The Jealous Crow (416)

Far, far away there was a grove of shady mango trees. On one of the green trees there lived a cuckoo and a crow. They were quite alike in appearance. Both the birds were black. Only the crow was a little bigger. The cuckoo would lay all her eggs in the crow's nest. For quite some time they lived as good friends. The cuckoo had a sweet voice and often she would fill the grove with her sweet melody.

One day, a traveler passed by. Night fell and there was darkness all around. The traveler was tired. So he decided to spend the night under the huge mango tree on which the crow and the cuckoo lived.

The night was exceedingly pleasant. Full moon was shedding her lone luster in the sky. The eerie surrounding made the cuckoo feel supremely happy. She kept singing the whole night long and the passerby was simply captivated by cuckoo's sweet song.

Night passed. The day dawned. It was now the crow's turn to caw. His voice was so harsh to the ears that the traveler soon left the place. When the crow saw the traveler leave the place, in disgust he felt jealous of the sweet-voiced bird. When the cuckoo had gone away in search of food the crow went to the nest in desperation and breaking all the eggs, he threw them down.

The cuckoo, finding all her eggs smashed, was mad with grief. She went to the crow and said, "Oh brother, we had always lived like friends. What made you break all my eggs?" "Well sister, as you sang, the unknown traveler stayed the whole night. When I started cawing he left the place. I felt insulted and broke all your eggs. Now let us both go to the traveler and ask him why he did so."

Both the birds flew and flew till they spotted the traveler. When the crow asked him, he replied, "I was carried away by the cuckoo's enchanting voice but your voice was intolerably harsh. So, I left the place. But both of you have been old friends, so you should always live in harmony. You should not feel jealous of your friend."

These words of the passerby pacified both cuckoo and the crow. After that day they lived peacefully. The just and kind words of a traveler destroyed the ill feeling of jealousy in the crow just as a sprinkling of a little cold water settles the boiling milk.

source: BSE; XI grade