The White Snake

Long ago there lived a king who was famed throughout the land for his wisdom. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if the very air whispered secrets in his ear. But the king had a strange custom. Every evening, when the meal was over and the table cleared, a trusted servant carried in one last, covered dish. No one knew what lay beneath the lid, for the king never tasted of it until he was quite alone in the hall.

One evening the servant grew so curious that he could hold back no longer. He carried the dish into his own room, locked the door carefully, and lifted the lid with gentle hands. There lay a long, white snake, gleaming like moonlight on water. He could not resist the temptation, so he cut off a tiny piece and put it on his tongue. At that very moment he heard chirping and twittering outside his window, and when he listened, he understood every word. It was the sparrows telling one another all they had seen in field and forest. The flesh of the white snake had given him the language of the animals.

But on that very day the queen lost her most beautiful ring, and suspicion fell upon the young servant, who was allowed to go everywhere in the castle. The king sent for him with stern eyes. 'If by tomorrow you cannot name the thief, you yourself will be held guilty and put to death.' The servant swore over and over that he was innocent, but the king would not listen. With heavy steps the young man walked out of the hall and did not know where to turn.

Anxious and uneasy, he went down into the courtyard to think. By a little brook sat a flock of ducks quietly preening themselves. They were chatting in low voices, and the servant stopped to listen. They were telling one another about all the fine places where they had searched for food that morning. Then one of them sighed: 'Something lies so heavy in my belly. I ate in such a hurry this morning that I swallowed a ring that was lying beneath the queen's window.' At once the servant lifted her gently by the neck and carried her to the cook. 'Here is a fine duck. Please dress her for the spit.' And when the cook cut her open, the queen's ring shone inside.