The Tsar and the Finch

Once upon a time—or perhaps not—there lived a very powerful but evil and heartless king. He was extremely greedy: whatever good or valuable thing he saw in his kingdom, he would immediately seize and claim for himself. He only enriched and indulged his close associates, while robbing everyone else.

All the king's servants, encouraged by the king himself, plundered and tormented the people so much that no one could live in peace. Perhaps not even half of the loot reached the king, but who could speak of it? Who would dare to shout at the king's men, "Hey, what are you doing?" or complain to the king? And if anyone dared, they would be instantly beheaded or shackled and thrown into the dungeons forever.

Everyone suffered and did not know how to escape this evil misfortune. Out of nowhere, a little finch appeared in the kingdom. The finch flew into the palace, perched on a branch in the garden, and began to sing:

"The wicked king robs the poor,
Enriches only his own, the cruel one!
The wicked king robs the poor,
Enriches only his own, the cruel one!..."

And sometimes it sang differently:

"Our king destroys all the righteous,
Beats both women and men!
Our king destroys all the righteous,
Beats both women and men!"

The king grew furious at the finch. He ordered his men to catch the bird at all costs. Everyone rushed to catch it, and they finally succeeded. They grabbed the finch and brought it to the king. As soon as the finch saw the king, it began to insult and curse him even more.

The king, enraged, commanded:
"Take it, slaughter it, gut it, wash it, roast it, and serve it to me on a platter." Immediately, the king's order was carried out—they took the finch, slaughtered it, washed it, skewered it, roasted it, and served it to the king on a platter.
The roasted finch lay on the table and sang:

"I adorned the king's table,
But I gave him no peace!
I adorned the king's table,
But I gave him no peace!"

The king, furious, grabbed the finch, tore it into pieces, and swallowed it.
After lunch, the king, as usual, went for a walk in the garden with all his courtiers, when suddenly the finch began to sing inside the king's stomach:

"I fed the wicked king,
And cursed him as he deserved!
I fed the wicked king,
And cursed him as he deserved!"

The king was terrified: "What if it does something to me?" He summoned all his healers. The healers gave the king all sorts of medicines to rid him of the finch. But the king was afraid the finch might escape alive. He gathered all his advisors and courtiers and said:

"Surround me from all sides, guard me, draw your swords and sabers, and as soon as the finch appears, chop it down so it doesn't escape alive, or I'll chop all of you into pieces!"

Everyone was terrified, trembling. But the finch just kept singing, cursing the king and all his servants.
The courtiers drew their swords and sabers, surrounded the king, and waited. In the chaos, the finch suddenly leaped out. All the courtiers swung their swords and sabers—and ended up striking the king.
The king fell, dying.

And the finch chirped, flapped its wings, flew up, perched on a branch, and sang:

"The wicked king has been struck down!
The wicked king has been destroyed!"

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The Tsar and the Finch

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