THE HAWK AND THE CZAR
Lev Tolstoj's fable
After the hunting, the czar overcome by thirst, went to a spring together
with his beloved hawk. The water dripped very slowly, and he needed
a great deal of patience to fill his cup; when, at last, the czar could
take it to his lips, the hawk flapped his wings and spilled all the
water. The czar took the cup to the spring and waited that it was filled
up again, but once again the hawk made it fall down. A little bit irritated,
the czar repeated the operation for the third time, and, again the incorrigible
hawk prevented him from drinking.
-“ So you do it on purpose! - cried out the enraged czar
and threw him against the rock, killing him. Then he went again to fill
the cup when his servants arrived and shouted at him:
-“ Don't drink, don't drink Sir. A snake shed(poured)
its poison in this water!
The czar did not drink looked at his dead hawk, and weeping said:”
Too late I see how much that bird was worth.!”
(Lev Tolstoj)
