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The Duel Between Elephant and Sparrow Corrected

1) A sparrow's nest was destroyed by an elephant suffering from a fever, crushing the sparrow's eggs. 2) The sparrow lamented the loss of her eggs to her friend, the woodpecker. 3) They devised a plan with another friend, a gnat, to get revenge on the elephant by using their collective wits against the larger animal.

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18 views

The Duel Between Elephant and Sparrow Corrected

1) A sparrow's nest was destroyed by an elephant suffering from a fever, crushing the sparrow's eggs. 2) The sparrow lamented the loss of her eggs to her friend, the woodpecker. 3) They devised a plan with another friend, a gnat, to get revenge on the elephant by using their collective wits against the larger animal.

Uploaded by

jobhadevna
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Duel between Elephant and Sparrow

In a dense jungle lived a sparrow and his wife who had built their nest on the branch of a tree. In due
course of time, they had a family.

One day, a jungle elephant with the fever was distressed by the heat, and came beneath that tree in search
of shade. Blinded by his fever, he pulled with the tip of his trunk at the branch where the sparrows had
their nest and broke it. In the process the sparrows' eggs were crushed, though the parent-birds, further
life being predestined, narrowly escaped death.

Then hen-sparrow was devastated and began to wail in lamentation. Hearing this, the woodpecker, a close
friend of hers, said, "My dear friend, why lament in vain? For the scripture says:

For lost and dead and past

The wise have no laments:

Between the wise and fools

Is just this difference.

Since kinsmen's sticky tears

Clog the departed,

Bury them decently,

Tearless, whole-hearted.

"That is good theory," said the hen-sparrow, "but what of it?

This elephant, curse his fever, killed my babies. So if you are my friend, come up with a plan to kill this
big elephant. If that were done, I should feel less grief at the death of my children. You know the saying:
While one brings comfort in distress,

Another jeers at pain;

By paying both as they deserve,

A man is born again."

"Madam," said the woodpecker, "your remark is very true. For the proverb says:

A friend in need is a friend indeed;

Fathers indeed are those who feed;

True comrades they, and wives indeed,

Whence trust and sweet content proceed.

"Now let us see what I can devise using my wit. I have another friend, a gnat called LuteBuzz. Let’s seek
for her help so that this villainous beast of an elephant may be killed.”

He went with the hen-sparrow, found the gnat, and said: "This is my friend the hen-sparrow. She is in
mourning because a villainous elephant smashed her eggs. You must lend your assistance while I work
out a plan to kill him."

"My dear friend," said the gnat, "there is only one possible answer. I have an intimate friend, a frog
named Cloud-Messenger. Let us the call him into consultation. For the proverb says:

A wise companion find,

Shrewd, learned, righteous, kind;

For plans by him designed

Are never undermined."

All three went together and told Cloud-Messenger the entire story. The frog said, "That wretched elephant
is doomed when pitted against a great throng so enraged! Gnat, you must go and buzz in his fevered ear,
so that he may shut his eyes in delight hearing your music. Then the woodpecker's bill will peck out his
eyes. After that I will sit on the edge of a pit and croak. And he, being thirsty, will hear me, and will
approach expecting to find a body of water. When he comes to the pit, he will fall in and perish."

Then they carried out the plan. The fevered elephant shut his eyes in delight at the song of the gnat, was
blinded by the woodpecker, wandered thirst-smitten at noonday, followed the croak of a frog, came to a
great pit, fell in, and died.

Principle:

The power of the mightiest is no match for the shrewd ways of a throng that is both intelligent
and rightfully enraged.

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