Sunday, December 20, 2009

Lev Tolstoj: The Hawk and the Czar


(art: Peter Helck)

The Hawk and the Czar

After the hunting, the czar overcome by thirst, went to a spring together with his beloved hawk. The water dripped very slowly, and he needed a great deal of patience to fill his cup; when, at last, the czar could take it to his lips, the hawk flapped his wings and spilled all the water. The czar took the cup to the spring and waited that it was filled up again, but once again the hawk made it fall down. A little bit irritated, the czar repeated the operation for the third time, and, again the incorrigible hawk prevented him from drinking.
-“ So you do it on purpose! - cried out the enraged czar and threw him against the rock, killing him. Then he went again to fill the cup when his servants arrived and shouted at him:
-“ Don't drink, don't drink Sir. A snake shed(poured) its poison in this water!
The czar did not drink looked at his dead hawk, and weeping said:” Too late I see how much that bird was worth.!”

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