What the Larks Sing About

Once upon a time, there was a king, and the king had only one son. It so happened that the heir fell ill. The king summoned doctors from all over the kingdom and ordered them to cure his son.

The doctors examined the sick prince, consulted one another, and tried to figure out how to treat him. But they could not determine the illness, nor could they prescribe any medicine. And so they left. The king then issued a proclamation throughout the land: whoever heals the prince will receive precious gifts and untold riches.

And so, an old sorcerer came to the palace. He examined the prince and said:

"The prince will recover when he eats the tongue of a bird that is not a bird, which is killed by a man who is not a man, with a gun that is not a gun, made of wood that is not wood."

Having spoken these words, the old man left the palace without asking for any reward.

The king summoned his boyars, told them the old man's words, and asked for their advice:

"What is this bird that is not a bird? Who is this man who is not a man? What is this gun that is not a gun, made of wood that is not wood?"

The boyars began to think, trying to solve the king's riddle.

After some thought, they all said in unison:

"The bird that is not a bird is, of course, the lark. It flies, yes, but it spends more time walking on the ground. It sings, yes, but only in the sky, not like other birds. And after singing, it falls to the ground like a stone."

"And the man who is not a man," said the boyars, "is, of course, the shepherd. He does not live in the village like other people, but in the wilderness, like a wild beast. He does not spend time with people but with sheep—how can he be a real man?"

"And the wood that is not wood," the boyars decided, "is surely the linden tree. Its wood is soft and fragile—how can it compare to real wood!"

"And the gun that is not a gun—what else could it be?—is surely the bow and arrow. The bow is made entirely of linden, and the string is made of bast."

The king heeded the boyars' advice. The boyars made a bow and ordered the shepherd to be brought in.

"Here is a linden bow," the boyars said. "Go and shoot the bird that is not a bird—the lark. We will tear out its tongue, give it to the king's son, and he will recover."

The shepherd took the bow and went to hunt the lark.

The lark would soar straight up to the sun, singing a ringing song, and then dive down like a stone, taunting the hunter. The shepherd was already tired of chasing it when suddenly the lark landed on the ground and spoke in a human voice:

"Why are you pursuing me? Do you really want to kill me? We have known each other for a long time. Before you, no one climbs the hill—and I am the first to sing when I see you. I am your friend, and yet you aim your arrow at me."

The shepherd opened up to the lark.

"It is not I who wants to kill you—it is the boyars. They decided it at the king's council. They deemed me a man who is not a man, and they said you are a bird that is not a bird. They gave me a gun that is not a gun—a linden bow with a bast string—all made of wood that is not wood. They ordered me to kill you to take your tongue, and with that tongue, they will heal the king's son."

The lark laughed.

"The boyars have deceived you! I am a real, genuine bird. I flap my wings and soar high. I open my beak, and a song pours out. I raise my chicks like other birds. And when winter comes, I struggle with the blizzards, staying in my native land, not flying to foreign lands. Tell me—how many such birds are there in the world?"

"And think about yourself: how can you be a man who is not a man, when you guard your flock in rain and cold, care for every lamb, and spare no effort for the sake of others? You are the truest of men! And the linden tree—it is real wood," the lark continued. "Think about it—what are the rafters over your roof made of? The beams in your attic? And what do you eat your soup with—is your spoon carved from oak? Linden is real wood. And your bow and arrows—they are good weapons. How many enemies have been driven away from our hearths with this weapon! But if you want to know what a gun that is not a gun is—it is a tube made of elderberry, from which boys shoot peas. Elderberry is wood that is not wood, because it is almost entirely pith, with only a hard tube. And the people who are not people—they are the ones who sent you to kill me: the boyars, the parasites, the idlers. They are truly people who are not people, because they have no brains in their heads—only a linden stump! A boyar has very little mind under his hat, and perhaps he never had any at all!"

After singing this song, the lark soared high into the sky, toward the sun. All larks, as soon as they see the shepherd, fly high, high up, then dive down like stones, and all the while they sing:

"A boyar has very little mind under his hat, and perhaps he never had any at all!"

The larks have been singing this song to this very day.

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What the Larks Sing About

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