The Bird That Told the Truth

Once upon a time, there lived a king and a queen. The king went off to war, leaving the queen pregnant. The king’s mother disliked her daughter-in-law and was constantly scheming to harm her. While the king was away, the queen gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The old queen immediately wrote to the king, claiming that his wife had given birth to a puppy and a kitten. He replied that both the puppy and the kitten should be placed in a chest and thrown into the sea. And so it was done—both children were placed in a chest and cast into the waves.

Not long after, a merchant who traded in various goods was traveling through those parts with his wife when they spotted the chest floating on the water.

“Oh, what a beautiful chest!” said the merchant’s wife. “I would love to know what’s inside—it must be something very valuable.”

The merchant pulled the chest out of the water and gave it to his wife. At first, she hesitated to touch it, but finally, she opened it and found a lovely little boy and a beautiful little girl inside. The merchant and his wife took them in and raised them alongside their own two children. Every day, fifty écus would appear under the boy’s pillow, and every day, a shining golden star would appear on his sister’s chest.

One day, while the boy was at school with the merchant’s son, he said to him:

“Brother, I forgot to bring bread with me. Could you break off a piece of yours for me?”

“You’re not my brother,” replied the merchant’s son. “You’re just a foundling—you were found in a chest in the sea, and no one knows where you came from.”

The poor boy was deeply saddened.

“If I’m not your brother,” he said, “then I will go and find my father.”

He shared his intention with his adoptive parents. They loved him dearly, perhaps partly because of the fifty écus, and tried their best to dissuade him, but their pleas were in vain. The boy took his sister by the hand and said:

“Sister, let’s go find our father.” And so, the two of them set off on their journey.

Soon, they came across a large castle. They entered and asked if they needed a dishwasher and a stable boy. The owner of the castle was their real father. The old queen did not recognize them but still suspected something was amiss. She gave them a sideways glance and said:

“Fine servants they are! Drive them away!”

However, they were taken into service. They did their work well, but the old queen kept muttering:

“These kids are no good; we should get rid of them.” One day, she said to the king:

“The boy boasted that he could fetch water that dances.”

The king immediately summoned the boy.

“Listen,” he said to him, “I need to speak with you.”

“What do you wish, Your Majesty?”

“You boasted that you could fetch water that dances.”

“Me, Your Majesty? How could I fetch such water? I don’t even know where to find it.”

“Whether you boasted or not, if you don’t bring me that water by noon tomorrow, you will be burned alive.”

“So be it,” said the boy, and he set off on his journey.

Along the way, he met an old fairy, who asked him:

“Where are you going, royal son?”

“I’m not a royal son; I don’t know who I am. The old queen is always trying to get rid of me; she demanded that I fetch water that dances, but I don’t even know what that is.”

“What will you give me,” said the fairy, “if I help you?”

“I have fifty écus; I’ll gladly give them to you.”

“Very well. Enter the green grove, and there you will find water that dances and water that does not. Fill a flask with the dancing water and leave immediately.”

The boy found the water he needed and brought it to the king.

“Does it really dance?” asked the king.

“I saw it dance, but I don’t know if it will keep dancing.”

“If it danced once, it will dance again. Put it away for now.”

The next day, the old queen said to the king:

“The boy boasted that he could fetch a rose that sings.” The king summoned the boy and said to him:

“You boasted that you could fetch a rose that sings.”

“Me, Your Majesty? How could I fetch such a rose? I’ve never even heard of it.”

“Whether you boasted or not, if you don’t bring it by noon tomorrow, you will be burned alive.”

The boy set off on his journey and once again met the old fairy.

“Where are you going, royal son?”

“I’m not a royal son; I don’t know who I am. The king wants me to bring him a rose that sings, but I don’t know where to find it.”

“What will you give me if I help you?”

“The same as I gave you the first time—fifty écus.”

“Very well! Enter the beautiful garden; there you will see roses that sing and roses that do not. Quickly pick the one that sings and return at once—don’t linger.”

The boy followed the fairy’s advice and brought the rose to the king.

“This rose doesn’t sing,” said the old queen.

“We’ll see about that!” replied the king.

Some time later, the old queen said to the king:

“The girl boasted that she could fetch a bird that speaks the truth.”

The king summoned the girl and said:

“You boasted that you could fetch a bird that speaks the truth.”

“No, Your Majesty, I did not boast. How could I fetch such a bird?”

“Whether you boasted or not, if you don’t bring it by noon tomorrow, you will be burned alive.”

The girl had no choice but to set off on her journey. She, too, met the fairy.

“Where are you going, royal daughter?”

“I’m not a royal daughter—I’m just a poor dishwasher. The king’s mother wants to get rid of us; she sent me to fetch a bird that speaks the truth, but I don’t know where to find it.”

“What will you give me if I help you?”

“I’ll give you a golden star; if that’s not enough, I’ll give you two.”

“Very well! Do as I say. At midnight, go to the green grove; there you will see many birds. They will all cry out, ‘It’s me!’ Only one will say, ‘It’s not me!’ Take that one and leave as quickly as possible, or you will turn into a pillar of salt.”

When the girl entered the grove, all the birds began to cry:

“It’s me! It’s me!” Only one said:

“It’s not me!”

But the girl forgot the fairy’s advice and turned into a pillar of salt.

Her brother, seeing that she had not returned to the castle, asked to go and look for her. He met the old fairy again.

“Where are you going, royal son?”

“I’m not a royal son; I don’t know who I am. My sister went to fetch the bird that speaks the truth and hasn’t returned.”

“You will find your sister and the bird,” said the fairy. “What will you give me if I help you?”

“Fifty écus, as always.”

“Here’s what you must do. At midnight, go to the green grove, but don’t do as your sister did: she didn’t follow my advice and turned into a pillar of salt. You will see many birds; they will all cry out, ‘It’s me!’ Quickly grab the one that says, ‘It’s not me!’ Let it touch your sister’s head with its beak, and she will come back to life.”

The boy did exactly as the fairy advised: he took the bird and made it touch his sister’s head with its beak. His sister immediately came back to life, and they returned to the castle together. The bird that speaks the truth was placed in a cage, and the water that dances and the rose that sings were placed on the table.

Many people came to see these wonders. The king said:

“We must hold a grand feast and invite all our friends. Then we will see if the children have brought what I asked for.”

At the king’s invitation, many noble guests arrived. The old queen grumbled:

“What’s so special about water, a rose, and a bird that speaks the truth?”

“Wait and see,” said the king. “We’ll find out what they’re worth.”

During the feast, the water began to dance, the rose started to sing, but the bird remained silent.

“Well,” said the king, “show us what you can do.”

“If I speak,” said the bird, “some of those feasting here will be ashamed.”

“Speak anyway!” said the king.

“Isn’t it true,” said the bird, “that once, when you were away at war, your mother wrote to you, claiming that the queen had given birth to a puppy and a kitten? Isn’t it true that you ordered them to be thrown into the sea?”

Seeing that the king was about to get angry, the bird added:

“What I say is true, absolutely true. That puppy and that kitten are here: they are your children, your son and your daughter.”

The king was furious upon learning how he had been deceived and ordered the old queen to be thrown into boiling oil. From then on, he lived happily, and all his endeavors prospered, thanks to the bird that spoke the truth.

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The Bird That Told the Truth

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