Parables of Leonardo da Vinci for children. Parables of Leonardo da Vinci - list

Once upon a time there was an apple tree. She loved little boy. Every morning he came to her, climbed her trunk, swung on her branches, feasted on her apples and was happy. And the apple tree was happy.

Time passed, the boy appeared less and less, and the apple tree became sad. One day he came after a particularly long absence, and the apple tree trembled with joy:

Cute boy! Hurry up, climb my trunk - I will swing you on the branches, treat you to apples, and you will be happy.

But the boy shook his head and replied:

You know, this won't make me happy. I have no money at all, and girls don't like me. I'm naked as a falcon.

Then the apple tree replied:

Collect my apples and sell them at the market. You will have money and girls and you will

happy.

The boy did just that - he collected all the apples and left. And the apple tree was happy. However, the boy was gone again for a very, very long time. When he finally came, the apple tree trembled:

Cute boy! Climb my trunk, swing on my branches - and you will be happy!

The boy answered her proudly:

I'm too old to climb trees and jump on branches! I have so many problems! I want to get married, but I don't have a house! Now, if I had a house, then I would be happy.

And the apple tree answered:

Cut down my branches and build yourself a house. And you will be happy.

The boy did just that. He cut down all the branches of the apple tree and left. And the apple tree was happy.

After that he didn't appear for ages.

The apple tree has been waiting for its boy for many years.

And one day he really came. He looked tired, old and bloated. His hair thinned, his figure blurred. But the apple tree was unusually happy with him, she said:

Cute boy! I have no more apples to feed you and no more branches to sway you. But maybe you want a quiet, shady place to rest? I can shade you from the sun.

And the boy replied:

Dear apple tree! Nothing makes me happy on this earth. All I want is to get away somewhere far away, but I don't know how...

The apple tree thought for a minute and said:

My trunk will make a good boat. Cut down my trunk, make a boat, and you can sail far, far away. And you will be happy.

The boy did just that. And left.

And the apple tree was happy. Although it became very difficult for her.

Years passed. The stump that the apple tree became grew older. Deep cracks furrowed it. Apple Tree no longer believed that she would ever be able to see the boy. But one day he approached her. He leaned heavily on a stick, his hands were difficult to control, and his thin hair was gray. The apple tree said to him sadly:

Everyone knows that Leonardo da Vinci was a brilliant inventor, but few know that he also left his mark in literature.

Parables and tales of Leonardo da Vinci:

Fig tree

Flea and sheep skin

What a wonderful long pile! - she exclaimed. “You can easily hide in it.” I'm so tired of the dog's teeth and claws that are trying to harm me! And sheep skin is probably much softer and tastier than dog skin!

Without thinking twice, the flea jumped onto the litter. But sheepskin It turned out to be so thick that the flea could not reach the skin for a long time. When, having worked hard, she finally reached her goal, she was unable to bite through the skin. Sheep leather turned out to be so hard.

Angry, the flea decided to go back. But the dog was no longer on the mat. And the flea itself soon died of starvation.

Flint and steel

Moon and oyster

The Miller and the Donkey

Donkey on ice

About the monk

The merchant, who dined on chicken, and two hungry monks set off on their journey. They walked and walked until the river blocked their path. The merchant, fearing to get his expensive boots wet, asked one of his fellow travelers to carry him to the other side. The stronger monk lifted the merchant onto his shoulders and walked through the water. Not even reaching the middle, he suddenly stopped and asked his burden:
- Listen, merchant, is there any money in your pockets?
- Of course have! - exclaimed the merchant.
The monk immediately threw the merchant into the water.
- What's happened? - the merchant shouted.
- And according to the charter, we are not supposed to have money on us! - answered the monk.

Chagrin

Poplar and grapevine

“I remember one day I woke up in my cradle.

It seemed to me that big bird revealed

winged my mouth and stroked my lips with feathers."

Leonardo da Vinci

PAPER AND INK

There were identical sheets of blank paper in a stack on the desk. But one day one of them turned out to be completely covered with hooks, dashes, curls, dots... Apparently, someone took a pen and, dipping it in ink, covered the sheet with words and painted it with drawings.

Why did you need to subject me to such unheard-of humiliation? - the saddened piece of paper asked in his hearts from the inkwell standing on the table. - Your indelible ink has stained my whiteness and ruined the paper forever! Who will need me like this now?

“Don’t worry!” the inkwell answered affectionately. “They didn’t want to humiliate you at all and didn’t tarnish you, but just made the necessary record.” And now you are no longer a simple piece of paper, but a written message. From now on, you store a person’s thought, and this is your direct purpose and great value.

The good inkwell turned out to be right. While cleaning up his desk one day, a man saw randomly scattered sheets of paper, yellowed with age. He collected them and was about to throw them into the burning fireplace, when he suddenly noticed that same “stained” piece of paper. Throwing away the dusty pieces of paper as unnecessary, the man carefully placed the scribbled piece of paper in the desk drawer in order to preserve it as a message of reason.

Flint and steel

Having once received a strong blow from a flint, the flint indignantly asked the offender:

Why did you attack me like that? I don't know you. You're apparently confusing me with someone. Please leave my sides alone. I don't harm anyone.

“Don’t be angry in vain, neighbor,” the flint said with a smile in response. “If you have a little patience, you will soon see what a miracle I will extract from you.” At these words, the flint calmed down and began to patiently endure the blows of the flint. And finally, fire was carved out of it, capable of performing true miracles. So the patience of the flint was justly rewarded.

The tale is told for those who are timid in their studies at first. But if you are patient and diligent, then the sown seeds of knowledge will certainly bear fruit. The root of learning is bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

TONGUE AND TEETH

Once upon a time there was a boy in the world who suffered from a serious illness, to which adults are sometimes susceptible - he talked incessantly, without knowing how to stop.

What kind of punishment is this tongue,” the teeth grumbled. “When will he calm down and be silent for a while?”

What do you care about me? - the tongue answered brazenly. - Chew to your health and keep quiet. That's the whole story for you! We have nothing in common. I won’t allow anyone to interfere in my personal affairs, much less meddle with stupid advice!

And the boy continued to chatter incessantly, inappropriately and inopportunely. The tongue was at the height of bliss, pronouncing more and more sophisticated words, although it did not have time to thoroughly understand their meaning.

But one day the boy got so carried away by chatter that, without knowing it, he got into trouble. In order to somehow get out of trouble, he allowed his tongue to tell a deliberate lie. Then their teeth could not stand it - their patience ran out. They closed at once and painfully bit the lying liar.

The tongue turned purple from the blood that came out, and the boy cried from shame and pain.

From then on, the tongue behaves with caution and caution, and the boy thinks twice before uttering a word.

RAZOR

One barber had a razor of extraordinary beauty, and it had no equal in its work. One day, when there were no visitors in the shop, and the owner was away somewhere, the razor decided to look at the world and show itself. Releasing the sharp blade from its frame like a sword from its sheath, and proudly akimbo, she went for a walk on a fine spring day.

Before the razor had time to cross the threshold, the bright sun began to sparkle on the polished steel blade, and sunbeams jumped merrily along the walls of the houses. Blinded by this unprecedented spectacle, the razor was in such indescribable delight that it immediately became excessively proud.

After such splendor, should I really go back to the barber?” exclaimed the razor. “No way in the world!” It would be sheer madness on my part to ruin my life by scraping the soapy cheeks and chins of uncouth louts. Is there a place for my delicate blade at the barber's? Not at all! I'll hide from him in a secluded place. Since then there has been no trace of her.

Months passed. Rainy autumn has arrived. Bored alone, the fugitive decided to come out of her voluntary seclusion and breathe fresh air. She carefully released the blade from the frame and looked around proudly.

But, oh horror! What happened? The blade, once tender, became rough, becoming like a rusty saw, and no longer reflected the sun's rays.

Why did I succumb to temptation? - the razor cried bitterly. - How the kind barber cherished and pampered me! How happy and proud he was of my work! And now, oh God, what happened to me: the blade became darkened, jagged and covered with disgusting rust. I am lost and there is no salvation for me!

A sad fate awaits anyone who is endowed with talent, but instead of developing and improving their abilities, they become overly proud and indulge in idleness and narcissism. Like this unfortunate razor, such a person gradually loses the clarity and sharpness of his mind, becomes inert, lazy and overgrown with the rust of ignorance, corroding his flesh and soul.

FLAME

Work was in full swing in the glass-blowing workshop, and in the huge furnace the fire did not subside day or night. Many beautiful products were created by craftsmen who, with their breath, gave a bizarre shape to the mass of molten glass.

One day, a fire raging in the furnace noticed a burning candle left by one of the apprentices, set in a massive bronze candlestick. He was immediately overcome by an irresistible desire to devour the weak flame of the candle.

And then a blue flame burst out from under the firebrand with a hiss. Recoiling to the side from the draft in the chimney and contriving, it broke through the narrow crack of the stove screen, spread to a candle standing nearby and began to greedily devour it.

The insatiable flame consumed the fragile candle in an instant.

However, not wanting to die with her, it tried to return to its native element. But no matter how much the flame cried out for help to its brothers in the burning furnace, no matter how it wriggled and writhed in its death throes, it never managed to escape from the tenacious embrace of the melted wax.

Screaming, crying and hissing angrily, the flames eventually suffocated, turning into acrid smoke. And in the oven for a long time the logs crackled merrily, shooting multi-colored sparks, and the red tongues of fire danced together.

MOON AND OYSTER

The oyster was head over heels in love with the moon. As if spellbound, she spent hours looking with loving eyes at the night star.

A voracious crab sitting in ambush noticed that every time the moon emerges from behind the clouds, the gaping oyster opens its shell, forgetting about everything in the world. And he decided to eat it.

One night, as soon as the moon had risen and the oyster, as usual, was staring at it with its mouth open, the crab picked up a pebble with its claw and, contrivingly, threw it inside the shell. The lover of moonlight tried to slam the doors of the mother-of-pearl dwelling, but it was too late - a thrown pebble prevented the poor thing.

A similar fate awaits everyone who does not know how to keep their innermost feelings secret. There will always be eyes and ears eager for other people's secrets.

Since school, we pronounce with the greatest respect the name of Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452, the village of Anchiano, near the town of Vinci, near Florence - May 2, 1519, Clos Luce castle, near Amboise, Touraine, France).

He was the embodiment universal man. Da Vinci left a memory of himself as one of the greatest personalities in human history. Physics and astronomy, mathematics and mechanics, anatomy and physiology, geography and botany, chemistry and geology, architecture, painting, drawing - in all these areas Leonardo was an expert and innovator.

But few people know that the learned man could be passionately involved in fiction like a child, and was an inexhaustible dreamer and entertaining storyteller. The parables and fairy tales he composed brought him no less fame during his lifetime than his paintings. Now his fables are even shown in schools.

His parables, which are more than five centuries old, have still not lost their relevance. Although it is quite problematic to attribute these stories to any one genre of literature: many of his stories resemble a fable or a parable with a clear moral, but there are also everyday humorous sketches, as well as stories about animals and even fantastic stories.

To this day, some fairy tales that have long become folk tales are still in circulation in Italian villages, and many do not realize that they were once composed by Leonardo da Vinci himself.

So, parables from Leonardo da Vinci:

Stone and road

Once upon a time there was a great man in the world beautiful stone. The stream flowing past polished its sides to a shine, which sparkled in the sun. But over time, the stream dried up, and the stone continued to lie on the hillock. All around him there was ample space for tall grasses and bright wildflowers.

From above, the stone could clearly see the paved road running below, along the side of which pebbles and cobblestones were piled up. Left alone without the usual murmur of a cheerful stream, the stone increasingly began to look longingly down at the road, where activity always reigned. One day he felt so sad that he could not stand it and exclaimed:

- I can’t live forever alone! What good are herbs and flowers? It makes more sense to live side by side with my brothers on the road, where life is in full swing.

Having said this, he moved from his habitual place and rolled headlong downwards until he found himself on the road among stones just like him. Who hasn’t walked or driven along the road! And the wheels of carts with iron rims, and the hooves of horses, cows, sheep, goats, and smart boots with jackboots, and strong peasant shoes lined with nails.

The stone ended up in the crush of the road, where it was roughly thrown aside, trampled, crushed, doused with streams of mud, and sometimes it was stained up to its ears with cow dung.

Where has his former beauty gone! Now he sadly looked up at the hillock where he once lay peacefully among fragrant flowers and herbs. He had no choice but to vainly dream of regaining his lost peace. It’s not for nothing that they say: “We don’t keep what we have, and when we lose it, we cry.”

Likewise, people sometimes thoughtlessly leave remote rural corners, rushing to noisy, crowded cities, where they immediately find themselves at the mercy of vanity, unquenchable thirst and endless difficulties and worries.

Donkey

At the appointed time, the donkey came to water. But the ducks on the pond were so loud and playful, flapping their wings, that they muddied all the water.

Although the donkey was tormented by unbearable thirst, he did not drink and, moving aside, began to wait patiently. Finally the ducks calmed down and, coming ashore, walked away. The donkey approached the water again, but it was still muddy. And he walked away again with his head down.

- Mom, why doesn’t he drink? – asked the curious frog, interested in the donkey’s behavior. “He’s come to the pond twice now and left with nothing.”

“And all because,” answered the mother frog, “that the donkey would rather die of thirst than touch dirty water.” He will wait patiently until the water clears and becomes clear.

- Oh, how stubborn he is!

“No, son, he is not so much stubborn as he is patient,” explained the frog. – The donkey is ready to endure all the hardships and sorrows. And anyone who himself lacks endurance and patience calls him stubborn.

Caterpillar

Sticking to the leaf, the caterpillar watched with interest as the insects sang, jumped, galloped, raced, flew... Everything around was in constant motion. And only she, the poor thing, was denied a voice and was not allowed to run or fly. With great difficulty she could only crawl. And while the caterpillar clumsily moved from one leaf to another, it seemed to it that it was making a trip around the world.

And yet she did not complain about fate and did not envy anyone, realizing that everyone should mind their own business. So she, the caterpillar, had to learn how to weave thin silk threads in order to make a strong cocoon house from them.

Without further consideration, the caterpillar diligently set to work and by the required time was wrapped from head to toe in a warm cocoon.

- Everything has its turn! – she heard in response. – Have a little patience, and you’ll see.

When the time came and she woke up, she was no longer the same clumsy caterpillar. Deftly freeing herself from the cocoon, she was surprised to notice that she had grown light wings, generously painted in bright colors. Having cheerfully waved them, she, like a fluff, fluttered from the leaf and flew, dissolving in the blue haze.

Paper and ink

There were identical sheets of blank paper in a stack on the desk. But one day one of them turned out to be completely covered with hooks, dashes, curls, and dots. Apparently, someone took a pen and, dipping it in ink, wrote words on the sheet of paper and painted it with drawings.

“Why did you need to subject me to such unheard-of humiliation?” - the saddened piece of paper asked the inkwell standing on the table. “Your indelible ink has stained my whiteness and ruined the paper forever!” Who will need me like this now?

- Don't push! – the inkwell answered affectionately. “They didn’t want to humiliate you or tarnish you at all, they just made the necessary record.” And now you are no longer a simple piece of paper, but a written message. From now on, you store a person’s thought, and this is your direct purpose and great value.

The good inkwell turned out to be right. While cleaning up his desk one day, a man saw randomly scattered sheets of paper, yellowed with age. He collected them and was about to throw them into the burning fireplace, when he suddenly noticed that same “stained” piece of paper. Throwing away the dusty pieces of paper as unnecessary, the man carefully placed the scribbled piece of paper in the desk drawer in order to preserve it as a message of reason.

Cedar

A cedar grew in one garden. Every year he matured and became taller and more handsome. Its lush crown towered royally above the other trees and cast a thick shadow on them. But the more he grew and stretched upward, the more exorbitant arrogance grew in him. Looking down on everyone with contempt, he once shouted imperiously:

- Take this pathetic hazel away! - And the tree was cut down at the root.

- Free me from the proximity of the obnoxious fig tree! “She bothers me with her stupid appearance,” the capricious cedar ordered another time, and the fig tree suffered the same fate.

Satisfied with himself, proudly swaying his branches, the arrogant handsome man did not let up:

– Clear the area around me of old pears and apple trees! - and the trees were used for firewood.

So the restless cedar ordered to destroy all the trees one by one, becoming the sovereign master in the garden, from whose former beauty only stumps remained.

But one day a strong hurricane struck. The arrogant cedar resisted him with all its might, holding tightly to the ground with its powerful roots. And the wind, not meeting any other trees on its way, freely pounced on the lonely standing handsome man, mercilessly breaking, crushing and bending him down. Finally, the tormented cedar could not withstand the furious blows, cracked and fell to the ground.

Snake Wits

Sensing danger, the ducks flew together over the lake. From the height it was clearly visible that the entire shore was swarming with long-tailed reptiles with a prickly scaly crest on their heads and strong clawed paws. Unlike ordinary dragons, they lacked membranous wings. But they were distinguished by incredible malice and deceit. Such a creature looks at everything - everything around withers, wherever it steps - the grass does not grow.

Hunger drove these reptiles to the shore of the lake, where all kinds of living creatures were found in abundance among the reed thickets. Frustrated that the prey slipped out from under their noses, the creatures decided to cross to the other side.

They were capable of everything, but they had not learned to swim. How to be? Then one of them came up with a cunning idea: to wrap themselves tightly around long tails, forming a kind of raft.

No sooner said than done. And so the screaming monsters swam, paddling together with their paws and raising their heads high. It seemed as if Satan himself had tied them with a rope.

Flying over the swimming reptiles, the leader of the duck school shouted:

- Look! This is what can be achieved through unity and ingenuity.

Having united, evil is capable of all sorts of tricks in order to survive and do its dirty work. It wouldn’t hurt to do good things just as resourcefully and boldly.

Flint and steel

Having once received a strong blow from a flint, the flint indignantly asked the offender:

- Why did you attack me like that? I don't know you. You're apparently confusing me with someone. Please leave my sides alone. I don't harm anyone.

“Don’t be angry in vain, neighbor,” the flint said with a smile in response. “If you have a little patience, you will soon see what a miracle I will bring out of you.”

At these words, the flint calmed down and began to patiently endure the blows of the flint. And finally, fire was carved out of it, capable of performing true miracles. So the patience of the flint was justly rewarded.

Misadventures of the Lion

Waking up at dawn, the king of beasts stretched sweetly and headed straight to the river. For the sake of order, he roared powerfully, notifying all the small animals that usually gather at a watering hole and muddy the water about his approach. Suddenly he stopped, hearing an unusual noise. Turning around, the lion saw that a hot horse was rushing towards him at full speed, followed by an empty rattle rattling, bouncing on the stones.

The lion jumped into the nearest bushes and closed his eyes in fear. Never in his life had he seen such an outlandish, rattling animal.

After sitting in the bushes and recovering a little from fright, the lion came out of the thickets, looking around, and with a cautious gait again headed towards the watering hole.

But before he could walk a few steps, a piercing cry struck his ears. Somewhere nearby a loud rooster was crowing. The lion stopped dead in his tracks, and began to tremble slightly.

Because of the tall grass, the lion could only see a trembling fiery crest and hear an unfamiliar cry: “Ku-ka-re-ku!” Not remembering himself from fear and forgetting about thirst, the disgraced king of beasts rushed off into the thicket of the forest.

Apparently, Leo sometimes has unlucky days, when everything goes topsy-turvy and misadventures lurk at every step.

Vine and peasant

The vine could not get enough of it, seeing how in the spring the peasant carefully dug up the earth around it, trying not to touch the tender roots with a spade, how he lovingly looked after it, tied it up, put up strong supports so that it could grow freely. In gratitude for such care, the vine decided to give the person juicy, fragrant clusters at all costs.

When it was time to harvest the grapes, the vine was completely covered with large tassels. The thrifty owner cut them all off one by one and carefully placed them in a basket. Then, after thinking, he dug up stakes and supports and used them for firewood.

And the poor vine had no choice but to grieve from the undeserved insult and freeze all winter on the bare ground. But on next year she was no longer so generous, and the short-sighted peasant paid severely for his greed.

Moon and oyster

The oyster was head over heels in love with the moon. As if spellbound, she spent hours looking with loving eyes at the night star. A voracious crab sitting in ambush noticed that every time the moon emerges from behind the clouds, the gaping oyster opens its shell, forgetting about everything in the world. And he decided to eat it.

One night, as soon as the moon had risen and the oyster, as usual, was staring at it with its mouth open, the crab picked up a pebble with its claw and, contrivingly, threw it inside the shell. The lover of moonlight tried to slam the doors of the mother-of-pearl dwelling, but it was too late - a thrown pebble prevented the poor thing.

A similar fate awaits everyone who does not know how to keep their innermost feelings secret. There will always be eyes and ears eager for other people's secrets.

Lumerpa

Among the desert mountains of Asia lives a miracle bird. She has a gentle melodious voice, and her flight is full of beauty and grandeur. Whether a bird soars in the sky or rests on a rock, it does not cast a shadow, because its down and feathers sparkle with bright light, like the rays of the sun. Even after death, she does not disappear without a trace, for her flesh is not subject to decay, and her brilliant plumage continues to emit light, as before.

But if anyone tries to take possession of this wondrous radiance by plucking out even one feather of a bird, the light will instantly dim, and the daring daredevil will immediately go blind from black envy.

The name of this rare bird is Lumerpa, which means “luminous.” It is like true glory, living incorruptibly for centuries. No one can belittle or appropriate it.

Little Bear and the Bees

Before the bear had time to leave on business, her restless son, forgetting about his mother’s order to stay at home, skipped into the forest. There is so much expanse and unfamiliar alluring smells here! Not like in a cramped, stuffy den. Overjoyed, the bear cub began to chase butterflies until he came across a large hollow, from which there was such a strong smell of something tasty that it tickled his nose.

Taking a closer look, the kid discovered that there were apparently no bees here. Some flew with a menacing buzz around the hollow, like sentries, while others flew in with prey and, darting inside, flew back into the forest.

Fascinated by this spectacle, the curious bear cub could not resist the temptation. He was impatient to quickly find out what was going on inside the hollow. First he put his wet nose in there and sniffed, and then he put his paw in and felt something warm and sticky. When he pulled his paw out, it was covered in honey. Before he had time to lick the sweet paw and close his eyes with pleasure, a cloud of ferocious bees flew at him, which pierced his nose, ears, mouth... From unbearable pain, the bear cub howled and began to desperately defend himself, crushing the bees with his paws. But they stung even more. Then he began to roll on the ground, trying to drown out the burning pain, but this did not help.

Not remembering himself from fear, the baby took off running towards the house. All bitten, he ran to his mother in tears. The she-bear scolded him for pampering, and then washed the bitten areas with cold spring water.

From that time on, the little bear knew for sure that he had to pay bitterly for sweets.

The Miller and the Donkey

Once, among friends, a noble gentleman, reputed to be a bookworm and an entertaining storyteller, began to passionately prove that he had supposedly lived in this world more than once before. In order to give more weight to his words, he even referred to the famous statement of the ancient sage and scientist Pythagoras.

But one of the friends kept making fun of the narrator, inserting sarcastic remarks, and preventing him from finishing the story. Completely angry, admirer ancient philosophy decided to reason with the scoffer and declared:

“To prove that I’m right, I remember that in that distant time, you, ignoramus, were a simple miller.”

These words clearly touched a nerve with his friend, but he was not one of those who needed to be pulled by the tongue.

- Who's arguing with you? “You’re absolutely right, as always,” he replied. “Should I not remember that in those days it was you, my friend, who was the same donkey who carried bags of grain to my mill?”

Ant and wheat grain

The wheat grain remaining on the field after the harvest was impatiently waiting for the rain to bury itself deeper in damp earth in anticipation of the coming cold weather. An ant running past noticed him. Delighted with the find, he, without hesitation, put the heavy prey on his back and crawled with difficulty to the anthill. In order to get to the house before dark, the ant crawled without stopping, and the luggage weighed more and more heavily on its weary back.

- Why are you straining yourself? Leave me here! - the wheat grain begged.

“If I leave you,” the ant answered, breathing heavily, “we will be left without food for the winter.” There are many of us, and everyone is obliged to earn a living in order to increase the reserves in the anthill.

Then the grain thought and said:

“I understand your concerns as an honest worker, but you also need to understand my situation.” Listen to me carefully, smart ant!

Satisfied that he could catch his breath a little, the ant threw the heavy burden off his back and sat down to rest.

“So know,” said the grain, “there is a great life-giving power within me, and my purpose is to give birth to new life.” Let's make an amicable agreement with you.

- What kind of agreement is this?

- Here's what it is. If you don’t drag me into the anthill and leave me here in my native field,” the grain explained, “then in exactly a year I will reward you.” – The surprised ant shook his head in disbelief. - Believe me, dear ant, I’m telling the absolute truth! If you give up on me now and wait, then later I will reward your patience a hundredfold, and your anthill will not be at a loss. In exchange for one you will receive one hundred of the same grains.

The ant thought, scratching the back of his head: “One hundred grains in exchange for one. Yes, such miracles only happen in fairy tales.”

- How will you do this? – he asked, bursting with curiosity, but still not believing.

- Trust me! - answered the grain. - This great secret life. Now dig a small hole, bury me, and come back again in the summer.

At the agreed time, the ant returned to the field and saw a large ear in place of the grain. The grain of wheat kept its promise.

Seine

And once again the seine brought a rich catch. The fishermen's baskets were filled to the brim with chubs, carp, tench, pike, eels and a variety of other food. Entire fish families, with their children and household members, were taken to market stalls and prepared to end their existence, writhing in agony on hot frying pans and in boiling cauldrons.

The remaining fish in the river, confused and overcome with fear, not even daring to swim, buried themselves deeper in the mud. How to live further? You can't handle the net alone. He is abandoned every day in the most unexpected places. He mercilessly destroys the fish, and eventually the entire river will be devastated.

– We must think about the fate of our children. No one but us will take care of them and deliver them from this terrible obsession,” reasoned the minnows who had gathered for a council under a large snag.

– But what can we do? – the tench asked timidly, listening to the speeches of the daredevils.

- Destroy the net! – the minnows responded in unison.

On the same day, the all-knowing, nimble eels spread the news of the bold decision along the river. All fish, young and old, were invited to gather tomorrow at dawn in a deep, quiet pool, protected by spreading willows.

Thousands of fish of all colors and ages swam to the appointed place to declare war on the net.

– Listen carefully, everyone! - said the carp, who more than once managed to gnaw through the nets and escape from captivity. - The net is as wide as our river. To keep it upright under water, lead weights are attached to its lower nodes. I order all the fish to split into two schools. The first should lift the sinkers from the bottom to the surface, and the second flock will firmly hold the upper nodes of the net. The pikes are tasked with chewing through the ropes with which the net is attached to both banks.

With bated breath, the fish listened to every word of the leader.

“I order the eels to immediately go on reconnaissance!” - continued the carp. “They have to find out where the net is thrown.”

The eels went on a mission, and schools of fish huddled near the shore in agonizing anticipation. Meanwhile, the minnows tried to encourage the most timid and advised not to panic, even if someone fell into the net: after all, the fishermen would still not be able to pull him ashore.

Finally the eels returned and reported that the net had already been abandoned about a mile down the river. And so, in a huge armada, schools of fish swam to the goal, led by the wise carp.

- Swim carefully! - the leader warned. – Keep your eyes open so that the current doesn’t drag you into the net. Use your fins as hard as you can and brake on time!

A seine appeared ahead, gray and ominous. Seized by a fit of anger, the fish boldly rushed to attack.

Soon the seine was lifted from the bottom, the ropes holding it were cut by sharp pike teeth, and the knots were torn. But the angry fish did not calm down and continued to attack the hated enemy. Grasping the crippled, leaky net with their teeth and working hard with their fins and tails, they dragged it in different directions and tore it into small pieces. The water in the river seemed to be boiling.

The fishermen spent a long time scratching their heads about the mysterious disappearance of the net, and the fish still proudly tell this story to their children.

Walnut and bell tower

Having acquired a nut somewhere, a satisfied crow flew to the bell tower. Having made herself comfortable there and holding the prey with her paw, she began to furiously peck with her beak to get to the tasty grain. But either the blow was too strong, or the crow made a mistake, the nut suddenly slipped out of her paw, rolled down and disappeared into a crevice in the wall.

- Oh, good intercessor wall! - the nut sobbed tearfully, still not recovering from the cruel blows of the crow’s beak. - Don’t let me die, have pity on me! You are so strong and majestic, you have such a beautiful bell tower. Don't drive me away!

The bells hummed dully and disapprovingly, warning the wall not to trust the insidious nut, as it could prove dangerous to it.

– Don’t leave me, orphan, in trouble! – the nut continued to lament, trying to shout over the angry roar of the bells. “I was about to leave my birth branch and fall on the damp ground, when suddenly the villainess appeared. Finding myself in the beak of a voracious crow, I made a vow to myself: if I managed to avoid death, I would spend the rest of my days quietly and calmly in some hole.

The nut's passionate speeches moved the old wall to tears. Despite the warning of the bells, she decided to show the nut hospitality and leave it in the crack where it had rolled.

However, over time, the nut recovered from the fright, got comfortable and took root, and they began to bite into the hospitable wall. Soon the first shoots emerged from the crevice. Together they stretched upward and gained strength. A little more time passed, and the young shoots of the hazel tree were already proudly towering above the bell tower itself. The wall especially suffered from the roots. Tenacious and assertive, they grew ever larger, crushing and loosening the old masonry, and mercilessly pushing bricks and stones away.

Too late, the wall realized how insidious the unprepossessing, pathetic nut turned out to be with his vows to live quieter than water and lower than the grass. Now she had no choice but to reproach herself for her gullibility and bitterly regret that at one time she had not listened to the voice of the wise bells.

Hazel

In the large garden behind the fence, fruit trees grew in good harmony and peace. In the spring they were drowned in a milky pink boil, and by the end of summer they were bending under the weight of ripe fruits. By chance, a hazel tree found its way into this friendly working family, which soon grew wildly and began to think of itself.

“Why on earth would I hang around in the garden behind the fence?” – he grumbled dissatisfied. “I’m not going to live here as a recluse at all.” Let my branches spread over the fence into the street so that the whole neighborhood knows what wonderful nuts I have!

And the hazel tree began to persistently climb the high fence in order to appear in all its glory before passers-by.

When the time came and its branches were completely strewn with nuts, everyone who was not too lazy began to pick them off. And if the hands couldn’t reach it, sticks and stones were used.

Soon, the beaten and broken hazel tree lost not only its fruits, but also its leaves. Its crippled branches hung lifelessly over the fence like whips, and in the dense greenery of the garden were apples, pears, and peaches filled with juice.

Donkey on ice

Having wandered through the fields until dusk, the donkey was so tired that he was unable to drag himself to his stall. The winter that year was harsh - all the roads were icy.

- There is no more urine. “I’ll rest here for a while,” said the completely exhausted donkey and stretched out on the ice.

Out of nowhere a nimble sparrow flew up and chirped in his ear:

- Donkey, wake up! You are not on the road, but on a frozen pond.

But the donkey was so sleepy that he could no longer hear anything. Yawning sweetly, he fell fast asleep, and soon steam poured out of his nostrils. Under the influence of heat, the ice began to melt little by little until it broke off with a crash. Finding himself in the cold water, the donkey immediately woke up and began to call for help. But it was already too late, and the poor fellow choked.

You should never disdain good advice, especially when you are in an unfamiliar place.

Panther

- Mother! - screamed the out of breath monkey, jumping onto the branch of a tall tree. “I just met a lioness.” How beautiful she is!

The mother monkey parted the branches and looked at the animal, frozen in anticipation of prey.

“This is not a lioness, but a panther,” my mother explained. – Take a closer look at the color of her skin.

- Yes, she’s just a sight for sore eyes! “You can’t take your eyes off it,” exclaimed the monkey. “Everything seems to be strewn with black roses.”

And indeed, from afar it seemed that marvelous double flowers suddenly bloomed among the grass that had turned yellow from the heat.

“The panther knows how attractive she is, and uses her beauty as bait,” continued the mother monkey. – Seeing the stranger’s bright attire, the bewitched animals follow her and become easy prey for the predator. And beauty sometimes serves for evil deeds.

Spider and swift

Three times the spider was forced to stretch its silvery web between the trees, and each time, flying at low level, the mocking swift tore its web with its wing.

- Why are you stopping me from working? – the spider asked indignantly. - Am I a hindrance to you?

- Yes, you are the very embodiment of deceit! - the swift chirped in response. “And your invisible web is a deadly trap for insects.”

- Should you, brother, say such words? – the spider marveled. - Why are you better than me? For days on end you run around with your beak open and grab right and left the same insects that you are now so worried about. For you, this activity is like fun. I work as hard as I can, weaving thin threads and weaving them into lace. As a reward for my zeal and honest work, I receive prey when it falls into the net.

Each person is ready to judge the other, looking at the world from his own bell tower.

Peach

In one garden, next to the hazel tree, there grew a peach tree. Every now and then it glanced with envy at its neighbor's branches, generously strewn with nuts.

- Why does he have so many fruits, and I have so few? – the foolish tree did not stop grumbling. – Is this fair? Let me have the same number of peaches! How am I worse than him?

– Don’t covet someone else’s! – an old plum tree growing nearby once told him. – Don’t you see what a strong trunk and flexible branches the hazel tree has? Instead of grumbling and envying in vain, try to grow good, juicy peaches.

But the peach tree, blinded by black envy, did not want to listen to the good advice of the plum tree, and no arguments had any effect on it. It immediately ordered its roots to dig deeper into the ground and extract as much life-giving juices and moisture as possible. It ordered the branches not to skimp on the ovary, and the flowers to turn into fruits. When the flowering time passed, the tree found itself hung with ripening fruits to the very top.

Filled with juice, the peaches grew heavier day by day, and the branches were unable to support their weight.

And then one day the tree groaned from the strain, the trunk broke with a crash, and the ripe peaches fell to the ground, where they soon rotted at the foot of the imperturbable hazel tree.

Captive owl

- Freedom! Long live freedom! - the blackbirds shouted, the first to see how the peasant caught the villainous owl, who at night kept the entire forest bird brethren in fear.

Soon the joyful news spread throughout the area that the owl had been caught and caged in a peasant's yard. And the man caught the owl with intent. Having planted it as bait, he set a snare for the curious birds.

- Gotcha, villain! – the birds made fun, densely clinging to the fence, bushes and trees.

The most desperate and courageous ones flew close to the cage, trying to painfully pinch an enemy so formidable just yesterday.

- And they found justice for you! Now you won't destroy our nests.

To get a closer look at the captive owl, the birds pushed and pressed on each other until they themselves fell into the trap.

Bee and drones

- There is no authority over you, you slackers! – the worker bee somehow couldn’t stand it, trying to reason with the drones flying around the hive in vain. – You just shouldn’t work. Shame on you! Everywhere you look, everyone is working, stocking up for future use. Take, for example, a tiny ant. Small, but smart. He works hard all summer, trying not to miss a single day. After all, winter is just around the corner.

– I found someone to use as an example! - one of the drones snapped, bored with the bee’s instructions. - Yes, your vaunted ant destroys the seeds of every harvest. This little thief drags every little thing into his anthill.

Don’t feed the slacker bread, but let him reason, and you won’t deny him the ability to denigrate others. He is always ready to find an excuse for his own worthlessness.

Warmth of the Heart

The two young ostriches were beside themselves with grief. Every time the female began to hatch the eggs, they burst under the weight of her body.

Desperate to achieve their goal, they decided to go for advice to a smart, experienced ostrich who lived on the other side of the desert. They had to run for many days and nights until they reached their goal.

- Help us! - they both begged. - Give some sense and teach us, unfortunate ones, how to hatch eggs! No matter how hard we tried, we were never able to get offspring.

After listening carefully to their sad story, the smart ostrich said in response:

- This is a difficult matter. In addition to desire and effort, something else is needed here.

- What? – both ostriches exclaimed at once. – We agree to everything!

– If so, listen and remember! The most important thing is warmth of the heart. You must treat the laid egg with love, constantly taking care of it as if it were your most valuable asset. Only the warmth of your hearts can breathe life into him.

Inspired by hope, the ostriches went to Return trip. When the egg was laid, the female and male began to carefully care for it, not taking their eyes off it, full of love and tenderness.

Many days passed like this. Both ostriches could barely stand on their feet from constant vigil. But their faith, patience and efforts were rewarded. One day, something shook in the egg, it cracked and split, and the fluffy head of a tiny ostrich peeked out of the shell.

Falcon and goldfinches

Returning from the hunt, the falcon, to his greatest surprise, discovered two goldfinches in his own nest, sitting side by side with his fledgling chicks. He was not in a good mood because the hunt on that stormy day was unsuccessful: only dead animals were found. And falcons, as you know, would rather die of hunger, but would never feed on carrion.

At the sight of the uninvited guests, he became even more angry and wanted to take out his frustration on them and tear them to shreds, but thought better of it in time. Even in anger, it is inappropriate for a falcon to offend defenseless little birds.

-Where did you come from here? – the owner of the nest asked menacingly.

“We got lost in the forest during the rain,” one of the goldfinches squeaked barely.

The predator shot an angry look at him. He was bursting with anger and tormented by hunger. Trembling with fear, the two goldfinches clung to each other and did not dare to breathe or utter a word. Both were fat and well-fed, but so helpless and pitiful that the proud falcon was unable to pounce on them. He just closed his eyes and turned away so as not to give in to temptation.

- Go away! – the predator ordered loudly. - So that your spirit is not here!

And when they flew away headlong, the falcon turned to its hungry chicks and said:

– Our destiny is large prey. It is better to starve than to allow yourself to be preyed upon by an innocent bird.

Justice

- There is no justice in the world! – the mouse squeaked pitifully, miraculously escaping from the claws of the weasel.

- How long will you endure lies! – the weasel shouted indignantly, barely having time to hide in a narrow hollow from the cat.

- There is no life from arbitrariness! - the cat meowed, jumping onto a high fence and looking warily at the yard dog lurking below.

- Calm down, friends! - said wise Owl, sitting in a cage in a peasant's yard. – There is some truth in your complaints about life. But does justice rightfully belong to any one of you?

At these words, the mouse looked out of the hole, the weasel stuck its nose out of the hollow, the cat settled more comfortably on the fence, and the dog sat down on its hind legs.

“Justice,” the owl continued, “is the highest law of nature, according to which reasonable agreement is established between all those living on earth. All animals, birds, fish and even insects live according to this wise law. Look how friendly a swarm of bees lives and works.

The owl was indeed right. Anyone who has ever seen a hive knows that the queen bee reigns supreme there, managing everything and everyone with the greatest intelligence and fairly distributing responsibilities among the members of a large bee family. Some bees' main concern is collecting nectar from flowers, while others work in honeycombs; some guard the hive, driving away annoying wasps and bumblebees, others take care of maintaining cleanliness. There are bees that must care for the queen without leaving her even a step. When the queen gets old, the strongest bees carefully carry her on themselves, and the most experienced and knowledgeable ones treat her with all sorts of medicines. And if even one bee violates its duty, inevitable punishment awaits it.

In nature, everything is wise and thought out, everyone should mind their own business, and in this wisdom lies the highest justice of life.

Son's gratitude

One morning, two old hoopoe, a male and a female, felt that this time they would not fly out of the nest. A thick veil covered their eyes, although the sky was cloudless and the day promised to be sunny. But both of them saw only a cloudy haze and could no longer distinguish anything around them. The birds were old and weak. The feathers on the wings and tail became dull and broke like old branches. The strength was running out.

The old hoopoes decided not to leave the nest anymore and wait together last hour, who will not be slow to appear.

But they were mistaken - their children appeared. At first, one of the sons appeared, accidentally flying past. He noticed that the old parents were unwell and had a hard time alone, and flew to notify the other brothers and sisters.

When all the young hoopoes were gathered near their father’s house, one of them said:

– From our parents we received the greatest and priceless gift- life. They fed and raised us, sparing neither strength nor love. And now, when both are blind, sick and no longer able to feed themselves, it is our sacred duty to cure them and nurse them back to health!

After these words, everyone got down to business together. Some immediately began building a new, warmer nest, others went to catch bugs and worms, and the rest flew into the forest.

Soon a new nest was ready, where the children carefully moved their old parents. To warm them, they covered the old people with their wings, just as a hen warms her unhatched chicks with her own warmth. Then the parents were given spring water to drink, fed, and the matted down and old brittle feathers were carefully plucked out. Finally, the rest of the hoopoes returned from the forest, bringing in their beaks a herb that healed blindness. Everyone began to heal the sick with the juice of the miraculous herb. But the treatment was slow, and we had to be patient, replacing each other and not leaving the parents alone for a minute.

And then a joyful day came when the father and mother opened their eyes, looked around and recognized all their children. So the sons, gratitude and love, healed their parents, restoring their sight and strength.

Poplar

It is known that poplar grows faster than many trees. Its shoots stretch upward right before our eyes, outstripping all other plants in the area in growth.

One day, a young poplar came up with the idea of ​​​​getting a girlfriend in life. He chose the vine that he liked.

– What a strange whim! - his brothers dissuaded him. “With this beautiful vine you will suffer grief.” What do you need it for? Our job is to grow upward, and we are not given anything else.

But the stubborn poplar insisted on its own. The ardent lover connected with the young vine and allowed her to hug him tightly, which he was incredibly happy about. Having received strong support, the vine began to quickly grow and bear fruit. Seeing that the vine had taken root well, tenaciously twining around the trunk, the savvy peasant began to trim the poplar branches in the spring so that they would not pull the vine up with them, and it would be more convenient for him to collect bunches of ripe grapes in the fall.

Where has the former stateliness of the poplar gone? He rounded up, lost his former ardor and resigned himself to fate. It stands tall, with pruned branches, serving as a support for its fertile friend. And his brothers, having thrown up their thick crowns, rustle their leaves carefree.

The Charter obliges

It is known that in certain time monks must strictly observe fasting for a year. On such days, the monastery charter prohibits them from eating meat and any other fatty foods. True, when monks are on the road or are engaged in almsgiving, then, as an exception, they are not forbidden to eat everything that fate sends down.

Once on the road on their monastic business, two monks wandered off the road to take a rest and have a snack at an inn, where chance brought them together with a passing merchant.

The owner of the inn was so poor that he could offer nothing to the guests except a pitiful, skinny chicken no larger than a pigeon. When the chicken was ready, the owner took it off the spit and served it to the table whole, hoping that the diners would share it equally among themselves.

Looking at the fried chicken and immediately realizing that it was barely enough for one eater, the cunning merchant said, turning to the monks:

“It seems to me, holy brethren, that now is the height of Lent. Is not it? I don't want you to break the law because of me. So be it, I’ll take the sin upon myself and deliver you from the chicken.

The monks had no choice but to agree with the scoundrel. They did not go into detail and explain to the merchant that some concessions are possible for wandering monks.

Kupchina devoured a whole chicken with great pleasure and gnawed all the bones, while his two dining companions had to be content with a slice of bread and a piece of cheese.

After the meal, all three set off. The monks walked because of poverty, and the merchant because of his stinginess. They waved a lot until they found themselves in front of a wide river that blocked their path.

According to the custom of old times, the tallest and youngest of the monks, who was barefoot, put the fat merchant on his back and carried him ford across the river.

But, having reached the middle of the ford, the monk suddenly remembered the strict regulations of the monastery charter and stopped in bewilderment. Bending under the weight of the burden, he raised his head up and asked the merchant, who was sitting comfortably on his back with his shoes and a travel bag in his hands:

- Tell me, my dear! Don't you have any money on you?

- What the stupid question! – he marveled. “It’s time for you, brother, to know that not a single self-respecting merchant would ever go to long journey without money.

- I'm really sorry! - said the monk. “But our charter forbids us to carry money on us.”

And with these words he threw the merchant into the water. Soaked to the skin, all red with shame and annoyance, the roguish merchant was forced to agree that he got it right from the monks for the earlier trick with the chicken.

Oyster and mouse

Somehow an oyster fell into a net and, along with a rich catch, ended up in a fisherman’s hut.

“Inevitable death awaits us all here,” she thought sadly, seeing how her fellow sufferers were suffocating without water and struggling in their death throes in a heap dumped on the floor.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a mouse appeared.

- Listen, good mouse! - the oyster begged. - Do me a favor, take me to the sea!

The mouse looked at it with a knowing look: the oyster was unusually large and beautiful, and its meat must be juicy and tasty.

“Okay,” the mouse answered readily, deciding to take advantage of the easy prey, which, as they say, fell into its own hands. “But first you must open the doors of your shell so that it will be easier for me to carry you to the sea.” Otherwise I won't be able to deal with you.

The cheat spoke so convincingly and soulfully that the oyster, delighted with her agreement, did not smell the trick and trustingly opened up. The mouse immediately stuck its narrow muzzle inside the shell to grab the meat with its teeth. But in her haste she forgot to be careful, and the oyster, sensing something was wrong, managed to slam its doors shut, clamping the rodent’s head tightly, like a trap.

The mouse squealed loudly in pain, and the cat who was nearby heard the squeak, caught up with the deceiver in one jump and grabbed her.

As they say, be smart, be smart, and watch your tail.

Tongue and teeth

Once upon a time there was a boy who suffered from a serious illness, to which adults are sometimes susceptible - he talked incessantly, without knowing how to stop.

“What kind of punishment is this tongue?” the teeth grumbled. - When will he calm down and be silent for a while?

- What do you care about me? - the tongue answered brazenly. - Chew to your health and keep quiet. That's the whole story for you! We have nothing in common. I won’t allow anyone to interfere in my personal affairs, much less meddle with stupid advice!

And the boy continued to chatter incessantly, inappropriately and inopportunely. The tongue was at the height of bliss, pronouncing more and more sophisticated words, although it did not have time to thoroughly understand their meaning.

But one day the boy got so carried away by chatter that, without knowing it, he got into trouble. In order to somehow get out of trouble, he allowed his tongue to tell a deliberate lie. Then their teeth couldn’t stand it – their patience ran out. They closed at once and bit the liar very painfully. The tongue turned purple from the blood that came out, and the boy cried from shame and pain.

From then on, the tongue behaves with caution and caution, and the boy thinks twice before uttering a word.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Fairy tales, legends, parables

Translation and preface by A. Makhov. Publishing house A.P. Vyrodov, 2002.

Orders for this and other books are accepted atabuntu @ukr.net or [email protected]

LEONARDO – STORYTELLER

(preface)

Beautiful and eternally young, like spring, the world of fairy tales enchants both children and adults alike, and in the person of kind, wise storytellers we find true friends. We are meeting one of them for the first time. His fame resounds for centuries, although it was not his fairy tales that brought him worldwide fame.

Since school, we have pronounced the name Leonardo da Vinci, which has become legendary, with the greatest respect. Many centuries separate us from the time in which the great Italian lived and worked. We judge him by the books and films dedicated to his life, and, of course, by the few immortal creations that have come down to us, which can be counted on one hand, as well as the museums where these priceless treasures are stored, which are the property and pride of all mankind. Someone once said that it’s especially easy to breathe in front of Leonard’s paintings. And each of us who has been lucky enough to visit the Hermitage at least once and stand silently in the spacious hall in front of two Leonardo Madonnas will agree with these words. These small-sized paintings, painted on a religious subject, amaze with their radiant worldview and deep human content.

But what do fairy tales have to do with it? Any reader who picks up this book has the right to ask such a perplexed question. If such a book had appeared during Leonardo’s lifetime, it would not have caused any surprise among his contemporaries, for they knew well that the famous artist could be passionately carried away by fiction like a child, and was an inexhaustible dreamer and entertaining storyteller. The parables and fairy tales he composed brought him no less fame during his lifetime than his paintings. He was a welcome guest and an interesting interlocutor for both commoners and the nobility. People greedily hung on every word, and the entertaining stories told to them were passed on from mouth to mouth and passed down from father to son, from grandfather to grandson. To this day, some fairy tales that have long become folk tales are still in circulation in Italian villages, and many do not realize that they were once composed by Leonardo da Vinci himself.

The world learned about all this relatively recently. And although time was cruel to the memory of the great creator, not even leaving descendants the place of his burial, but in the fire of endless wars and conflagrations, Leonard’s priceless manuscripts miraculously survived. By now, Leonardo's rich manuscript heritage scattered all over the world has been collected together. By the way, we note that one of the first collectors and publishers of Leonardo’s manuscripts was the wonderful Russian book lover F.V. Sabashnikov, whom the grateful fellow countrymen of the great Italian elected an honorary citizen of the city of Vinci.

Leonardo's handwritten legacy numbers over seven thousand sheets, covered in small, neat handwriting. Now we know for certain that the famous master kept notes all his life. No, this was not a diary in the usual sense of the word, especially since the author hardly talks about himself. The manuscripts that have reached us most likely represent a reflection of the colossal work done by an inquisitive mind that never knew peace. “Just as iron rusts without finding a use,” we read in these notes, “just as stagnant water rots, so a person’s mind withers from laziness and inaction.”

Leonardo da Vinci jealously guarded his recorded thoughts, observations and notes from prying eyes, and, apparently, he had good reasons for this, which one can only guess about. He even came up with a special system of secret writing, often writing one line into another and widely using intricate graphic signs and symbols. As a rule, he wrote from right to left, so that what he wrote could only be read with the help of a mirror. More than one generation of researchers has been painstakingly parsing and carefully reading the encrypted manuscripts, revealing new aspects of the multifaceted and truly fantastic in breadth of interests of this genius. No wonder Engels called Leonardo one of the first titans of the Renaissance with its tireless thirst for knowledge and conscious mastery of the world. The very name Leonardo da Vinci has become synonymous with the universality of human genius.

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the small Tuscan town of Vinci, lost among the western spurs of the Apennine Mountains. His father was a wealthy notary, and his mother was a simple peasant woman. The rare talent of the handsome, big-browed boy, who was interested in drawing, modeling, music, and mathematics, amazed the entire area, and local peasants more than once turned to Messer Piero da Vinci with a request that his son draw something for them. Leonardo's thirst for nature awoke early. Often, forgetting the noisy boyish pastimes, he tirelessly wandered through the surrounding meadows and forests, climbed the mountains, listening to the unfamiliar voices of the earth and trying to unravel the mystery of the life of stones, plants and animals. Already from childhood, he understood how steep the steps leading to the truth are, and how endless the ladder of knowledge itself is. “Wisdom is the daughter of experience,” he liked to repeat, and later in his notebook, which he never parted with, made the following entry: “Acquire in your youth something that over the years will compensate you for the damage caused by old age. Remember that the food of old age is wisdom, and while you are young, act so as not to leave your old age hungry.”

At the age of 10–11, he moved with his father to Florence, which at that time was famous not only for its rapidly developing industry, crafts, banking and trade, but was also one of the leading centers of world culture. This glorious city, freely spread out on green hills on both banks of the Arno, amazed young Leonardo with its austere beauty, the grandeur of palaces and temples, the noise of polyphonic squares, and the shady greenery of gardens and parks. A world of creativity and daring flight of thought opened before his amazed gaze. He will forever retain a tender affection for Florence and will proudly sign his works: “Leonardo, Florentine,” as if emphasizing the continuity and fidelity to the traditions of the great Florentine culture.

The father assigned the boy to study with his friend Verrocchio, famous painter and a sculptor. His workshop was rightfully considered the best in the city. art school, where many talented masters came from. The famous artist highly appreciated the student’s outstanding abilities and once even instructed him to complete his painting “The Baptism of Christ,” which is now kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The young artist depicted a kneeling, golden-haired young man in the image of an angel in the left foreground. Already in this figure one can discern the new things that Leonardo would eventually bring to world painting—poetry and harmony. According to biographers, when Verrocchio saw his student’s work, he was so shocked by the perfection of execution that he vowed to himself never to take up a brush.

But painting was not the only thing that dominated Leonardo’s thoughts and heart, although already in 1480 he had his own workshop and there was no end to customers. During these years, he became close friends with many Florentine scientists. A particularly close friendship connected him with the mathematician and mechanic Dal Pozzo Toscanelli, who, on the eve of Columbus’s first expedition, addressed him with a letter, outlining his views and scientific calculations that confirmed the existence of unknown lands in the West.

Having won universal recognition for his art and gained enviable independence, Leonardo plunged headlong into science. He discarded as unacceptable the centuries-old experience of medieval scientists who had lost faith in the real, tangible world, and went his own untraveled path. It is difficult to list the natural and exact sciences, the history of whose development would not be associated with his name, where he would not say a new word or express bold guesses, subsequently confirmed by other outstanding minds. Mathematics and mechanics, physics and astronomy, chemistry and geology, geography and botany, anatomy and physiology - all this equally interested his piercing mind. He dreamed of creating a grandiose encyclopedic system of “Things of Nature” that would cover the entire universe. However, this task turned out to be beyond the capabilities of even such a titan as Leonardo da Vinci, although he himself admitted that “no work could tire me, for nature itself created me as such.” During his lifetime, he managed to systematize the wealth of material only in certain areas of knowledge.

Leonardo da Vinci tried his hand at architecture, developing bold urban plans; he worked on improving the spinning wheel, lathe and other mechanisms. While in Venice, he became interested in the idea of ​​creating a submarine and was close to its implementation. However, he refused to make his project public, fearing that the invention could be used to harm people.

This greatest mind was not limited to the boundaries of the earth, he was attracted by the vastness of the Universe. Leonardo carefully studied the laws of bird flight, wrote a special treatise on this and left drawings of the aeronautical apparatus he invented. It is no coincidence that in front of the building of Rome's Fiumicino International Airport stands the majestic figure of Leonardo da Vinci, the first inventor to begin the practical implementation of man's age-old dream of flight.

True, Leonardo himself at times rather modestly assessed the significance of his search: “... I am like someone who, due to his poverty, came last to the fair, when all the best has already been taken away, and the remaining goods have been tried by everyone and rejected as unnecessary. But I will collect these crumbs, put them in my knapsack and go wander through the poor villages.” Over the years, his “knapsack” was replenished with new treasures, and he persistently continued his path with an unbearable burden on his shoulders, dreaming of making a person free and happy.

No matter how great his fame as a painter, creator and polymath, Leonardo persistently improved his knowledge and could not imagine life without a constant search, believing that “anyone who takes up a task without the proper knowledge is like a sailor setting off on a voyage without a rudder and a compass.”

His contemporaries disapproved of his scientific pursuits, considering them a whim, and reproached the master for “forgetting” the interests of painting. But this was not apostasy, but a deeply realized need to believe in “harmony through algebra” in order to breathe new life into art and enrich it with more advanced means of expression. Thus, studying optics and the laws of reflection and refraction of light, Leonardo mastered a soft painting style based on the comparison of muted tones, developed the method of the so-called “smoky chiaroscuro”, which gave unique poetry and harmony to such masterpieces as “La Gioconda” and “Madonna of the Rocks” " He called his work “the science of painting,” thereby emphasizing the objective nature of the reproduction of reality in his paintings.

But for his contemporaries, much about this man remained incomprehensible and mysterious, like the mysterious smile on the lips of his Mona Lisa, which became a sign of the times. Let us add that this smile, which gave rise to many guesses and assumptions, is surprisingly reminiscent of his own smile in the Turin self-portrait of the late period. Like no one else, Leonardo was able to notice and appreciate in life what others did not see, and in his artistic creations he conveyed such a variety of mental states that even the most daring imagination was often baffled by his riddles.

Leonardo himself never suppressed those around him with his superior intelligence and willingly shared his experience and knowledge, being generous and magnanimous by nature. He was surprisingly tactful and gentle in his behavior, tolerant of shortcomings and knew how to forgive insults, although at times he suffered from them. As a sorcerer and wizard, people were drawn to him, amazed and delighted by the greatness and beauty of his spirit. He himself was truly handsome - stately, tall; a face with regular features was framed by a curly blond beard. As soon as he appeared on the street, accompanied by his constant retinue of students and admirers, people poured out of their houses to take a closer look at the great man. He was the subject of such worship that many imitated the cut of his dress, gait, and manner of speaking. By nature, Leonardo was endowed with heroic strength and easily bent horseshoes and iron rods. He had no equal in fencing, and as a rider he could subdue any restive horse. He played the lute excellently and loved to improvise with his friends, choosing music for his sonnets and madrigals, which, unfortunately, have not survived. As soon as he spoke, everyone fell silent at once, listening to his enchanting voice. Apparently, it was not for nothing that he was called the sweet-voiced Orpheus. The inspired lines written by his younger contemporary and fellow artist Michelangelo Buonarroti are quite applicable to him:

Nature has given him more than enough.

With just one glance the whole neighborhood is amazed,

Leaving a trail of admiration behind.

Fate let him off in full.

His wondrous face is eclipsed by the sun,

And laughter and singing sound so pure,

That everyone around freezes in delight.

The fate of Leonardo da Vinci, which at first was so happy, turned out to be tragic. By the end of the 15th century, storm clouds hung over Italy, harbingers of future troubles and upheavals. The glorious history of free commune cities, which became the cradle of a new worldview and art free from religious shackles, was ending. Republican rule was replaced by the rule of despotic tyrants everywhere. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the peaceful development of trade and crafts in major Italian cities was significantly undermined. The final blow from which they could not recover came with the discovery of the New World, when the main trade routes moved from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Italy, torn apart by internecine wars, soon became a tasty morsel for foreign conquerors.

Leonardo saw salvation from the troubles that were sweeping the country in unity popular forces. His conviction and faith in the people as the ruler own destiny he inspiredly expressed it in the famous fresco painting “The Last Supper,” created in the refectory of the Milan church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Contrary to the traditional interpretation of this scene as pious humility great creator and the realist angrily branded her a betrayal. The idea of ​​humble forgiveness in times of difficult trials and national disasters, when corrupt rulers betrayed national interests for thirty pieces of silver, was alien to him.

The ideals of Leonardo da Vinci were born on the crest of the great social and cultural upsurge experienced by Italy during the Renaissance. He sought to use science and art to create human happiness, but he was destined to witness the collapse of his brightest hopes. Full of despair and pain, he was forced to wander around the world in vain attempts to find understanding and support for his grandiose plans, and at the end of his life he found refuge in a foreign land at the court of the French king Francis 1.

But wherever fate took him, Leonardo remained true to himself. Sometimes it even seems that he did not serve with his art and knowledge strong of the world this, but that they all served the great creator, trying to gain his favor. No matter how generous they were, Leonardo suffocated in the pernicious atmosphere of palace intrigue, gossip, envy, and servility. When he felt particularly uneasy, he would retire into seclusion, pouring out his bitterness on the pages of his notebooks.

For his great works, Leonardo did not acquire wealth, although he lived comfortably. Above all, he valued his freedom and clear conscience. The memory of past years was dear to him; he valued his drawings and manuscripts and was very attached to the painting “La Gioconda,” which he did not part with almost until his death, continuing to work on it in an effort to achieve classical completeness and perfection. From the recently discovered Madrid manuscripts, we learned that Leonardo greatly valued and loved his library, numbering more than a hundred volumes, which he took with him everywhere, re-reading especially revered authors in his leisure hours. He was indifferent to fame and wealth and spoke with contempt about money, which often blinds many people to the true values ​​of life. “No matter how famous the rich man was during his lifetime,” he wrote, “all this will disappear without a trace with his death. Intelligence and valor bring a person much more glory than the treasures he has accumulated... How many philosophers have rejected despicable gold so as not to stain themselves with it.”

As a great seer, Leonardo, even at the dawn of the 16th century, understood what incalculable disasters and suffering the world of cleanliness and naked calculation brought to people. In his “fantastic predictions”, which now sound so modern and relevant, he stigmatizes the power of gold, and it appears to him in the form of a cruel monster that is “capable of any crime, atrocity and treachery. It will set people against each other, sowing discord, envy and cruelty between them. Oh, monstrous beast!

Leonardo was over sixty when he settled in the castle of Cloux, near the French city of Amboise, where there was one of the royal residences. Judging by the late self-portrait, he looked much older than his years - years of wandering and bitterness had left their mark. But his eyes still shone with clarity and wise calm. Although he was paralyzed and his right arm was inactive, he continued to create.

As in the old years, this great worker got up with the first rays of the sun and went to his work desk in a spacious room with a gilded lampshade, a large fireplace and high windows, behind which the park stretched and the measured murmur of the Loire could be heard.

He died on a clear spring day on May 2, 1519. According to eyewitnesses, “with his entire appearance he was a true personification of the nobility of knowledge.” Leonardo met the last hour courageously and majestically, as if confirming one of the last entries in his notebooks: “Just as a wisely and efficiently spent day gives us a serene sleep, so an honestly lived life gives us a calm death.” And we will once again remember these words of the great man, reading his heartfelt legend “The Swan”, filled with light sadness.

About ten years ago, Leonard's tales and legends first saw the light of day in a separate publication, which included more than a hundred different works. It is noteworthy that such a valuable undertaking was carried out by the oldest Florentine publishing house, Giunti, which at one time used the services of the notary office of Leonardo’s father, Messer Piero da Vinci. Today our reader has the opportunity to get acquainted with these works.

The fairy tales, legends and funny stories included in this book are not equal. In some of them, the author’s thought is expressed with extreme clarity and completeness, while others are sketches from life, as if they were sketches for a future “picture,” and we get lucky opportunity look into the laboratory of the great creator. In general, the book gives a complete picture of the uniqueness of Leonardo da Vinci as a storyteller and storyteller.

His appeal to the world of fairy tales was not accidental. It is justified by the entire course of his thoughts, observations and the purposefulness of his interests.

“I remember how one day I woke up in my cradle,” he writes in his notes. “It seemed to me that a large bird opened my mouth with its wing and stroked my lips with its feathers.” If this short note by Leonardo had not been the first memory of early childhood, it could be read like the opening line to a fairy tale. But in our book we will hardly encounter miracles and magic, and the only thing it has in common with traditional fairy tales is that the characters in it are animals, birds, fish, insects, plants, stones and others inanimate objects– endowed with the gift of speech and the ability to evaluate their own and others’ actions, which are no different from the actions of people.

Although Leonardo saw a lot of evil, ugliness, cruelty and injustice in the surrounding reality, he does not transfer his bitterness to the animal world. Even in his fairy tales beasts of prey and birds show condescension towards the weak and disadvantaged. All his sympathies are invariably on the side of those who are honest, modest and hardworking, and he has no mercy for liars, braggarts and parasites.

Talking about animals and birds, Leonardo describes their habits so accurately that he could rightfully be considered one of the founders of ethology - the science that studies animal behavior. And this is also no coincidence. Even during his lifetime, legends circulated about his tender affection for animals and especially his love for birds. For example, a certain Andrea Corsali wrote in a letter to the ruler of Florence in 1515 from India: “... the inhabitants of this distant fairyland, like our famous Leonardo, do not allow any harm to be done to animals.” Florentine boys heard about this well, bringing lost dogs, wounded birds, and strange butterflies to the artist’s studio, knowing that a generous reward would always await them. And local bird catchers waited like a holiday for Leonardo’s appearance at the bird market. Without haggling, he paid for his favorite captives, languishing in cages, and immediately released them, admiring how the birds joyfully soared in the sky, having found unexpected freedom.

He valued freedom above all the blessings in the world and was ready to pay dearly for it, as his tale about the proud, unfortunate goldfinch or the fish who declared war on the net tells.

Being a tireless natural scientist, Leonardo perceived man and the world around him as a single, indissoluble whole. All his life he conducted a dialogue with nature, never ceasing to admire its wise structure, expediency and beauty of all life on earth. With the inquisitive eye of a naturalist and thinker, he tried to reveal and convey in his works the “harmony of the heterogeneous,” as the ancients said. And this idea underlies many of his tales. He was opposed to any violence against nature, realizing how destructive and deplorable the consequences of such arbitrariness could be for man himself. This concern is especially pronounced in the fairy tales “The Vine and the Peasant”, “Cedar” and others. Believing in the high purpose of man, Leonardo considered him responsible for preserving the harmony that exists in nature. These thoughts of the great creator are especially close, understandable and dear to us, and we perceive him as a faithful ally in our common efforts to protect and preserve the environment.

Speaking about Leonardo the storyteller, one cannot help but refer to one of his remarkable and precious revelations for us. Thus, recalling the years of his youth, he writes: “One day, wandering among the dark rocks, driven by a greedy desire to see the great mixture of various bizarre forms generated by nature, I came across the entrance to a huge gloomy cave, in front of which I stopped rooted to the spot... I leaned forward, to look inside, but saw nothing but pitch darkness. Then two contradictory feelings took possession of me at once: great shock in front of the gaping abyss and an irresistible desire to discover some miracle in its bottomless womb.”

We see how Leonardo's inquisitive mind and curiosity are combined with a sense of the incomprehensibility of some of the mysteries of the universe, and then nature appears to his imagination in fantastic fairy-tale images. This attitude towards the world around him inspired him not only when writing fairy tales, legends and “fantastic predictions”. It is also evident in his numerous drawings, which are a kind of graphic conversation with nature. Along with the images of beautiful boys and girls in these drawings you can see a whole string of ugly faces, disfigured with grimaces, winged dragons and monsters. Sometimes Leonardo makes fun of his own horrors, as, say, in the fairy tales “The Terrible Beast”, “The Lion and the Shepherd”, and sometimes his fantasy gives rise to images of the cruel Basilisk, the immortal Phoenix or the faithful and affectionate Unicorn. By the way, Raphael, in all likelihood, heard this legend from the lips of Leonardo. The Borghese Gallery in Rome houses a marvelous portrait he painted of a girl holding a small unicorn on her lap as a symbol of chastity and purity.

Fairy tales attracted Leonardo with their folk wisdom, entertaining and democratic. They served him as a faithful aid in his tireless search for the treasured key in order to penetrate the mysterious “cave”, illuminate it with the light of reason and reveal the secrets kept by nature.

Leonardo da Vinci occupies a special place in Italian literature, and his tales and legends are a striking phenomenon in the culture of the Renaissance. He himself never sought literary laurels, modestly considering himself a person “ignorant of literature.” However long years he worked on compiling an explanatory dictionary of the living spoken Tuscan dialect, which served as the basis for the Italian literary language. Leonardo did not resort to learned Latin to express his own thoughts, as was common among scholars at that time. He highly valued figurative peasant speech and, regardless of spelling, lovingly wrote down apt words and phrases.

Leonardo drew his tales from life - “this great teacher from whom even writers have something to learn.”

A. Makhov

Paper and ink

On the desk there were identical sheets of blank paper in a stack. But one day one of them turned out to be completely covered with hooks, dashes, curls, dots... Apparently, someone took a pen and, dipping it in ink, covered the sheet with words and painted it with drawings.

“Why did you need to subject me to such unheard-of humiliation?” the saddened piece of paper asked angrily from the inkwell standing on the table. “Your indelible ink stained my whiteness and ruined the paper forever!” Who will need me like this now?

“Don’t worry!” the inkwell answered kindly. “They didn’t want to humiliate you or sully you, they just made the necessary note.” And now you are no longer a simple piece of paper, but a written message. From now on, you store a person’s thought, and this is your direct purpose and great value.

The good inkwell turned out to be right. While cleaning up his desk one day, a man saw randomly scattered sheets of paper, yellowed with age. He collected them and was about to throw them into the burning fireplace, when he suddenly noticed that same “stained” piece of paper. Throwing away the dusty pieces of paper as unnecessary, the man carefully placed the scribbled piece of paper in the desk drawer in order to preserve it as a message of reason.

Flint and steel

Having once received a strong blow from a flint, the flint indignantly asked the offender:

- Why did you attack me like that? I don't know you. You're apparently confusing me with someone. Please leave my sides alone. I don't harm anyone.

“Don’t be angry in vain, neighbor,” the flint said with a smile in response. “If you have a little patience, you will soon see what a miracle I will extract from you.” At these words, the flint calmed down and began to patiently endure the blows of the flint. And finally, fire was carved out of it, capable of performing true miracles. So the patience of the flint was justly rewarded.

The tale is told for those who are timid in their studies at first. But if you are patient and diligent, then the sown seeds of knowledge will certainly bear fruit. The root of learning is bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

Tongue and teeth

Once upon a time there was a boy in the world who suffered from a serious illness, to which adults are sometimes susceptible - he talked incessantly, without knowing how to stop.

“What kind of punishment is this tongue,” the teeth grumbled. “When will he calm down and be silent for a while?”

“What do you care about me?” the tongue answered brazenly. “Chew to your health and keep quiet.” That's the whole story for you! We have nothing in common. I won’t allow anyone to interfere in my personal affairs, much less meddle with stupid advice!

And the boy continued to chatter incessantly, inappropriately and inopportunely. The tongue was at the height of bliss, pronouncing more and more sophisticated words, although it did not have time to thoroughly understand their meaning.

But one day the boy got so carried away by chatter that, without knowing it, he got into trouble. In order to somehow get out of trouble, he allowed his tongue to tell a deliberate lie. Then their teeth couldn’t stand it – their patience ran out. They closed at once and painfully bit the lying liar.

The tongue turned purple from the blood that came out, and the boy cried from shame and pain.

From then on, the tongue behaves with caution and caution, and the boy thinks twice before uttering a word.

Razor

One barber had a razor of extraordinary beauty, and it had no equal in its work. One day, when there were no visitors in the shop, and the owner was away somewhere, the razor decided to look at the world and show itself. Releasing the sharp blade from its frame like a sword from its sheath, and proudly akimbo, she went for a walk on a fine spring day.

Before the razor had time to cross the threshold, the bright sun began to sparkle on the polished steel blade, and sunbeams jumped merrily along the walls of the houses. Blinded by this unprecedented spectacle, the razor was in such indescribable delight that it immediately became excessively proud.

“After such splendor, should I really go back to the barber?” exclaimed the razor. “No way in the world!” It would be sheer madness on my part to ruin my life by scraping the soapy cheeks and chins of uncouth louts. Is there a place for my delicate blade at the barber's? Not at all! I'll hide from him in a secluded place. Since then there has been no trace of her.

Months passed. Rainy autumn has arrived. Feeling bored alone, the fugitive decided to come out of her voluntary seclusion and get some fresh air. She carefully released the blade from the frame and looked around proudly.

But, oh horror! What happened? The blade, once tender, became rough, becoming like a rusty saw, and no longer reflected the sun's rays.

“Why did I succumb to temptation?” the razor cried bitterly. “How the kind barber cherished and cared for me!” How happy and proud he was of my work! And now, oh God, what happened to me: the blade became darkened, jagged and covered with disgusting rust. I am lost and there is no salvation for me!

A sad fate awaits anyone who is endowed with talent, but instead of developing and improving their abilities, they become overly proud and indulge in idleness and narcissism. Like this unfortunate razor, such a person gradually loses the clarity and sharpness of his mind, becomes inert, lazy and overgrown with the rust of ignorance, corroding his flesh and soul.

Flame

Work was in full swing in the glass-blowing workshop, and in the huge furnace the fire did not subside day or night. Many beautiful products were created by craftsmen who, with their breath, gave a bizarre shape to the mass of molten glass.

One day, a fire raging in the furnace noticed a burning candle left by one of the apprentices, set in a massive bronze candlestick. He was immediately overcome by an irresistible desire to devour the weak flame of the candle.

And then a blue flame burst out from under the firebrand with a hiss. Recoiling to the side from the draft in the chimney and contriving, it broke through the narrow crack of the stove screen, spread to a candle standing nearby and began to greedily devour it.

The insatiable flame consumed the fragile candle in an instant.

However, not wanting to die with her, it tried to return to its native element. But no matter how much the flame cried out for help to its brothers in the burning furnace, no matter how it wriggled and writhed in its death throes, it never managed to escape from the tenacious embrace of the melted wax.

Screaming, crying and hissing angrily, the flames eventually suffocated, turning into acrid smoke. And in the oven for a long time the logs crackled merrily, shooting multi-colored sparks, and the red tongues of fire danced together.

Moon and oyster

The girl was head over heels in love with the moon. As if spellbound, she spent hours looking with loving eyes at the night star.

A voracious crab sitting in ambush noticed that every time the moon emerges from behind the clouds, the gaping oyster opens its shell, forgetting about everything in the world. And he decided to eat it.

One night, as soon as the moon had risen and the oyster, as usual, was staring at it with its mouth open, the crab picked up a pebble with its claw and, contrivingly, threw it inside the shell. The lover of moonlight tried to slam the doors of the mother-of-pearl dwelling, but it was too late - a thrown pebble prevented the poor thing.

A similar fate awaits everyone who does not know how to keep their innermost feelings secret. There will always be eyes and ears eager for other people's secrets.

Spider in the keyhole

Having examined the entire house inside and out, the spider chose a place for itself in the keyhole.

What a convenient and safe refuge! No one will be able to detect a spider here. And he, leaning out of his hiding place, will calmly observe everything that is happening, without exposing himself to any risk.

“I’ll put a web for flies at the stone threshold,” the satisfied spider began to reason. “On the steps of the stairs there will be another, stronger one, for fat caterpillars, and between the door wings I’ll set up a cunning trap for mosquitoes...”

The spider was beside himself with happiness and bright hopes. The keyhole, all lined with iron, seemed to him an impregnable fortress, and he had never seen a safer haven in his life.

While the spider indulged in dreams and made tempting plans for the future, his delicate hearing caught the sound of approaching steps. Being cautious by nature, he immediately crawled into the depths of his shelter.

The owner, who returned home, jingled a bunch of keys, inserted one of them into the keyhole and... crushed the dreamer.

Water

She happily splashed around in her native sea element. But one day a crazy idea came into her head to reach the sky itself.

She turned to the fire for help. With his scorching flame, he turned the water into tiny droplets of warm steam, which turned out to be much lighter than air.

The steam immediately rushed upward, rising into the highest and coldest layers of air.

Finding themselves at a sky-high height, the droplets of steam became so numb that they could not touch a tooth from the cold. In order to somehow warm up, they pressed themselves closer to each other, but, having become much heavier than air, they immediately fell to the ground in the form of ordinary rain.

Sick with vanity, the water ascended to the sky, but was expelled from there. The thirsty earth swallowed up every drop of rain. And the water had to serve its punishment in the soil for a long time before it could return to the sea.

Mole

Kroth loved to wander through the cool underground passages that his parents and grandfathers dug and cleaned out. He climbed to the upper galleries and went down, where there were storerooms with food supplies for future use.

While exploring his possessions and wealth, he one day discovered an unfamiliar hole and decided to find out where it led.

“Stop!” a warning voice was heard. “This path is dangerous!”

But driven by curiosity, the mole crawled higher and higher, and finally, scattering the ground with his paws, he saw a blue, blue abyss opening up before him. But this was the last thing the poor man saw in his life. A bright ray of sun hit the slitted eyes and blinded the mole.

In the same way, a lie can live happily, only by burying itself in a shelter. As soon as she is born, she immediately dies, blinded by the truth.

Caterpillar

Clinging to the leaf, the caterpillar watched with interest as the insects sang, jumped, galloped, raced, flew... Everything around was in constant motion. And only she, the poor thing, was denied a voice and was not allowed to run or fly.

With great difficulty she could only crawl. And while the caterpillar clumsily moved from one leaf to another, it seemed to it that it was making a trip around the world.

And yet she did not complain about fate and did not envy anyone, realizing that everyone should mind their own business. So she, the caterpillar, had to learn how to weave thin silk threads in order to make a strong cocoon house from them.

Without further consideration, the caterpillar diligently set to work and by the required time was wrapped from head to toe in a warm cocoon.

“Everything has its turn!” she heard in response. “Have a little patience, and you’ll see.”

When the time came and she woke up, she was no longer the same clumsy caterpillar. Deftly freeing herself from the cocoon, she was surprised to notice that she had grown light wings, generously painted in bright colors. Having cheerfully waved them, she, like a fluff, fluttered from the leaf and flew, dissolving in the blue haze.

Justice

There is no justice in the world!” the mouse squeaked pitifully, miraculously escaping from the claws of the weasel.

“How long will we endure lies!” the weasel shouted indignantly, barely having time to hide in a narrow hollow from the cat.

“There is no life because of tyranny!” the cat meowed, jumping onto a high fence and looking warily at the yard dog scurrying below.

“Calm down, friends!” said the wise owl, sitting in a cage in the peasant’s yard. “There is some truth in your complaints about life.” But does justice rightfully belong to any one of you?

At these words, the mouse looked out of the hole, the weasel stuck its nose out of the hollow, the cat settled more comfortably on the fence, and the dog sat down on its hind legs.

“Justice,” the owl continued, “is the highest law of nature, according to which reasonable agreement is established between all those living on earth. All animals, birds, fish and even insects live according to this wise law. Look how friendly a swarm of bees lives and works.

The owl was indeed right. Anyone who has ever seen a hive knows that the queen bee reigns supreme there, managing everything and everyone with the greatest intelligence and fairly distributing responsibilities among the members of a large bee family. Some bees' main concern is collecting nectar from flowers, while others work in honeycombs; some guard the hive, driving away annoying wasps and bumblebees, others take care of maintaining cleanliness. There are bees that must care for the queen without leaving her even a step. When the queen gets old, the strongest bees carefully carry her on themselves, and the most experienced and knowledgeable ones treat her with all sorts of medicines. And if even one bee violates its duty, inevitable punishment awaits it.

In nature, everything is wise and thought out, everyone should mind their own business, and in this wisdom lies the highest justice of life.

Moth and flame

Flying in the evening twilight and enjoying the coolness, an elegant moth suddenly noticed a flickering light in the distance. He immediately headed towards the illuminated place, and when he was nearby, he began to fly around the night light burning on the window, looking at it in surprise. How handsome this stranger is!

Having admired it enough, the moth decided to take a closer look at the bright light and play with it, as he usually played in the garden with flowers, swinging on their corollas, as if on a swing. Having flown a little to the side, he made a sharp turn and flew by, almost touching the yellow tongue of flame and as if inviting it to play.

But something painfully stabbed him and threw him up. Having sat down on the windowsill by the night light, the moth was amazed to discover that it had lost one leg and had scorched the edges of its wings.

“How could this happen?” the moth asked itself in bewilderment and could not find an answer. He could not allow such a wondrous, harmless light to cause him harm. Having recovered a little from the shock, the moth again spread its wings and fluttered.

Having made several circles over the burning night light, he calmly flew straight towards the flame, wanting to swing on it, but immediately fell into the oil that fed the insidious flame.

“How cruel you are,” said the moth, losing strength. “I hoped to find a friend in you, but I found destruction.” Too late I realized how angry and dangerous you are! My naivety cost me dearly...

“Poor moth!” the saddened nightlight answered him. “Is it my fault that I am not a flower, but a flame.” You didn't heed my warning and started playing with me.

Lily

On the green bank of the Ticino River, which flows through the fields and meadows of Lombardy, a beautiful lily grew. All the other wildflowers bowed respectfully, trying not to touch her splendor even with a shadow. And she, gracefully soaring up and swaying joyfully in the wind, tirelessly admired her own reflection in the water. Fascinated by the wondrous beauty, the waves decided to take possession of the flower.

Soon the whole river began to boil and foam with passion. The waves became more and more restless, driven by an irresistible desire. And the lily, splashed with spray, unapproachable and proud, continued to show off on its strong flexible stem. Then the waves began to hit the shore even harder, overwhelming and undermining it until it collapsed into the boiling abyss, dragging the lonely beauty with it.

Walnut and bell tower

Having picked up a nut somewhere, a satisfied crow flew to the bell tower. Having made herself comfortable there and holding the prey with her paw, she began to furiously peck with her beak to get to the tasty grain. But either the blow was too strong, or the crow made a mistake, the nut suddenly slipped out of her paw, rolled down and disappeared into a crevice in the wall.

“Oh, kind intercessor wall!” the nut cried tearfully, still not recovering from the cruel blows of the crow’s beak. “Don’t let me die, have pity on me!” You are so strong and majestic, you have such a beautiful bell tower. Don't drive me away!

The bells hummed dully and disapprovingly, warning the wall not to trust the insidious nut, as it could prove dangerous to it.

– Don’t leave me, orphan, in trouble! – the nut continued to lament, trying to shout over the angry roar of the bells. “I was about to leave my birth branch and fall on the damp ground, when suddenly the villainess appeared.” Finding myself in the beak of a voracious crow, I made a vow to myself: if I managed to avoid death, I would spend the rest of my days quietly and calmly in some hole.

The nut's passionate speeches moved the old wall to tears. Despite the warning of the bells, she decided to show the nut hospitality and leave it in the crack where it had rolled.

However, over time, the nut recovered from the fright, got comfortable and took root, and they began to bite into the hospitable wall. Soon the first shoots emerged from the crevice. Together they stretched upward and gained strength. A little more time passed, and the young shoots of the hazel tree were already proudly towering above the bell tower itself.

The wall especially suffered from the roots. Tenacious and assertive, they grew ever larger, crushing and loosening the old masonry, and mercilessly pushing bricks and stones away.

Too late, the wall realized how insidious the unprepossessing, pathetic nut turned out to be with his vows to live quieter than water and lower than the grass. Now she had no choice but to reproach herself for her gullibility and bitterly regret that at one time she had not listened to the voice of the wise bells.

The hazel tree continued to grow with proud indifference, and the bell tower was increasingly destroyed.

Fire and pot

A barely noticeable ember was still smoldering in the warm ashes. With great care and prudence he spent last strength, so as not to completely fade away and suffocate in gray ashes.

It was time for dinner, and an armful of firewood and dry dead wood was thrown into the cooling stove. The completely extinguished ember came to life, and soon a tongue of flame rose among the firewood, on top of which a cast-iron pot with brew was suspended.

Relieved by the dry wood, the fire began to gradually flare up, expelling the stagnant air from the stove. Flirting with the logs and playfully jumping out from above and below, the fire became increasingly intense.

Persistently breaking through the logs, the flames threw out whole handfuls of sparks with a crash. The dark shadows that filled the kitchen danced merrily and ran to the corners, and the mischievous fire snorted mischievously and joyfully, trying to break through the stove barrier. Soon the stove began to hum and began to sing in every possible way, now whistling vigorously, now whining pitifully. The kitchen has become warmer and more spacious.

Seeing that the wood was already entirely in his power, the fire became obstinate and impudent. He was bursting with arrogance and arrogance, and he was already cramped in the oven.

The fire began to hiss and crackle threateningly and shower the entire firebox with sparks. Having directed the flames upward, he set out to reach the skies, but ended up... in the bottom of the pot, smoky with soot.

Stolen egg

One day, a partridge, which had chosen a place on a cypress tree, looked in on its neighbor, who had settled on an olive tree, and, not finding her at home, stole an egg from her nest.

Time passed, and, as expected, chicks hatched in both nests. When the noisy and voracious offspring grew up and became stronger, a significant day arrived - the flight from the birth nest.

The chicks living on the olive tree were the first to fly. After making several circles over the garden, they returned home. The turn has come for the chicks who lived on the cypress tree. Having completed the flight, happy and contented, they returned to their nest. And only one chick, hatched from a stolen egg, obeying an inner call, returned to its mother, who had built a nest on an olive tree.

Poplar

And it is known that poplar grows faster than many trees. Its shoots stretch upward right before our eyes, outstripping all other plants in the area in growth. One day, a young poplar came up with the idea of ​​​​getting a girlfriend in life. He chose the vine that he liked.

“What a strange whim!” his brothers dissuaded him. “With this beautiful vine you will suffer grief.” What do you need it for? Our job is to grow upward, and we are not given anything else. But the stubborn poplar insisted on its own. The ardent lover connected with the young vine and allowed her to hug him tightly, which he was incredibly happy about. Having received strong support, the vine began to quickly grow and bear fruit.

Seeing that the vine had taken root well, tenaciously twining around the trunk, the savvy peasant began to trim the poplar branches in the spring so that they would not pull the vine up with them, and it would be more convenient for him to collect bunches of ripe grapes in the fall.

Where has the former stateliness of the poplar gone? He rounded up, lost his former ardor and resigned himself to fate. It stands tall, with pruned branches, serving as a support for its fertile friend. And his brothers, having thrown up their thick crowns, rustle their leaves carefree.

Ant and wheat grain

The wheat grains left on the field after the harvest were impatiently waiting for the rain to bury themselves deeper into the damp earth in anticipation of the coming cold weather. An ant running past noticed him. Delighted with the find, he, without hesitation, put the heavy prey on his back and crawled with difficulty to the anthill. In order to get to the house before dark, the ant crawls without stopping, and the luggage puts more and more pressure on its weary back.

- Why are you straining yourself? Leave me here!” the grain of wheat begged.

“If I leave you,” answered the ant, breathing heavily, “we will be left without food for the winter.” There are many of us, and everyone is obliged to earn a living in order to increase the reserves in the anthill. Then the grain thought and said:

“I understand your concerns as an honest worker, but you also need to understand my situation.” Listen to me carefully, smart ant!

Satisfied that he could catch his breath a little, the ant threw the heavy burden off his back and sat down to rest.

“So know,” said the grain, “there is a great life-giving power within me, and my purpose is to give birth to new life.” Let's make an amicable agreement with you. - What kind of agreement is this?

- Here's what it is. If you don’t drag me into the anthill and leave me here in my native field,” the grain explained, “then in exactly a year I will reward you.” The surprised ant shook his head in disbelief. “Believe me, dear ant, I’m telling the absolute truth!” If you give up on me now and wait, then later I will reward your patience a hundredfold and your anthill will not be at a loss. In exchange for one you will receive one hundred of the same grains.

The ant thought, scratching the back of his head: “One hundred grains in exchange for one. Yes, such miracles only happen in fairy tales.”

“How will you do this?” he asked, bursting with curiosity, but still not believing.

“Rely on me!” answered the grain. “This is the great secret of life.” Now dig a small hole, bury me, and come back again in the summer.

At the agreed time, the ant returned to the field. The grain of wheat kept its promise.

Bee and drones

You have no right, you slackers! – the worker bee somehow couldn’t stand it, trying to reason with the drones flying around the hive in vain. “You just shouldn’t work.” Shame on you! Everywhere you look, everyone is working, stocking up for future use. Take, for example, a tiny ant. Small, but smart. He works hard all summer, trying not to miss a single day. After all, winter is just around the corner.

– I found someone to use as an example! - snapped one of the drones, who was bored with the bee's instructions. - Yes, your vaunted ant destroys the seeds of every harvest. This little thief drags every little thing into his anthill.

Don’t feed the slacker bread, but let him reason, and you won’t deny him the ability to denigrate others. He is always ready to find an excuse for his own worthlessness.

Cedar

A cedar grew in one garden. Every year he matured and became taller and more handsome. Its lush crown towered royally above the other trees and cast a thick shadow on them. But the more he grew and stretched upward, the more exorbitant arrogance grew in him. Looking down on everyone with contempt, he once shouted imperiously:

“Take away this pathetic hazel tree!” And the tree was cut down at the root.

- Free me from the proximity of the obnoxious fig tree! She bothers me with her stupid appearance,” the capricious cedar ordered another time, “and the fig tree suffered the same fate.

Satisfied with himself, proudly swaying his branches, the arrogant handsome man did not let up:

“Clear the area around me from old pear and apple trees!” And the trees were used for firewood.

So the restless cedar ordered to destroy all the trees one by one, becoming the sovereign master in the garden, from whose former beauty only stumps remained.

But one day a strong hurricane struck. The arrogant cedar resisted him with all its might, holding tightly to the ground with its powerful roots. And the wind, not meeting any other trees on its way, freely pounced on the lonely standing handsome man, mercilessly breaking, crushing and bending him down. Finally, the tormented cedar could not withstand the furious blows, cracked and fell to the ground.

Goldfinch

Holding the worm in its beak, the goldfinch flew up to its nest, but there were no chicks inside. While he was hunting, the attackers stole them.

Screaming and crying, the goldfinch began to look for the missing chicks. The whole forest resounded with his plaintive moans and calls, but no answer came.

The next morning, the unfortunate parent met a finch, who told him that yesterday he had seen goldfinches in a peasant house.

Beside himself with joy, the goldfinch flew at full speed towards the village and soon found himself at the house to which the kind finch had pointed.

The goldfinch sat on the ridge of the roof, looked around, but saw no one. He flew to the threshing floor - and there was not a soul there. When the poor father raised his head up, he noticed a cage hanging outside the window. His goldfinches captives were sitting in it. The goldfinch rushed towards them.

Seeing their father, the chicks began to chirp pitifully in chorus, begging him to quickly rescue them from captivity. Using its paws and beak, the goldfinch made desperate efforts to push apart the iron bars of the cage. But all his efforts were in vain. Then, crying loudly, he flew away.

The next day, the goldfinch, distraught with grief, reappeared at the cage where the unfortunate goldfinches were languishing. He looked at them with tenderness for a long time, and then quietly pecked each chick into his gaping mouth.

The parent brought poisonous grass in his beak, and all the goldfinches stretched out their paws at once...

“It’s better to die than to suffer in captivity,” the proud goldfinch said sadly and flew off into the forest.

Loach and lizard

A lushly grown loach lifted up its delicate emerald foliage, sparkling in the sun. Admiring his own beauty, he became so proud that he could hardly stand the proximity of other plants. What especially annoyed him with its equanimity was the old, withered trunk that stood nearby.

“Listen, old man!” the loach turned to him one day. “Why are you sticking out under my feet?” It's time to know the honor. Get out of my sight!

The old trunk pretended not to hear the rude man and remained silent, thinking about his own things. Then the restless loach turned to the thorn bush, whose dense thickets stood around like a solid wall.

- Hey, what about you, blackthorn! Life, brother, is gone from your nasty thorns - it dazzles your eyes. Don't you realize that with your branches you will obscure my light? Turn them aside!

But the thorn tree, busy with its own business, did not even consider it necessary to respond to such words, letting them fall on deaf ears.

The old lizard, basking in the sun, could not stand it and said reproachfully:

- How stupid you are, braggart loach, how I look at you! After all, thanks to the old trunk, you grow straight and stretch upward, clinging to it. Don’t you realize that if it weren’t for the thorny thickets of thorns, you, little little thing, would have been trampled by uninvited guests long ago?

The indignant loach wanted to object, but the lizard did not allow him to open his mouth.

- My eyes would not look at you! Instead of puffing up and reaching up in vain, it would be better to gain some sense from the neighbors.

Stone and road

Once upon a time there was a large beautiful stone in the world. The stream flowing past polished its sides to a shine, which sparkled in the sun. But over time, the stream dried up, and the stone continued to lie on the hillock. All around him there was ample space for tall grasses and bright wildflowers.

From above, the stone could clearly see the paved road running below, along the side of which pebbles and cobblestones were piled up.

Left alone without the usual murmur of a cheerful stream, the stone increasingly began to look longingly down at the road, where activity always reigned. One day he felt so sad that he could not stand it and exclaimed:

- I can’t live forever alone! What good are herbs and flowers? It makes more sense to live side by side with my brothers on the road, where life is in full swing.

Having said this, he moved from his habitual place and rolled headlong downwards until he found himself on the road among stones just like him.

Who hasn’t walked or driven along the road! And the wheels of carts with iron rims, and the hooves of horses, cows, sheep, goats, and smart boots with jackboots, and strong peasant shoes lined with nails.

The stone ended up in the crush of the road, where it was roughly thrown aside, trampled, crushed, doused with streams of mud, and sometimes it was stained up to its ears with cow dung.

Where has his former beauty gone! Now he sadly looked up at the hillock where he once lay peacefully among fragrant flowers and herbs. He had no choice but to vainly dream of regaining his lost peace. It’s not for nothing that they say: “We don’t keep what we have, and when we lose it, we cry.”

Likewise, people sometimes thoughtlessly leave remote rural corners, rushing to noisy, crowded cities, where they immediately find themselves at the mercy of vanity, unquenchable thirst and endless difficulties and worries.

Hazel

In the large garden behind the fence, fruit trees grew in good harmony and peace. In the spring they were drowned in a milky pink boil, and by the end of summer they were bending under the weight of ripe fruits.

By chance, a hazel tree found its way into this friendly working family, which soon grew wildly and began to think of itself.

“Why should I hang around in the garden behind the fence?” he grumbled dissatisfied. “I’m not at all going to live here as a recluse.” Let my branches spread over the fence into the street so that the whole neighborhood knows what wonderful nuts I have!

And the hazel tree began to persistently climb the high fence in order to appear in all its glory before passers-by.

When the time came and its branches were completely strewn with nuts, everyone who was not too lazy began to pick them off. And if the hands couldn’t reach it, sticks and stones were used.

Soon, the beaten and broken hazel tree lost not only its fruits, but also its leaves. Its crippled branches hung lifelessly over the fence like whips, and in the dense greenery of the garden there were apples, pears, and peaches filled with juice...

Creek

One frivolous stream forgot that it owed its birth to rain. Once, after a heavy downpour, it swelled so excessively that, having lost its modesty, it set out to become a full-flowing river.

To widen the channel, the raging stream began to undermine the bank, eroding the earth and collapsing stones.

But then the wind dispersed the clouds and the bright sun came out again. Without knowing it, the obstinate stream turned out to be a prisoner of the dam he had built. In order not to turn into a dirty puddle and not dry out in the sun, he had to sweat a lot, wandering among the scattered stones, before he could go down into the valley and give his waters to their rightful owner - the river.

Peach

In one garden, next to the hazel tree, there grew a peach tree. Every now and then it glanced with envy at its neighbor's branches, generously strewn with nuts.

“Why does he have so many fruits, and I have so little?” the foolish tree kept grumbling. “Is this fair?” Let me have the same number of peaches! How am I worse than him?

“Don’t covet someone else’s things!” an old plum tree growing nearby once told him.

– Don’t you see what a strong trunk and flexible branches the hazel tree has? Instead of grumbling and envying in vain, try to grow good, juicy peaches.

But the peach tree, blinded by black envy, did not want to listen to the good advice of the plum tree, and no arguments had any effect on it. It immediately ordered its roots to dig deeper into the ground and extract as much life-giving juices and moisture as possible. It ordered the branches not to skimp on the ovary, and the flowers to turn into fruits.

When the flowering time passed, the tree found itself hung with ripening fruits to the very top.

Filled with juice, the peaches grew heavier day by day, and the branches were unable to support their weight.

And then one day the tree groaned from the strain, the trunk broke with a crash, and the ripe peaches fell to the ground, where they soon rotted at the foot of the imperturbable hazel tree.

Flea and sheep skin

Having settled in the shaggy skin of a good-natured yard dog, the flea lived happily ever after and did not grieve for anything.

But one day she smelled the captivating smell of good, clean wool.

“What could it be?” she became interested and, having made several jumps, discovered that her faithful dog was sleeping sweetly, stretched out on top of a shaggy sheepskin. “Oh, how I dreamed of such a magnificent fur coat!” the flea exclaimed admiringly, unable to tear it away a look from the sheepskin. “How thick, silky and elegant it is, and most importantly, reliable.” You won't have to worry about dog teeth and claws on it. My dog ​​has become unbearable. Having lost all decency, he scratches himself every now and then and looks for me. How tired I am of the eternal game of hide and seek! Surely, sheep skin is much softer and sweeter than dog skin.

Without thinking any more and trying not to miss the happy opportunity, the flea strained itself and in one fell swoop flew from the dog's skin to the sheep's.

However, contrary to hopes and expectations, the sheepskin turned out to be so thick and dense that the flea had to work hard, tearing one hair from another with its paws and making its way through the impassable thicket. Having overcome many obstacles, she finally reached her desired goal. But, alas, the tanned sheep skin was as hard as stone. No matter how hard the flea tried, no matter how she squirmed, this tidbit turned out to be too much for her.

Completely exhausted, sweaty from the effort and annoyed, the flea decided to abandon his idea and set off on the way back. She couldn’t wait to quickly return to her familiar dog’s skin and live her old life again. Lo and behold, the dogs are gone!

For days on end, the poor thing was tormented and reproached herself for her unforgivable rashness, until she died of melancholy and hunger, finally getting lost in the thick sheepskin.

Spider and swift

Three times the spider was forced to stretch its silvery web between the trees, and each time, flying at low level, the mocking swift tore its web with its wing.

“Why are you stopping me from working?” the spider asked indignantly. “Am I a hindrance to you?”

“Yes, you are the very embodiment of deceit!” the swift chirped in response. “And your invisible web is a deadly trap for insects.”

“Are you supposed to say such words, brother?” the spider marveled. “Why are you better than me?” For days on end you run around with your beak open and grab right and left the same insects that you are now so worried about. For you, this activity is like fun. I work as hard as I can, weaving thin threads and weaving them into lace. As a reward for my zeal and honest work, I receive prey when it falls into the net. Each person is ready to judge the other, looking at the world from his own bell tower.

Fig and elm

And the njir proudly swayed its branches, completely strewn with unripe fruits.

Looking up, he was surprised to find that a tree with a dense crown had grown nearby, on the branches of which there was nothing except leaves.

“Who gave you the right to block the sun and prevent my fruits from gaining strength?” the fig asked the stranger menacingly. “Who are you?” Answer!

“I’m an elm,” the neighbor answered timidly and politely.

“Oh, you’re up to your ears in elm leaves!” the dissatisfied fig mimicked him. “Where are your fruits?” I would be ashamed to grow up uselessly and disturb others. Wait a minute! Soon my fruits will ripen, fall on the damp ground and sprout. Then we will bring you to life at once.

And indeed, the fig fruits were a great success - everything was as if it had been selected. But one day soldiers passed by. Seeing the fig, they greedily pounced on it, tore off the fruits and broke off the branches.

The compassionate elm looked with sympathy at the subdued neighbor.

- Poor fig! It was in vain that you prophesied death for me, not knowing that a sad fate awaited you yourself. And I feel doubly sorry for you, because you suffered because of your own fruits.

The fig lamented for a long time, healing its wounds, and the good elm continued to grow, not envying anyone and not wishing anything bad.

Son's gratitude

One morning, two old hoopoe, a male and a female, felt that this time they would not fly out of the nest. A thick veil covered their eyes, although the sky was cloudless and the day promised to be sunny. But both of them saw only a cloudy haze and could no longer distinguish anything around them. The birds were old and weak. The feathers on the wings and tail became dull and broke like old branches. The strength was running out.

The old hoopoes decided not to leave the nest anymore and together wait for the last hour, which will not be slow to appear.

But they were mistaken - their children appeared. At first, one of the sons appeared, accidentally flying past. He noticed that the old parents were unwell and had a hard time alone, and flew to notify the other brothers and sisters.

When all the young hoopoes were gathered near their father’s house, one of them said:

– From our parents we received the greatest and most priceless gift - life. They fed and raised us, sparing neither strength nor love. And now, when both are blind, sick and no longer able to feed themselves, it is our sacred duty to cure them and nurse them back to health!

After these words, everyone got down to business together. Some immediately began building a new, warmer nest, others went to catch bugs and worms, and the rest flew into the forest.

Soon a new nest was ready, where the children carefully moved their old parents. To warm them, they covered the old people with their wings, just as a hen warms her unhatched chicks with her own warmth. Then the parents were given spring water to drink, fed, and the matted down and old brittle feathers were carefully plucked out.

Finally, the rest of the hoopoes returned from the forest, bringing in their beaks a herb that healed blindness. Everyone began to heal the sick with the juice of the miraculous herb. But the treatment was slow, and we had to be patient, replacing each other and not leaving the parents alone for a minute.

And then a joyful day came when the father and mother opened their eyes, looked around and recognized all their children. So the sons, gratitude and love, healed their parents, restoring their sight and strength.

Warmth of the Heart

The two young ostriches were beside themselves with grief. Every time the female began to hatch the eggs, they burst under the weight of her body.

Desperate to achieve their goal, they decided to go for advice to a smart, experienced ostrich who lived on the other side of the desert.

They had to run for many days and nights until they reached their goal.

“Help us!” they both prayed. “Give us some sense and teach us, unfortunate ones, how to hatch eggs!” No matter how hard we tried, we were never able to get offspring.

After listening carefully to their sad story, the smart ostrich said in response:

- This is a difficult matter. In addition to desire and effort, something else is needed here.

“What?” both ostriches exclaimed at once. “We agree to everything!”

– If so, listen and remember! The most important thing is warmth of the heart. You must treat the laid egg with love, constantly taking care of it as if it were your most valuable asset. Only the warmth of your hearts can breathe life into him.

Inspired by hope, the ostriches set off on their way back.

When the egg was laid, the female and male began to carefully care for it, not taking their eyes off it, full of love and tenderness.

Many days passed like this. Both ostriches could barely stand on their feet from constant vigil. But their faith, patience and efforts were rewarded. One day, something shook in the egg, it cracked and split, and the fluffy head of a tiny ostrich peeked out of the shell.

a lion

The babies have not yet developed their eyes. They are still crawling helplessly between the paws of the mother lioness and poking their blind muzzles into the warm mother’s belly in search of tasty milk, remaining deaf to any other call.

Trying not to interfere with his friend caring for the sucklings, the proud lion stood aside and carefully watched his family.

Suddenly he shook his royal mane and let out a powerful, booming roar.

The lion cubs immediately regained their sight, and all the other inhabitants of the savannah fled in horror.

Like a formidable lion's roar that awakens lion cubs to life, fair praise or blasphemy of reasonable parents helps to reveal virtues in our children. Thus, adults encourage children to study and be diligent, excluding them from the ugly and bad.

Vine and peasant

The vine could not get enough of it, seeing how in the spring the peasant carefully dug up the earth around her, trying not to touch the tender roots with a spade, how he lovingly looked after her, tied her up, put up strong supports so that she could grow freely.

In gratitude for such care, the vine decided to give the person juicy, fragrant clusters at all costs.

When it was time to harvest the grapes, the vine was completely covered with large tassels. The thrifty owner cut them all off one by one and carefully placed them in a basket. Then, after thinking, he dug up stakes and supports and used them for firewood.

And the poor vine had no choice but to grieve from the undeserved insult and freeze all winter on the bare ground. But the next year she was no longer so generous, and the short-sighted peasant paid severely for his greed.

Ermine

One day, when the fox was busy eating, an ermine ran past in his magnificent attire.

-Would you like a taste, buddy? Don’t be shy!” the satiated and grown-up fox suggested to him.

“Thank you humbly,” the ermine answered with dignity, “but I’ve already had lunch.”

“Ha, ha, ha!” she laughed. “There are no more modest animals on earth than you, stoats.” How neat you are! You're just amazed. You eat once a day and prefer to go hungry so as not to get your fur coat dirty.

Suddenly, hunters appeared out of nowhere. The redhead disappeared with lightning speed - only she was seen, and the ermine rushed headlong to its hiding place.

But the midday sun managed to melt the snow, and the ermine mink, so neat and well-groomed in the morning, became covered in mud. The snow-white animal hesitated a little, trying not to get its fur coat dirty, and that’s when the hunters struck it down on the spot.

Moderation serves as a reliable protection against vices. The proud ermine prefers to die rather than have its purity sullied.

Spider and grapes

After watching the flight of midges for several days in a row, the spider noticed that most often they hover in clouds over the vineyard.

“Now the midges are in trouble!” the spider grinned and crawled up the vine. He extended a strong net to one of the largest fragrant clusters, and he hid in a recess between the cool grapes.

From his hiding place, the cunning robber secretly attacked the careless midges, attracted by the tart smell of ripening grapes and unaware of the danger that awaited them. The voracious spider smothered quite a few midges, and got away with the dirty trick.

But now the time has come to harvest the grapes. The harvest turned out to be rich, and the peasant had to work a lot in his vineyard. Deftly wielding a knife, he cut off one brush after another. He also came across one in which a spider was hiding. It immediately fell into a large basket, where it was piled high with other large bunches.

So the grapes turned out to be a trap for the treacherous spider. He cunningly weaved nets for others, but he himself became entangled in them and was crushed.

Bird cherry and blackbirds

The bird cherry has run out of patience. From the moment its tart berries ripened, the daring, annoying thrushes became unbearable. From morning to evening they circled in flocks above it, mercilessly tearing off all the branches with their beaks and claws.

“Please, I beg you!” she begged, turning to the most annoying blackbird. “I know that my berries are your favorite delicacy.” Eat them for your health, I don’t mind. But leave my leaves alone. Don't tear them off! Under their shade I escape from the scorching sun. And don’t torment me with sharp claws, don’t tear off my skin!

The blackbird was the first bully in the flock, and the bird cherry’s words did not suit his taste.

- Keep quiet unless they ask you! Nature itself has it so that you bear fruit for my pleasure. What's the matter with you, you stupid cudgel, talking about it! In winter you will go for firewood.

Hearing this answer, the bird cherry became even more saddened and silently cried.

But the mischievous thrush, who predicted her death, himself fell into a snare set by a peasant. To build a cage for the caught bird, the man pulled up the wattle fence and broke several flexible branches of the bird cherry tree.

So the bird cherry again met with its offender, who now sat dejectedly in the cage and was quieter than water, lower than the grass. But she remained silent, remembering the words she heard in her youth: how warm clothes saves you from the cold, just as endurance protects you from resentment. Increase patience and calmness of spirit, and resentment, no matter how bitter, will not touch you.

Oyster and mouse

Somehow, an oyster fell into a net and, along with a rich catch, ended up in a fisherman’s hut.

“Inevitable death awaits us all here,” she thought sadly, seeing her fellow sufferers in a heap dumped on the floor, suffocating without water and struggling in their death throes.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a mouse appeared.

“Listen, good mouse!” the oyster begged. “Do me a favor, take me to the sea!”

The mouse looked at it with a knowing look: the oyster was unusually large and beautiful, and its meat must be juicy and tasty.

“Okay,” the mouse answered readily, deciding to take advantage of the easy prey, which, as they say, came into its own hands. “But first you must open the doors of your shell so that it will be easier for me to carry you to the sea.” Otherwise I won't be able to deal with you.

The cheat spoke so convincingly and soulfully that the oyster, delighted with her agreement, did not smell the trick and trustingly opened up. The mouse immediately stuck its narrow muzzle inside the shell to grab the meat with its teeth. But in her haste she forgot to be careful, and the oyster, sensing something was wrong, managed to slam its doors shut, clamping the rodent’s head tightly, like a trap. The mouse squealed loudly in pain, and the cat who was nearby heard the squeak, caught up with the deceiver in one jump and grabbed her.

As they say, be smart, be smart, and watch your tail.

Seine

And once again the seine brought a rich catch. The fishermen's baskets were filled to the brim with chubs, carp, tench, pike, eels and a variety of other food items. Entire fish families, with their children and household members, were taken to market stalls and prepared to end their existence, writhing in agony on hot frying pans and in boiling cauldrons.

The remaining fish in the river, confused and overcome with fear, not even daring to swim, buried themselves deeper in the mud. How to live further? You can't handle the net alone. He is abandoned every day in the most unexpected places. He mercilessly destroys the fish, and eventually the entire river will be devastated.

– We must think about the fate of our children. No one but us will take care of them and deliver them from this terrible obsession,” reasoned the minnows who had gathered for a council under a large snag.

“But what can we do?” the tench asked timidly, listening to the speeches of the brave souls.

- Destroy the net! – the minnows responded in unison.

On the same day, the all-knowing, nimble eels spread the news of the bold decision along the river. All fish, young and old, were invited to gather tomorrow at dawn in a deep, quiet pool, protected by spreading willows.

Thousands of fish of all colors and ages swam to the appointed place to declare war on the net.

– Listen carefully, everyone! - said the carp, which more than once managed to gnaw through the nets and escape from captivity. - The net is as wide as our river. To keep it upright under water, lead weights are attached to its lower nodes. I order all the fish to split into two schools. The first should lift the sinkers from the bottom to the surface, and the second flock will firmly hold the upper nodes of the net. The pikes are tasked with chewing through the ropes with which the net is attached to both banks.

With bated breath, the fish listened to every word of the leader.

“I order the eels to immediately go on reconnaissance!” the carp continued. “They must establish where the net is thrown.”

The eels went on a mission, and schools of fish huddled near the shore in agonizing anticipation. Meanwhile, the minnows tried to encourage the most timid and advised not to panic, even if someone fell into the net: after all, the fishermen would still not be able to pull him ashore.

Finally the eels returned and reported that the net had already been abandoned about a mile down the river.

And so, in a huge armada, schools of fish swam to the goal, led by the wise carp.

“Swim carefully!” the leader warned. “Keep your eyes open so that the current doesn’t drag you into the net.” Use your fins as hard as you can and brake on time!

A seine appeared ahead, gray and ominous. Seized by a fit of anger, the fish boldly rushed to attack.

Soon the seine was lifted from the bottom, the ropes holding it were cut by sharp pike teeth, and the knots were torn. But the angry fish did not calm down and continued to attack the hated enemy. Grasping the crippled, leaky net with their teeth and working hard with their fins and tails, they dragged it in different directions and tore it into small pieces. The water in the river seemed to be boiling.

The fishermen spent a long time scratching their heads about the mysterious disappearance of the net, and the fish still proudly tell this story to their children.

Bat and swallow

Clinging to the wall of the barn under the roof canopy, the bat covered its head with membranous wings so as not to see sunlight. She spent the whole day like this until sunset.

When the sun disappeared below the horizon and the sky darkened, she stuck her head out from under her wing and looked around carefully.

“This disgusting light has finally gone out!” she said. “Oh, how numb my poor paws are!” Now I’ll stretch them and fly to my heart’s content in the freedom of the night.

Just at this time, a belated swallow was returning home, tired after the day's worries. She almost collided with a bat, which, unnoticed, like a thief, flew out of its hiding place under the canopy.

“May it be empty for you!” the swallow said in their hearts. “You, like an evil obsession, cannot live openly and honestly.”

The swallow was right. There is no need for good to hide and no one to fear, for it bestows warmth and joy on everyone, like a sunny day. But the bat, afraid of going blind, shuns and runs away from the light, like a lie from the truth.

Donkey on ice

Having wandered through the fields until dusk, the donkey was so tired that he was unable to drag himself to his stall. The winter that year was harsh - all the roads were icy.

- There is no more urine. “I’ll rest here for a while,” said the completely exhausted donkey and stretched out on the ice.

Out of nowhere a nimble sparrow flew up and chirped in his ear:

- Donkey, wake up! You are not on the road, but on a frozen pond. But the donkey was so sleepy that he could no longer hear anything. Yawning sweetly, he fell fast asleep, and soon steam poured out of his nostrils. Under the influence of heat, the ice began to melt little by little until it broke off with a crash.

Finding himself in the cold water, the donkey immediately woke up and began to call for help. But it was already too late, and the poor fellow choked.

You should never disdain good advice, especially when you are in an unfamiliar place.

Falcon and goldfinches

Returning from a hunt, the falcon, to his greatest surprise, discovered two goldfinches in his own nest, sitting side by side with his fledgling chicks.

He was not in a good mood because the hunt on that stormy day was unsuccessful: only dead animals were found. And falcons, as you know, would rather die of hunger, but would never feed on carrion.

At the sight of the uninvited guests, he became even more angry and wanted to take out his frustration on them and tear them to shreds, but thought better of it in time. Even in anger, it is inappropriate for a falcon to offend defenseless little birds.

“Where did you come from here?” the owner of the nest asked menacingly.

“We got lost in the forest during the rain,” one of the goldfinches squeaked barely.

The predator shot an angry look at him. He was bursting with anger and tormented by hunger.

Trembling with fear, the two goldfinches clung to each other and did not dare to breathe or utter a word.

Both were fat and well-fed, but so helpless and pitiful that the proud falcon was unable to pounce on them. He just closed his eyes and turned away so as not to give in to temptation.

“Get out of here!” the predator ordered loudly. “Don’t let your spirit be here!”

And when they flew away headlong, the falcon turned to its hungry chicks and said:

– Our destiny is large prey. It is better to starve than to allow yourself to be preyed upon by an innocent bird.

Eagle owls and hare

While walking on a branch, two eagle owls watched the hare, which was rushing along the autumn stubble, as if a pack of greyhounds was chasing it.

“Poor little hare!” said one of the eagle owls. “He doesn’t even have the courage to hide in a hole.”

“Why?” asked the other one.

- Because it's scary.

- Strange. What should he be afraid of in his own home?

“All hares are like that,” answered the first eagle owl. “They live in eternal fear, and fear has big eyes.” Especially now, when the leaves have begun to fall, hares are running around like crazy at the sight of the colorful rain of falling leaves. They are frightened by any change in nature.

- So, hares are cowards!

- Certainly. So this little hare gallops without looking back across a bare field until he falls into a trap or gets caught in the sights of a well-aimed hunter.

Truly they say: whoever lives in fear dies from fear.

Generosity

Poking his head out of the nest, the eaglet saw many birds flying below among the rocks.

“Mom, what kind of birds are these?” he asked.

“Our friends,” the eagle answered her son. “The eagle lives alone - such is his lot.” But sometimes he also needs to be surrounded. Otherwise, what kind of king of birds is he? Everyone you see below is our true friends.

Satisfied with his mother's explanation, the eaglet continued to watch the flight of the birds with interest, considering them from now on to be his faithful friends. Suddenly he shouted:

- Ay-ay, they stole our food!

Camel and owner

Leaning on his bent knees, the camel patiently waited for his owner to load him. He had already placed one bale on his back, then another, a third, a fourth...

“It’s time for him to stop,” the camel thought sadly, not daring to contradict his owner.

Finally the man got the job done and commandingly cracked his whip. The camel struggled to its feet.

- Went! - the owner ordered and pulled the reins. But the animal did not move. “What happened?” Get moving! – the man shouted menacingly and pulled the reins with all his strength.

And the camel rested its feet on the ground and continued to stand rooted to the spot.

“You’re stubborn,” the owner guessed and with a sigh threw two bales off the animal’s back.

“Now it seems I can do it,” the camel muttered to himself and obediently set off.

So they walked all day under the scorching sun, and the man thought that it would be good to get to the nearest village before dark. As if having guessed his thoughts, the camel suddenly stopped.

“My legs are aching, and I worked hard today. It’s time for the owner to know the honor,” the camel reasoned to himself and stretched out on the sand.

And although the man was bursting with frustration, he still had to unpack the animal and settle down for the night in the desert under the open sky.

Thinking only about self-interest, the owner apparently forgot the good old proverb that you can’t tear two skins from one camel.

Lion and lamb

One day a living lamb was thrown into the cage of a hungry lion. The kid was so naive and good-natured that he was not at all intimidated at the sight of the king of beasts. Apparently mistaking him for his mother, the foolish one approached the formidable shaggy beast, bleated affectionately and stared at him with wide open clear eyes, full of boundless love, meekness and admiration.

The lion was disarmed by such gullibility and did not dare to tear the lamb to pieces. Grumbling dissatisfiedly, he fell asleep hungry that time.

Lioness

The hunters, armed with darts and sharp lances, silently crept closer and closer. The lioness, who was feeding her suckling babies, suddenly smelled an unfamiliar smell and immediately realized that danger was close. But it was too late. The hunters have already surrounded the lair.

At the sight of people with weapons in their hands, the lioness was dumbfounded. She wanted to escape, but immediately thought better of it: then her cubs would become easy prey for hunters.

The mother decided to protect the babies at the cost of her own life. Bending her head low so as not to see the sharp peaks aimed at her, she rushed at the people in a desperate jump and put them to flight.

Helpless lion cubs were saved.

Terrible beast

For some time now, all the inhabitants of the forest, even the most desperate daredevils and sneakers, could not understand why incredible misadventures happened when one of them found himself near an old thick tree with a dense crown?

Rumors spread, each worse than the other. It was rumored that there was a monster in the forest, which would soon bring about the end of the entire forest brethren.

Having gathered for a big council, the animals thought and turned to the fox:

“You, little fox, are the most cunning and agile among us.” Do me a favor, my dear, find out what’s the matter? Find out what kind of animal settled on the old tree?

Flattered by the attention, the fox did not take long to beg. But having graciously agreed to fulfill such a request, she had no intention of risking her own skin for the common good.

After thinking for a while, the red-haired rogue decided to send her bosom friend, a curious magpie, to the ill-fated tree.

After flying around and around, the magpie managed to see two luminous lights among the dense foliage and heard someone flapping their wings frequently. With this news on her tail, she returned neither alive nor dead from fear.

The fox immediately gathered all the animals and announced:

- Big trouble has come to our forest, friends. A terrible beast nicknamed the miracle-yudo has appeared. So far no one has seen his fanged mouth or heard a wild roar. But I don’t want to tempt fate, and I don’t advise you either,” and with these words the fox went to live in the neighboring forest. Everyone else followed her silently.

And on an old tree, huddled in the very thick of the branches, a big-eyed owl sat and wondered why suddenly all the animals in the forest seemed to have died out?

It’s true what they say: fear has big eyes.

Tarantula bite

One day, while digging up a garden, a peasant saw a large tarantula jump out from under a lump of earth.

“What a disgusting spider!” exclaimed the peasant and recoiled to the side in surprise.

“Just touch me and I’ll bite you!” the tarantula hissed threateningly and moved its jaws. “Know, ignoramus, that my bite is fatal and you will die, writhing in terrible agony.” Don't come near, or things will get worse!

The peasant, however, realized that he was clearly lying, inflating his worth, since he talked so much. He took a step back, and then forcefully crushed the loquacious spider barefoot, saying:

- In words you are scary, but what are you really like? Let's see if you can send me to my forefathers!

IN last moment The tarantula still managed to contrive and bit the foot raised above him. Either the peasant was so sure that the spider’s threats were an empty boast, or the skin on his legs had completely hardened, but apart from a slight prick, he felt nothing.

Falcon and duck

Every time he hunted ducks, the falcon lost his temper. These fat swindlers constantly deceived him: at the very last moment, when he was ready to sink his claws, they managed to dive under the water and remained there much longer than he could hold motionless in the air, waiting for their appearance.

That morning the falcon decided to try his luck again. Having made several hovering circles, the predator assessed the situation and accurately identified its next victim. Folding his wings, he rushed down, like a stone released from a sling. But right before his nose the duck managed to dive into the water.

“You’re in trouble this time!” the angry falcon shouted and dived after her.

Seeing the predator under water, the duck deftly recoiled to the side and immediately darted up. Having jumped to the surface, she flapped her wings as if nothing had happened and flew away, but the heavy falcon could not get out of the water.

Flying over the unlucky hunter floundering in the water, the duck cheerfully shouted from above:

- Goodbye, godfather! I feel like I’m in water in your sky, but you’ll drown in my lake! You will be smarter in future.

Monkey and chick

Jumping from branch to branch, a young monkey somehow found a nest with chicks. She immediately put her paw at him, but the chicks instantly flew away in different directions. Only the weakest of them, who did not yet know how to fly, was unlucky.

Unable to feel her legs from joy, the monkey returned home with the chick in her hands. He charmed her so much that she began to caress him, smack him, lick him, rock him in her arms and press him tightly to her chest.

The mother looked at her daughter with emotion, but did not reprimand her for her prank.

“Just look, mom, how cute and funny he is!” the monkey shouted enthusiastically. “Oh, how I love him!”

She continued to kiss and caress the birdie until it suffocated in the hot embrace.

Let some parents think about it, unable to pull their children back in time, indulging in dangerous fun that never ends well.

Little Bear and the Bees

Before the bear had time to leave on business, her restless son, forgetting about his mother’s order to stay at home, skipped into the forest. There is so much expanse and unfamiliar alluring smells here! Not like in a cramped, stuffy den. Overjoyed, the little bear began to chase butterflies until he came across a large hollow, from which there was such a strong smell of something tasty that it tickled his nose.

Taking a closer look, the kid discovered that there were apparently no bees here. Some flew with a menacing buzz around the hollow, like sentries, while others flew in with prey and, darting inside, flew back into the forest.

Fascinated by this spectacle, the curious bear cub could not resist the temptation. He was impatient to quickly find out what was going on inside the hollow. First he put his wet nose in there and sniffed, and then he put his paw in and felt something warm and sticky. When he pulled his paw out, it was covered in honey.

Before he had time to lick the sweet paw and close his eyes with pleasure, a cloud of ferocious bees flew at him, which pierced his nose, ears, mouth... From unbearable pain, the bear cub howled and began to desperately defend himself, crushing the bees with his paws. But they stung even more. Then he began to roll on the ground, trying to drown out the burning pain, but this did not help.

Not remembering himself from fear, the baby took off running towards the house. All bitten, he ran to his mother in tears. The she-bear scolded him for pampering, and then washed the bitten areas with cold spring water.

From that time on, the little bear knew for sure that he had to pay bitterly for sweets.

Lion and rooster

Waking up at dawn, the king of beasts stretched sweetly and headed straight to the river. For the sake of order, he roared powerfully, notifying all the small animals that usually gather at a watering hole and muddy the water about his approach. Suddenly he stopped, hearing an unusual noise. Turning around, the lion saw that a hot horse was rushing towards him at full speed, followed by an empty rattle rattling, bouncing on the stones.

The lion jumped into the nearest bushes and closed his eyes in fear. Never in his life had he seen such an outlandish, rattling animal.

After sitting in the bushes and recovering a little from fright, the lion came out of the thickets, looking around, and with a cautious gait again headed towards the watering hole.

But before he could walk a few steps, a piercing cry struck his ears. Somewhere nearby a loud rooster was crowing. The lion stopped dead in his tracks, and began to tremble slightly. And the rooster, as if mocking him, crowed even more loudly at the top of his tinned throat and, moreover, began to rush around in a circle, militantly shaking his red comb.

Because of the tall grass, the lion could only see a trembling fiery crest and hear an unfamiliar cry: “Ku-ka-re-ku!” Not remembering himself from fear and forgetting about thirst, the disgraced king of beasts rushed off into the thicket of the forest.

Apparently, Leo sometimes has unlucky days, when everything goes topsy-turvy and misadventures lurk at every step.

Argument

How the doves coo! It's so much fun to look at them! - the yard dog once said, without taking his eyes off the dovecote. - Apparently, all the birds live in good harmony, no match for the cat and me.

“Don’t flatter yourself too much about the birds, my dear,” the cat sitting on the high fence.– Better listen to what’s going on in the chicken coop now.

From there came loud cackling and the noise of an argument. And soon he jumped out into the yard like a scalded old disheveled rooster and hobbled to the side, leaving a bloody trail behind him. A victorious “kook-ka-re-ku!” was heard from the chicken coop.

“Again the two roosters didn’t get along,” continued the all-knowing cat. “As long as one of them was a chicken, no matter what, everything was calm in the chicken coop.” Before he could grow up, he became a terrible brawler and bully.

The cat was right. Chickens live in peace and harmony under one roof, but two roosters can never get along in the same chicken coop - such is their nature.

Captive owl

Freedom! Long live freedom! - the blackbirds shouted, the first to see how the peasant caught the villainous owl, which at night kept the entire forest bird brethren in fear.

Soon the joyful news spread throughout the area that the owl had been caught and caged in a peasant's yard. And the man caught the owl with intent. Having planted it as bait, he set a snare for the curious birds.

“Gotcha, villainess!” the birds laughed, densely clinging to the fence, bushes and trees.

The most desperate and courageous ones flew close to the cage, trying to painfully pinch an enemy so formidable just yesterday.

- And they found justice for you! Now you won't destroy our nests.

To get a closer look at the captive owl, the birds pushed and pressed on each other until they themselves fell into the trap.

Thirsty donkey

At the appointed time, the donkey came to water. But the ducks on the pond were so loud and playful, flapping their wings, that they muddied all the water.

Although the donkey was tormented by unbearable thirst, he did not drink and, moving aside, began to wait patiently. Finally the ducks calmed down and, coming ashore, walked away. The donkey approached the water again, but it was still muddy. And he walked away again with his head down.

“Mom, why doesn’t he drink?” asked the curious frog, interested in the donkey’s behavior. “He’s already come to the pond twice and left with nothing.”

“And all because,” the mother answered the frog, “the donkey would rather die of thirst than touch dirty water.” He will wait patiently until the water clears and becomes clear.

- Oh, how stubborn he is!

“No, son, he is not so much stubborn as he is patient,” explained the frog. “The donkey is ready to endure all the hardships and sorrows.” And anyone who himself lacks endurance and patience calls him stubborn.

Snake machinations

Come here quickly! – the finch chirped cheerfully to his friend. “There are such funny creatures here.” Sitting on a branch, two chicks admired the spectacle: four worms wriggled funny near the ground above a leaf. Apparently, they were dancing some kind of intricate dance, as if inviting the chicks to take part in the fun.

One of the finches could not resist the temptation and decided to feast on easy prey. The dancing worms were temptingly plump and, in all likelihood, delicious. Having flown off the branch, he was nearby in two leaps and was about to peck when a terrible snake’s mouth opened in front of him.

The finch on the tree only managed to hear the pitiful squeak of the daredevil, from whom only a few feathers remained in the blood.

How could the inexperienced chicks know that there was a very cunning snake in the forests? Above her eyes, instead of eyebrows, there are two long processes. Hiding under the log and hiding her head among the leaves, the villainess begins to move her eyebrow horns. Mistaking them for worms, gullible birds become victims of a voracious predator. That is why a cunning person is called a snake under the deck.

Panther

Mother! - shouted the out of breath monkey, jumping onto a branch of a tall tree. - I just met a lioness. How beautiful she is!

The mother monkey parted the branches and looked at the animal, frozen in anticipation of prey.

“This is not a lioness, but a panther,” my mother explained. “You take a closer look at the color of her skin.”

- Yes, she’s just a sight for sore eyes! “You can’t take your eyes off it,” exclaimed the monkey. “It’s like everything is strewn with black roses.” And indeed, from afar it seemed that marvelous double flowers suddenly bloomed among the grass that had turned yellow from the heat.

“The panther knows how attractive she is, and uses her beauty as bait,” continued the mother monkey. “Seeing the bright attire of the stranger, the bewitched animals follow her and become easy prey for the predator.” And beauty sometimes serves for evil deeds.

Elephants

There is no animal on earth larger than the elephant. Endowed with incredible strength, he is distinguished by a gentle disposition, extremely honest and fair.

Elephants live in large clans, where the oldest leader reigns supreme. He sets the path and leads others. The most experienced elephant brings up the rear.

Children receive special care and love. They get the most delicious roots and berries. If a river gets in the way, adult elephants enter the water and form a temporary dam with their powerful bodies, so that downstream there is a ford accessible to the baby elephants.

Great lovers of water, elephants, however, cannot swim due to their excessive weight. They spend especially long periods of time splashing in ponds on full moon days, as if performing a mysterious ritual of worshiping the night luminary.

A sick elephant is treated by rubbing and medicinal herbs. Sometimes, having picked bunches of grass and flowers, elephants throw them high up, as if making a sacrifice to the sky and praying to it to heal their sick relative.

Elephants have no enemies except tusk hunters who go to any lengths for the sake of their coveted prey. Once in the ring, the elephants knock off their tusks with a strong blow to the tree trunks. Thus, they often manage to escape from encirclement and save the lives of the young.

When an elephant falls into a trap cunningly set up by hunters, the entire clan, at the command of the leader, begins to fill the hole with earth, branches and logs until the unfortunate one gets out safely.

Good-natured giants do not remember evil and take care of people lost in the labyrinth of the jungle. Elephants lead them out of the thicket and show them the way to the village.

However, elephants also have their weaknesses. They cannot stand the squeal of pigs and are afraid of mice. As soon as even one gray mouse appears in the camp, the elephants go into a frenzy, rush randomly from side to side, crushing and sweeping away everything in their path and injuring each other.

But as always, after a storm there comes a calm, and again the giants peacefully nibble the grass or splash in the river.

Cow and boa constrictor

The boa constrictor began to visit the pasture. Silently crawling through the grass, he crept up on the cow, which was leisurely nibbling the grass. Wriggling, he firmly tripped the animal and began to greedily suck the milk.

It is known that snakes are hungry for milk and can smell it from afar.

Having had his fill, the boa constrictor crawled away, and the frightened cow almost fell off her feet from fatigue.

The poor peasant could not understand why the cow lost milk during the most fertile season of herbs. The cow guiltily averted her sad eyes and mooed pitifully, as if she was trying to tell her owner about her misadventures.

wood lark

An old hermit lived in a deep forest. He loved silence, solitude and was friends with the wood lark. One day, two squires from a neighboring castle came to him and asked him to help their sick master, who, despite the efforts of famous doctors, was getting worse every hour.

Accompanied by his friend the lark, the old man immediately set off to fetch the squires, and was soon led into the castle.

Four doctors gathered at the patient’s bedside. They carried on a leisurely conversation among themselves, shaking their heads every now and then with concern.

“There’s nothing we can do to help,” one of them, who looked the most important, said quietly.

And the hermit, stopping at the threshold, did not take his eyes off his feathered friend. The lark made several circles under the ceiling, and then, flying up to the high windowsill, sat down and began to gaze intently at the patient.

“He’ll get better!” the old man said affirmatively, watching the bird.

“How dare this lout and ignoramus poke his nose into other people’s affairs!” the indignant doctors exclaimed at once.

Meanwhile, the dying man opened his eyes and, seeing a bird sitting on the windowsill in front of him, tried to smile.

His cheeks gradually began to turn pink, his strength returned, and, to everyone’s surprise, the owner of the castle said in a weak voice:

- I feel a little better.

Several days passed. Having finally recovered from a serious illness, noble knight came to the hermit in the forest, wanting to thank his healer.

“Don’t thank me,” the old man told him. “It was the bird that healed you.” The lark is very sensitive to any illness. If he looks to the side, finding himself near the patient, there is little hope for recovery, and it is already difficult to help in any way. If he does not take his eyes off the patient, then he will certainly be able to overcome the disease. With her kind, sympathetic gaze, the little bird brings healing.

And in our life, goodness, like a sensitive lark, avoids everything unhealthy, ugly and bad, preferring to live side by side with honest, noble thoughts and actions. Like birds that build nests in shady forests and flowering meadows, kindness always dwells in a sensitive, responsive heart.

True love shows itself in misfortune. Like a light, it shines brighter the darker the darkness of the night.

Loyalty

For many years, two turtle doves, a male and a female, lived in perfect harmony in a peasant’s yard. A caring peasant made an elegant house for them from planks, where the birds could rest in bad weather.

It was happy time. The male relentlessly followed his girlfriend, sharing with her the last grain and a sip of water.

In the spring, when the colorful bird fraternity began to have families and build nests, other males more than once pestered the turtle dove with the most flattering offers. But she rejected suitors, remaining faithful to her betrothed. And he entered into fierce battles with arrogant rivals, emerging from the battle with his head held high, although he often suffered greatly.

But the wounds healed, and the faithful couple continued to coo gently and enjoy every fine day.

One morning the turtle dove noticed that something was wrong with her friend. The feathers on him were matted, his gaze was dim, the male could barely stand on his feet and did not touch either drink or food.

“It’s bad for him, poor thing!” the turtledove said sadly and flew into the nearest forest to get the necessary drugs.

When she returned, holding a bunch of medicinal herbs in her beak, their house was empty. Seeing that the male had died, the peasant buried him right there in the yard under the fence.

The turtledove mourned the irreparable loss for a long time, vowing not to leave the house again and not to touch food as a sign of mourning.

She kept her vow and soon quietly gave up the ghost, unable to bear the loneliness.

Testament of the Eagle

The old eagle has long lost count of the years, living in splendid isolation among the inaccessible rocks. But his strength began to fail him, and he felt that his end was near.

With a powerful call, the eagle called his sons who lived on the slopes of the neighboring mountains. When everyone was assembled, he looked at everyone and said:

– All of you were fed, raised by me and from an early age were taught to boldly look the sun in the eyes. I starved those of your brothers who could not stand the dazzling radiance. This is why you rightfully fly above all other birds. And woe to anyone who dares to approach your nest! All living things tremble before you. But be generous and do not harm the weak and defenseless. Don’t forget the good old truth: you can force yourself to fear, but you can’t force yourself to respect.

The young eagles respectfully listened to the speeches of their parent.

“My days are numbered,” he continued. “But I don’t want to die in the nest.” No! For the last time I will rush to the sky-high heights where wings can lift me. I will fly towards the sun to burn old feathers in its rays, and will immediately collapse into the depths of the sea...

At these words, such silence reigned that even the mountain echo did not dare to disturb it.

“But know this!” the father said to his sons at the end. “At this very moment a miracle should happen: I will emerge from the water again young and strong to live a new life.” And the same fate awaits you. Such is our eagle lot!

And so, spreading its wings, the old eagle rose on its last flight. Proud and majestic, he made a farewell circle over the rock, where he raised numerous offspring and lived for many years.

Keeping deep silence, his sons watched as the eagle boldly rushed towards the sun.

Cranes

Once upon a time there was a good king in the world, but he had seemingly invisible enemies. The obedient and faithful cranes were very worried about his fate. Danger awaited the king at every step every day, especially at night, when evil enemies could easily surround the palace.

“What should we do?” the cranes wondered, having gathered for advice. “After all, the soldiers are of no use.” Instead of dutifully serving and protecting the king, they sleep soundly at night. And dogs run around so much during the day and get tired of hunting that you can’t rely on them either. All that remains is for us to guard the palace so that our good king can rest in peace.

And so the cranes divided into three flocks, assigning each a guard post and establishing a strict order for changing the guard.

The largest flock of cranes is located in the meadow that extends around the palace; another occupied all the entrances and exits, and the remaining sentries were placed in the royal bedchamber itself, so as not to take their eyes off the sleeping sovereign for a minute.

“What if someone overcomes sleep while on duty?” asked one young crane.

“And there is one sure remedy against this misfortune,” the wise leader reassured him. life experience.– Let each of you, standing at the post, hold a stone in his paw. If, at any moment, someone falls asleep, the stone will immediately fall out of the paw and notify everyone else with its noise.

Since then, the cranes have been alternately awake at night, standing on one leg and changing every two hours. And no one has yet dropped the stone from their paw, remaining faithful to the accepted agreement.

It is not for nothing that these cranes are called crowned or royal cranes for their nobility of soul and devotion to duty.

Pelican

As soon as the pelican went in search of food, the viper sitting in ambush immediately crawled, stealthily, to its nest.

The fluffy chicks slept peacefully, not knowing anything. The snake crawled close to them. Her eyes sparkled with an ominous gleam - and the reprisal began.

Having received a fatal bite each, the serenely sleeping chicks never woke up.

Satisfied with what she had done, the villainess crawled into hiding to enjoy the bird’s grief to the fullest.

Soon the pelican returned from hunting. At the sight of the brutal massacre committed against the chicks, he burst into loud sobs, and all the inhabitants of the forest fell silent, shocked by the unheard-of cruelty.

“Without you, I have no life now!” lamented the unfortunate father, looking at the dead children. “Let me die with you!”

And he began to tear his chest with his beak, right to the heart. Hot blood streams gushed from the open wound, sprinkling the lifeless chicks.

Losing his last strength, the dying pelican cast a farewell glance at the nest with the dead chicks and suddenly shuddered in surprise.

Oh miracle! His shed blood and parental love brought the dear chicks back to life, snatching them from the clutches of death. And then, happy, he gave up the ghost.

Swan

With his flexible neck bowed towards the mirror of the water, the swan peered at its reflection for a long time. He understood the reason for the fatigue and chills that permeated his entire body, as if in winter cold.

Now he knew for certain that his hour had struck and the inevitable time had come to say goodbye to life.

His feathers were as beautiful and snow-white as in the distant years of his youth. He managed to carry his robe in spotless purity through all life's adversities and trials, through heat and cold.

And now he was ready to end his days calmly and with dignity.

Curving his beautiful neck, he slowly and majestically swam up to the old weeping willow, under whose canopy he used to love to wait out the summer heat.

Evening fell and the sunset colored the calm waters of the lake purple.

In the deep evening silence that reigned around, swan singing was heard. Never before had a swan sung with such heartfelt sincerity and aching melancholy. He sang with inspiration about his love for nature, sky, water, earth...

“The swan is singing,” whispered the fish, birds and all other inhabitants of the fields, forests and meadows, enchanted by the farewell song. “This is the song of a dying swan.”

A tender, sad song echoed throughout the area and died away with the last rays of the sun.

Phoenix

While flying high over the vast desert, the phoenix noticed the distant fire of a campfire. He realized that the hour of great life test has arrived and he must steadfastly obey the dictates of fate.

The phoenix was significantly larger than all the eagles living in the world, and in terms of the beauty and brightness of its plumage it could not be compared with them.

He soared majestically in the night sky on outstretched wings, and then began to descend towards the ground in wide, smooth circles.

Once over the fire, he felt the flames greedily lick his feathers and burn his paws. Overcoming pain and remaining true to duty, the phoenix fearlessly fell into the fire.

The fire hissed, began to smoke and began to die out. But soon a tongue of blue flame began to emerge from the pile of ash, fluttering in the wind and stubbornly rising upward, as if it had wings.

This phoenix was reborn from the ashes to live again for five hundred years in the sky.

Basilisk

In ancient times, lush forests grew in northern Africa, rich in animals and birds, and deep rivers teemed with fish.

But one day a terrible monster appeared in those parts: a half-bird, half-snake nicknamed Basilisk. Above his ugly head rose a spiky fin, which humped along his back and turned into a long tail. It had webbed wings like a bat.

All the animals, large and small, were horrified by such proximity, for even the monster’s gaze exuded poison.

As soon as the Basilisk looked at an elephant or a hawk, they fell dead, struck by a poisonous gaze from which there was no escape. A general pestilence began among animals.

The surviving animals and birds decided to flee without looking back from these ruined places. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, they immediately left their native holes and nests.

The next morning the Basilisk went hunting, as usual. But no matter how much he scoured the forests, he did not find anyone there. Beside himself with rage, the monster fixed his destructive gaze on the trees, and they immediately dried up and died. Then the Basilisk angrily looked at the ground and stones, and all the grass burned, and the stones crumbled into sand. He glanced at the rivers, and they immediately became shallow.

So the once flourishing region was turned into a barren desert.

Salamander

As soon as the peasant's house caught fire, all the animals, young and old, ran away from the yard.

Frightened chickens, geese, pigeons, turkeys, rabbits, sheep, pigs, horses, cows, along with a yard dog and cat, watched the fire from afar.

Fiery tongues of flame, fanned by the wind, greedily devoured old dry logs. The roof had already collapsed and a column of sparks rose above the fire.

Suddenly a salamander crawled out from behind the bushes. She stood for a while on her short legs, looked around and immediately darted into the thick of it.

In surprise, everyone watching the fire screamed in horror and retreated back.

“Don’t worry!” the rooster reassured them. “Fire is the salamander’s native element, and it does not feel any pain from burns.”

“But, poor thing, it will burn!” the goose wailed in fear.

“She changes her skin in the fire,” answered the rooster. “And this is given only to her.” The flame makes her skin stronger and thinner, and the salamander emerges from the fire rejuvenated and renewed.

- And we turn out to be roasted on fire.

Lumerpa

A miracle bird lives among the desert mountains of Asia. She has a gentle melodious voice, and her flight is full of beauty and grandeur. Whether a bird soars in the sky or rests on a rock, it does not cast a shadow, because its down and feathers sparkle with bright light, like the rays of the sun.

Even after death, she does not disappear without a trace, for her flesh is not subject to decay, and her brilliant plumage continues to emit light as before.

But if anyone tries to take possession of this wondrous radiance by plucking out even one feather of a bird, the light will instantly dim, and the daring daredevil will immediately go blind from black envy.

The name of this rare bird is Lumerpa, which means “luminous.” It is like true glory, living incorruptibly for centuries. No one can belittle or appropriate it.

Siren

The weather died down, and the sails hung lifelessly on the mast yards. Everything froze. Even the silvery lunar path will not tremble on the surface of the water.

But suddenly the silence of the night was broken by mysterious sounds. It seemed as if the waves were whispering, sharing their impressions of the past day.

Soon, someone’s sweet singing began to be heard more and more clearly from the depths of the sea. The voice was so gentle and the melody so beautiful that it was difficult not to be charmed.

Lulled by the magical sounds, the sailors fell into a deep sleep.

And then a slight splash of water was heard, and a strange creature with the face and body of a maiden, but with the scaly tail of a fish, appeared.

It was a siren. They feared it more than the most terrible storm on the high seas.

Swimming up to the ship rocking on the waves, the sea beauty silently climbed aboard. With her eyes flashing, she touched each of the sailors with her hand, and they, without waking up, lost their lives.

Having lost control, the ship aimlessly plowed the seas until it crashed, hitting the coastal reefs, and carried to the bottom the secret of what the siren had done.

Unicorn

Sitting comfortably in the shady garden, the hunters indulged in memories of the most incredible adventures that sometimes happen during the hunt. But then the conversation turned to the mysterious unicorn.

- This is not a beast, but a real ghost! – exclaimed one of the hunters.

And indeed, recently all over the area there was only talk about a small horse with a long horn on its forehead. Many swore and swore that they had seen her, but no one had yet managed to catch the strange beast.

- Or maybe this is an evil spirit sent from the underworld to watch over us sinners? – asked one of the hunters.

- Hardly. The unicorn is too beautiful and harmless to be evil,” another objected. “But catching it is a tricky business, and it requires special ingenuity.”

A little distance away a pretty girl was sitting at her embroidery hoop. Listening to these speeches, she smiled to herself. Somebody, but she was well aware of the character of the mysterious stranger, for she was friends with him, which no one knew about in the area.

The fact is that the little elusive unicorn, who shunned everything bad and evil, was drawn to kind, beautiful girls.

When the hunters had dispersed and the garden was empty, a unicorn cautiously emerged from behind the bushes. Walking silently through the grass, he approached his friend, lay down in front of her and, placing his muzzle on her lap, stared at the girl with devoted eyes. His gaze was full of tenderness and admiration.

The unicorn has long become attached to this hardworking girl and is accustomed to while away time with her in silence, admiring the deft movements of her hands at work. And his girlfriend valued this affection, valued her friendship with the unicorn and sacredly kept her maiden secret.

But how can you keep a secret for long, if worldly rumor, like a wave of the sea, spills everything out?

Having tracked the unicorn secretly visiting his friend, the hunters set up an ambush and caught the admirer of girlish beauty.

Snake Wits

Sensing danger, the ducks flew together over the lake. From the height it was clearly visible that the entire shore was swarming with long-tailed reptiles with a prickly scaly crest on their heads and strong clawed paws. Unlike ordinary dragons, they lacked membranous wings. But they were distinguished by incredible malice and deceit. Such a creature looks at everything - everything around withers, wherever it steps - the grass does not grow.

Hunger drove these reptiles to the shore of the lake, where all kinds of living creatures were found in abundance among the reed thickets. Frustrated that the prey slipped out from under their noses, the creatures decided to cross to the other side.

They were capable of everything, but they had not learned to swim. How to be? Then one of them came up with a cunning idea: to wrap their long tails tightly around each other, forming a kind of raft.

No sooner said than done. And so the screaming monsters swam, paddling together with their paws and raising their heads high. It seemed as if Satan himself had tied them with a rope.

Flying over the swimming reptiles, the leader of the duck school shouted:

- Look! This is what can be achieved through unity and ingenuity.

Having united, evil is capable of all sorts of tricks in order to survive and do its dirty work. It wouldn’t hurt to do good things just as resourcefully and boldly.

Asp and mongoose

There is no other remedy against an asp bite than to immediately cut out the affected area with meat. That is why all living things avoid this dangerous reptile and, seeing him, run away without looking back.

The bug-eyed adder has huge ears, like sails above his head. He does not rely so much on his eyesight as on his keen hearing, and thanks to his sense of smell he is able to smell prey at great distances.

The bloodthirstiness of asps knows no bounds. In a fit of anger, the female brutally deals with the male. But soon a similar fate awaits her. In a hurry to see White light, her children gnaw at the mother’s womb and crawl out, immediately attacking all living things, and sometimes devouring each other.

But the asps also have a formidable opponent. This is a mongoose - a large mouse that lives in reed thickets on the banks of the Nile.

Sensing an adder, the mongoose runs to the river and begins to wallow in the coastal mud, and then dries out under the scorching rays of the sun. He does this repeatedly until his skin hardens, like a shell made of baked clay.

Now the animal is not afraid of any bites from a poisonous predator.

Seizing the moment, the animal boldly jumps into the open mouth of the asp and manages to gnaw its throat.

Stranger

In one remote Tuscan town, a visiting stranger somehow showed up. In order to give more weight to his person and attract attention, he began to tell tall tales about his hometown. There were so many miracles there! And, of course, it could not be compared with the local grayness and wilderness.

A small crowd gathered around the talkative guest. Soon, a smart townsman, respected by everyone in the area, approached the crowd.

After listening to the visiting narrator for a while, he politely interrupted him and said:

“If you really were born in those distant places, then everything you told us about is the absolute truth and it’s a sin to argue here.”

The stranger, very flattered by such words, put his hands on his hips and looked around his listeners with a proud look: know, they say, ours!

And the sensible townsman continued:

“That your city, my dear, is full of outlandish wonders, we have seen this with our own eyes.” After all, in these parts we have never seen such a freak as you.

Chagrin

Having gone out on a fine day to see people and show himself off, one gentleman met his old acquaintance on the street. Delighted by the chance meeting and wanting to relieve his soul, he began to eagerly interrogate his friend:

- Bah, you’re simply unrecognizable! There is no face on you and your eyes are completely dim. Has some trouble happened?

“Alas,” he answered sadly, looking away, “this happens to me when...

- How can you calmly talk about this? We need to immediately contact our famous doctor. It is important to prevent any illness in time,” and the talkative signor continued to talk about illnesses for a long time, not allowing his acquaintance to open his mouth. “Tell me, dearest Friend, how long have you been noticing such strange changes in your mood?”

- Every time I see your smug face. From great chagrin, when I meet you, the whole wide world becomes distasteful to me.

Lounger and sun

“Finally, get up, sleepyhead!” the peasant said to his son in anger. “The sun has risen a long time ago.” Aren't you ashamed to lie in bed for so long? Oh, you lazybones!

“Why are you reproaching and reproaching me with the sun?” the guy wondered, yawning sweetly. “The sun has more worries, and the journey is longer in a day.” So it’s in a hurry to get up early. My path around the house is short, and therefore it doesn’t matter if I take a nap for an extra hour.

The Charter obliges

And it is known that at certain times of the year monks must strictly observe fasting. On such days, the monastic charter prohibits them from eating meat and any other fatty foods. True, when monks are on the road or are engaged in almsgiving, then, as an exception, they are not forbidden to eat everything that fate sends down.

Once on the road on their monastic business, two monks were forbidden to rest and eat on the way to an inn, where chance brought them together with a passing merchant.

The owner of the inn was so poor that he could offer nothing to the guests except a pitiful, skinny chicken no larger than a pigeon.

When the chicken was ready, the owner took it off the spit and served it to the table whole, hoping that the diners would share it equally among themselves.

Looking at the fried chicken and immediately realizing that it was barely enough for one eater, the cunning merchant said, turning to the monks:

“It seems to me, holy brethren, that now is the height of Lent. Is not it? I don't want you to break the law because of me. So be it, I’ll take the sin upon myself and deliver you from the chicken.

The monks had no choice but to agree with the scoundrel. They did not go into detail and explain to the merchant that some concessions are possible for wandering monks.

Kupchina devoured a whole chicken with great pleasure and gnawed all the bones, while his two dining companions had to be content with a slice of bread and a piece of cheese.

After the meal, all three set off. The monks walked because of poverty, and the merchant because of his stinginess. They waved a lot until they found themselves in front of a wide river that blocked their path.

According to the custom of old times, the tallest and youngest of the monks, who was barefoot, put the fat merchant on his back and carried him ford across the river.

But having reached the middle of the ford, the monk suddenly remembered the strict regulations of the monastery charter and stopped in bewilderment. Bending under the weight of the burden, he raised his head up and asked the merchant, who was sitting comfortably on his back with his shoes and a travel bag in his hands:

- Tell me, my dear! Don't you have any money on you?

“What a stupid question!” he marveled. “It’s time for you, brother, to know that not a single self-respecting merchant would ever go on a long journey without money.”

- I'm really sorry! - said the monk. - But our charter forbids us to carry money with us.

And with these words he threw the merchant into the water. Soaked to the skin, all red with shame and annoyance, the roguish merchant was forced to agree that he got it right from the monks for the earlier trick with the chicken.

The rich man and the poor man

Once upon a time there was a poor artisan. After working in the workshop, he would sometimes visit a wealthy gentleman who lived nearby.

The craftsman knocked on the door, carefully entered and, finding himself in the rich chambers in front of the noble gentleman, took off his hat and made a respectful bow.

“What do you want from me, brother?” the owner of the house asked him one day. “I see how you come to visit me every now and then, bow, and then silently leave with nothing.” If you need something, do yourself a favor, ask, don’t be shy!

“Thank you, your lordship,” the artisan answered with respect. “I come to you to relieve my soul and see how a rich man lives.” Only we commoners can afford such luxury. Unfortunately, you, noble gentlemen, are deprived of this grace and you have nowhere to rest your soul, for only poor people like me live around you.

The Miller and the Donkey

One day, in a circle of friends, a noble gentleman, reputed to be a bookworm and an entertaining storyteller, began to passionately prove that he had supposedly lived in this world more than once before. In order to give more weight to his words, he even referred to the famous statement of the ancient sage and scientist Pythagoras.

But one of the friends kept making fun of the narrator, inserting sarcastic remarks, and preventing him from finishing the story.

Completely angry, the admirer of ancient philosophy decided to reason with the scoffer and declared:

“To prove that I’m right, I remember that in that distant time, you, ignoramus, were a simple miller.”

These words clearly touched a nerve with his friend, but he was not one of those who needed to be pulled by the tongue.

- Who's arguing with you? “You, as always, are absolutely right,” he replied. “Shouldn’t I remember that in those days it was you, my friend, who was the same donkey who carried bags of grain to my mill.”

One hundred for one

On Saturday, the priest went to bless his parishioners and collect donations for the construction of the temple. In the evening he wandered into the house of a local artist.

Having gone up to his workshop, the priest began to wave the holy water sprinkler with such zeal that he soaked the sheets with drawings for the upcoming fresco paintings.

Seeing that the work was ruined, the artist became seriously angry. In order to hush up his mistake, the priest began to calm him down:

“Don’t be angry, my son, that’s the custom!” And I act as my duty commands me, for I know that by doing so I am doing a good deed. Anyone who acts righteously must hope with hope in the words of the Almighty: “For every good deed on earth, may heaven reward us a hundredfold!” A hundred for one! Remember these words and don't get angry.

The artist waited until the talkative preacher left the studio, and then ran to the window.

Seeing that the priest was going out into the street, he poured a whole bucket of water on his head.

“Take it, holy father!” the artist shouted from the window. “Here is your reward a hundredfold from heaven for the spoiled drawings!” A hundred for one!