightingale. You stretch your throat and waste your energy for others. And I sing only for myself: “Kuku, kuku…”
– But nobody listens to your song.
– But I do like my song, don’t I?
– You think only about yourself. You don’t even want to raise your children, and you leave them in other birds’ nests. That’s the reason you are lonely. No one asks for you, no one loves you. But everyone loves me. This is my biggest reward.
And the nightingale started singing again. The whole forest became silent and enchanted with his magical warbles.
But the cuckoo started flapping noisily her wings enviously on purpose, because no one listens to her song:
– Kuku! Kuku!
Bulgarian folk tale
No comments:
Post a Comment