Annoureveye Blog: Let's Wake Up

“The Golden Bird”

By Grimm Jakob Ludwig Karl

In the olden time there was a king, who had behind his palace a beautiful
pleasure-garden in which there was a tree that bore golden apples. When
the apples were getting ripe they were counted, but on the very next
morning one was missing. This was told to the King, and he ordered that
a watch should be kept every night beneath the tree.

The King had three sons, the eldest of whom he sent, as soon as night
came on, into the garden; but when midnight came he could not keep
himself from sleeping, and next morning again an apple was gone.

The following night the second son had to keep watch, it fared no better
with him; as soon as twelve o’clock had struck he fell asleep, and in
the morning an apple was gone.

Now it came to the turn of the third son to watch; and he was quite ready,
but the King had not much trust in him, and thought that he would be of
less use even than his brothers; but at last he let him go. The youth
lay down beneath the tree, but kept awake, and did not let sleep master
him. When it struck twelve, something rustled through the air, and in
the moonlight he saw a bird coming whose feathers were all shining with
gold. The bird alighted on the tree, and had just plucked off an apple,
when the youth shot an arrow at him. The bird flew off, but the arrow
had struck his plumage, and one of his golden feathers fell down. The
youth picked it up, and the next morning took it to the King and told
him what he had seen in the night. The King called his council together,
and everyone declared that a feather like this was worth more than
the whole kingdom. “If the feather is so precious,” declared the King,
“one alone will not do for me; I must and will have the whole bird!”

The eldest son set out; he trusted to his cleverness, and thought that
he would easily find the Golden Bird. When he had gone some distance he
saw a Fox sitting at the edge of a wood, so he cocked his gun and took
aim at him. The Fox cried, “Do not shoot me! and in return I will give
you some good counsel.  You are on the way to the Golden Bird; and this
evening you will come to a village in which stand two inns opposite to
one another. One of them is lighted up brightly, and all goes on merrily
within, but do not go into it; go rather into the other, even though it
seems a bad one.” “How can such a silly beast give wise advice?” thought
the King’s son, and he pulled the trigger. But he missed the Fox, who
stretched out his tail and ran quickly into the wood.

So he pursued his way, and by evening came to the village where the two
inns were; in one they were singing and dancing; the other had a poor,
miserable look. “I should be a fool, indeed,” he thought, “if I were to
go into the shabby tavern, and pass by the good one.” So he went into
the cheerful one, lived there in riot and revel, and forgot the bird
and his father, and all good counsels.

When some time had passed, and the eldest son for month after month
did not come back home, the second set out, wishing to find the Golden
Bird. The Fox met him as he had met the eldest, and gave him the good
advice of which he took no heed. He came to the two inns, and his brother
was standing at the window of the one from which came the music, and
called out to him. He could not resist, but went inside and lived only
for pleasure.

Again some time passed, and then the King’s youngest son wanted to set off
and try his luck, but his father would not allow it. “It is of no use,”
said he, “he will find the Golden Bird still less than his brothers,
and if a mishap were to befall him he knows not how to help himself;
he is a little wanting at the best.” But at last, as he had no peace,
he let him go.

Again the Fox was sitting outside the wood, and begged for his life,
and offered his good advice. The youth was good-natured, and said,
“Be easy, little Fox, I will do you no harm.” “You shall not repent it,”
answered the Fox; “and that you may get on more quickly, get up behind
on my tail.” And scarcely had he seated himself when the Fox began to
run, and away he went over stock and stone till his hair whistled in
the wind. When they came to the village the youth got off; he followed
the good advice, and without looking round turned into the little inn,
where he spent the night quietly.

The next morning, as soon as he got into the open country, there sat the
Fox already, and said, “I will tell you further what you have to do. Go
on quite straight, and at last you will come to a castle, in front of
which a whole regiment of soldiers is lying, but do not trouble yourself
about them, for they will all be asleep and snoring. Go through the
midst of them straight into the castle, and go through all the rooms,
till at last you will come to a chamber where a Golden Bird is hanging
in a wooden cage. Close by, there stands an empty gold cage for show,
but beware of taking the bird out of the common cage and putting it into
the fine one, or it may go badly with you.” With these words the Fox
again stretched out his tail, and the King’s son seated himself upon it,
and away he went over stock and stone till his hair whistled in the wind.

When he came to the castle he found everything as the Fox had said. The
King’s son went into the chamber where the Golden Bird was shut up in
a wooden cage, whilst a golden one stood hard by; and the three golden
apples lay about the room. “But,” thought he, “it would be absurd if
I were to leave the beautiful bird in the common and ugly cage,” so he
opened the door, laid hold of it, and put it into the golden cage. But at
the same moment the bird uttered a shrill cry.  The soldiers awoke, rushed
in, and took him off to prison. The next morning he was taken before a
court of justice, and as he confessed everything, was sentenced to death.

The King, however, said that he would grant him his life on one condition
namely, if he brought him the Golden Horse which ran faster than the
wind; and in that case he should receive, over and above, as a reward,
the Golden Bird.

Let us think about the story that is being written in Haiti these days…