The Sparrow with the Clipped Tongue
Long ago, in a village, there lived an old man and an old woman. They had no children, so the old man kept a sparrow in a cage and loved it like his own child.One day, the old man went to the forest to gather firewood, and the old woman stayed home to do the laundry. She forgot the starch in the kitchen and went to fetch it, but it was gone. While the old woman was washing by the well, the sparrow hopped out of its cage and ate everything. The old woman guessed that the sparrow had pecked at the starch and became furious. She caught the poor bird, pried open its beak, and said:
"Was it your tongue that caused me such trouble?" She grabbed a pair of scissors—snip!—and the sparrow was left without a tongue. The old woman threw it outside and laughed:
"Go wherever you want now!"
"Oh, oh, oh..." the sparrow chirped pitifully and flew away from the yard.
In the evening, the old man returned from the forest with a bundle of firewood on his back.
"Oh, how tired I am today! And the sparrow must be hungry. I’ll give it some grain."
He approached the cage, but the sparrow was gone. Surprised, the old man asked his wife:
"Listen, old woman, do you know where our sparrow has gone?"
"Ah, the sparrow! Your sparrow ate all my starch!" the old woman replied angrily. "I cut out its tongue for that and drove it away."
"Oh, poor thing, how cruelly you treated it!" the old man exclaimed in despair.
The old man couldn’t sleep that night, wondering where his tongueless sparrow had flown. The next day, he got up at dawn and set out to find his beloved pet. He walked aimlessly, tapping his stick and calling out:
"Where are you, little sparrow with the cut tongue? Answer me! Where is your home? Where is your home?" He crossed fields, climbed over mountains, and walked through more fields and mountains. Finally, he came to a place where bamboo grew. Suddenly, he heard:
"The sparrow with the cut tongue lives here!" The old man was overjoyed and followed the voice. He saw a red house in the shade of thick bamboo groves, and the tongueless sparrow was already unlocking the gate and coming to meet him:
"Welcome, old man!"
"How are you, little sparrow? I’ve missed you so much—I came to visit."
"I’m very glad to see you. Thank you, old man. Please, come in!"
The sparrow led the old man into its rooms. There, the sparrow bowed at the old man’s feet and said:
"I’m sorry for eating your precious starch without asking. Please forgive me and don’t be angry."
"Don’t say that! It’s my fault. Such misfortune befell you in my absence. But I’m happy to see you again."
The sparrow gathered all its close relatives and friends, and they treated the old man to his favorite dishes. Then, to a cheerful song, they performed sparrow dances for him. The old man was so delighted that he even forgot about his home. But it was time to return—it was getting dark. The old man hurried:
"Thank you, little sparrow. I’ve had a wonderful day, but now I must take my leave. Before the sun sets completely, I need to go home."
"My humble hut is yours, but please stay the night!" the sparrow pleaded, joined by the others.
"I’d love to, but the old woman is waiting at home. Forgive me, I can’t stay today. I’ll come again."
"What a pity. Well then, wait a moment—I’ve prepared a gift for you."
The sparrow left and soon returned with two baskets.
"Here, old man, are two baskets: one heavy, the other light. Choose whichever you like!"
"Oh, my! You’ve treated me so well, and now gifts... Very well, I’ll take one. But I’m old, and the road is long, so I’ll take the lighter one."
The old man shouldered the lighter basket and bid farewell to the sparrows.
"Well, goodbye. I’ll visit again."
"Please do! We’ll be waiting. Take care..." The sparrows saw him off to the gates.
The old woman sat at home, fuming. The sun had set, but the old man still hadn’t returned.
"Where has he disappeared to?" she grumbled. Finally, the old man appeared with the basket on his back.
"Where have you been all this time?"
"Don’t be angry, old woman! I visited the sparrow today. Oh, how they treated me! They even performed dances! And look, they gave me this gift."
The old man took the basket off his shoulders, and the old woman smiled warmly:
"Oh, that’s wonderful! What’s inside?" She lifted the lid and gasped. The basket was full of treasures: gold, silver, coral, and pearls—all glittering so brightly it hurt the eyes. The old man was delighted.
"You know," he said to the old woman, "the sparrow offered me two baskets: one heavy, the other light—take whichever you like. But I’m old, and the road was long, so I took the lighter one. Honestly, I didn’t expect such precious things inside."
The old woman pouted:
"Oh, you old fool! You should’ve taken the heavy one. Surely, it had even more treasure than this."
"Don’t be so greedy, old woman. This is enough for us."
"Enough? What nonsense! I’ll go myself and bring back the heavy basket."
The old man tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn’t listen. She didn’t even wait for morning and left the house. It was already dark, but the old woman, not minding the road, walked with a stick in her hand, shouting:
"Where are you, sparrow with the cut tongue? Answer me!" She crossed fields, climbed over mountains, and walked through more fields and mountains. Finally, she reached the bamboo groves. Suddenly, she heard:
"The sparrow with the cut tongue lives here!" "At last!" thought the old woman. She followed the voice and saw the tongueless sparrow unlocking the gate.
"Ah, it’s you, old woman! Welcome," he said kindly and led her inside.
The sparrow wanted to take her upstairs, but the old woman looked around and refused.
"No, I see you’re well, and there’s nothing more for me here. Just give me the gift quickly, and I’ll be on my way!"
"How greedy you are!" the sparrow thought to himself.
The old woman hurried him, shouting:
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
"Just a moment, I’ll bring it right away," said the sparrow and soon returned with two baskets.
"Here are two baskets: one heavy, the other light. Choose whichever you like."
"Give me the heavier one!"
The old woman shouldered the heavy basket, bid a hasty farewell, and set off home. The basket was heavy to begin with, but as she carried it, it grew even heavier. Her bones creaked, and her back nearly broke. No matter how stubborn she was, she had to give up.
"Ugh! If it’s this heavy, there must be so much treasure inside! What joy!" the old woman muttered. "Let me see what’s inside! I’ll rest a bit too."
She sat on a stone by the roadside, set the basket down, and quickly lifted the lid. But instead of dazzling treasures, all sorts of monsters and vermin began crawling out.
"Here she is, that greedy old witch!" they cried and lunged at her.
Some stared at her with terrifying eyes, while others licked her face with sticky tongues. The old woman nearly fainted.
"Help! Save me!" she screamed in a wild voice and ran off in a panic.
Only by dawn, barely alive, did she manage to stumble home.
"What happened to you, old woman?" the old man asked, frightened. She told him what had happened, and the old man said:
"See what trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. Next time, don’t be so heartless and greedy!"
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