63 - Tale
of the
Sparrow
and the Peacock
Shaharzaad
further said - "Listen to this story of a sparrow and a peacock, O
King. There lived a sparrow, once upon a time,
that used to visit a king of the birds early in the morning and stayed
their waiting upon him till evening; being the first to go in and the last
to go out. Once some birds met on a high mountain and one of them said to
the other - "Although we have many differences among ourselves, but
we have king among us who can take care of us. Then our differences will
disappear and we all will be one."
So
that sparrow came there and counseled them to choose peacock as their king
(this was the prince the sparrow used to visit). So they chose the peacock as their
king, and the peacock made the sparrow as his secretary and the Prime
Minister. Now the sparrow started looking after the king's other necessary
matter instead of waiting upon him.
It so
happened that one day the sparrow did not appear at his usual time, so the peacock
got worried about him. In a little while the sparrow appeared, then the
peacock said to him - "What has delayed you. You are the nearest to
me among all of my servants and dearest of all my dependents." The sparrow
said - "I have seen a thing which is doubtful to me, so I am
afraid." "And what is that?" The sparrow said - "I saw
a man setting up his net near my nest and spreading some grains in the
midst of it and he was sitting a bit far from it. I sat watching it what it
would do. Then I saw that a crane and his wife fell into his net and
began to cry, so the hunter rose and took them to his home. This troubled
me and this is the reason why I was absent for so long. But now I have
thought that I will not live in that nest for the fear of net."
The
peacock said - "Do not leave your home because there never happens
anything against your fate." And the sparrow obeyed his order and
kept patience. So he took care of himself and carried the food to his king
who would eat whatever he liked, then drink the water and then dismiss the
sparrow.
Now
one day as the sparrow was looking into matters, he saw two sparrows fighting on
the ground and said to himself, "How can I, who is the Vazeer of the
king, look on sparrows fighting in my neighborhood? By Allaah, I must make
peace between them." So he flew to them to make peace between them,
but the hunter had cast his net all over and the sparrow happened to be in
their very midst.
Then
the hunter arose and took him home saying, "I have never seen a
sparrow fatter and finer than this one." The sparrow thought, "I
have fallen into the same net which I feared, and none but the peacock
inspired me to do this. But I should not blame the peacock as even he, who
takes precaution, cannot escape the Destiny."
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