บทที่ บทที่ 160 · The Willow-Wren

. The Willow-Wren

In former days every sound still had its meaning and application. When

the smith’s hammer resounded, it cried, “Strike away! strike away.”

When the carpenter’s plane grated, it said, “Here goes! here goes.” If

the mill wheel began to clack, it said, “Help, Lord God! help, Lord

God!” And if the miller was a cheat and happened to leave the mill, it

spoke high German, and first asked slowly, “Who is there? Who is

there?” and then answered quickly, “The miller! the miller!” and at

last quite in a hurry, “He steals bravely! he steals bravely! three

pecks in a bushel.”

At this time the birds also had their own language which every one

understood; now it only sounds like chirping, screeching, and

whistling, and to some like music without words. It came into the

bird’s mind, however, that they would no longer be without a ruler, and

would choose one of themselves to be their King. One alone amongst

them, the green plover, was opposed to this. He had lived free, and

would die free, and anxiously flying hither and thither, he cried,

“Where shall I go? where shall I go?” He retired into a solitary and

unfrequented marsh, and showed himself no more among his fellows.

The birds now wished to discuss the matter, and on a fine May morning

they all gathered together from the woods and fields: eagles and

chaffinches, owls and crows, larks and sparrows, how can I name them

all? Even the cuckoo came, and the hoopoe, his clerk, who is so called

because he is always heard a few days before him, and a very small bird

which as yet had no name, mingled with the band. The hen, which by some

accident had heard nothing of the whole matter, was astonished at the

great assemblage. “What, what, what is going to be done?” she cackled;

but the cock calmed his beloved hen, and said, “Only rich people,” and

told her what they had on hand. It was decided, however, that the one

who could fly the highest should be King. A tree-frog which was sitting

among the bushes, when he heard that, cried a warning, “No, no, no!

no!” because he thought that many tears would be shed because of this;

but the crow said, “Caw, caw,” and that all would pass off peaceably.

It was now determined that on this fine morning they should at once

begin to ascend, so that hereafter no one should be able to say, “I

could easily have flown much higher, but the evening came on, and I

could do no more.” On a given signal, therefore, the whole troop rose

up in the air. The dust ascended from the land, and there was

tremendous fluttering and whirring and beating of wings, and it looked

as if a black cloud was rising up. The little birds were, however, soon

left behind. They could go no farther, and fell back to the ground. The

larger birds held out longer, but none could equal the eagle, who

mounted so high that he could have picked the eyes out of the sun. And

when he saw that the others could not get up to him, he thought, “Why

shouldst thou fly still higher, thou art the King?” and began to let

himself down again. The birds beneath him at once cried to him. “Thou

must be our King, no one has flown so high as thou.” “Except me,”

screamed the little fellow without a name, who had crept into the

breast-feathers of the eagle. And as he was not at all tired, he rose

up and mounted so high that he reached heaven itself. When, however, he

had gone as far as this, he folded his wings together, and called down

with clear and penetrating voice, “I am King! I am King.”

“Thou, our King?” cried the birds angrily. “Thou hast compassed it by

trick and cunning!” So they made another condition. He should be King

who could go down lowest in the ground. How the goose did flap about

with its broad breast when it was once more on the land! How quickly

the cock scratched a hole! The duck came off the worst of all, for she

leapt into a ditch, but sprained her legs, and waddled away to a

neighboring pond, crying, “Cheating, cheating!” The little bird without

a name, however, sought out a mouse-hole, slipped down into it, and

cried out of it with his small voice, “I am King! I am King!”

“Thou our King!” cried the birds still more angrily. “Dost thou think

thy cunning shall prevail?” They determined to keep him a prisoner in

the hole and starve him out. The owl was placed as sentinel in front of

it, and was not to let the rascal out if she had any value for her

life. When evening was come all the birds were feeling very tired after

exerting their wings so much, so they went to bed with their wives and

children. The owl alone remained standing by the mouse-hole, gazing

steadfastly into it with her great eyes. In the meantime she, too, had

grown tired and thought to herself, “You might certainly shut one eye,

you will still watch with the other, and the little miscreant shall not

come out of his hole.” So she shut one eye, and with the other looked

straight at the mouse-hole. The little fellow put his head out and

peeped, and wanted to slip away, but the owl came forward immediately,

and he drew his head back again. Then the owl opened the one eye again,

and shut the other, intending to shut them in turn all through the

night.

But when she next shut the one eye, she forgot to open the other, and

as soon as both her eyes were shut she fell asleep. The little fellow

soon observed that, and slipped away.

From that day forth, the owl has never dared to show herself by

daylight, for if she does the other birds chase her and pluck her

feathers out. She only flies out by night, but hates and pursues mice

because they make such ugly holes. The little bird, too, is very

unwilling to let himself be seen, because he is afraid it will cost him

his life if he is caught. He steals about in the hedges, and when he is

quite safe, he sometimes cries, “I am King,” and for this reason, the

other birds call him in mockery, ‘King of the hedges’ (Zaunkönig). No

one, however, was so happy as the lark at not having to obey the little

King. As soon as the sun appears, she ascends high in the air and

cries, “Ah, how beautiful that is! beautiful that is! beautiful,

beautiful! ah, how beautiful that is!”