Story 181 - The Golden Oriole

A T a certain time, a Golden Oriole having perched on a tree, while it was [there] reflected,

“On account of my [golden] colour when shall I obtain a food [suitable] for me ?”

At the time when he was thinking thus, he saw that a fruit on a Jak-tree had ripened. Then a crow having come, dug into that very J ak-fruit. Thereupon the Golden Oriole, being pleased, laughed. Then after the crow flew away the Golden Oriole went near the J ak-fruit, and taking a section from it flew away.

Putting away somewhere the food possessing the [golden] colour equal to his colour, he sang songs.

He saw near there a King-Coconut tree, and thinking,

“The fruit and flowers on the King-Coconut tree, and I, and my food are of one [golden] colour,”

he was pleased.

Having perched on the King-Coconut tree, while he was eating the section of Jak a Crested Eagle, flying above, seizing the Golden Oriole for the purpose of the Crested Eagle’s food, flew aloft [with him].

While it was flying [away with him] the Golden Oriole says,

“For the fault that I committed (i.e., the pride in his personal appearance), taking me let us go flying still higher,”

he said to the Crested Eagle. Thereupon the Crested Eagle having killed the Golden Oriole ate him.

North-central Province.

 

Note:

This story reminds me of a little tragedy that I witnessed many years ago at Anuradhapura. While I was sitting in the veranda of the Rest-house, my attention was attracted by a friendly Black Robin (Thamnobia fulicata), a bird in habits much like the common Robin of Europe and with the same trustful confidence in man. After picking up insects on the ground close to the veranda it flew up, and perching in the shade on the lower branch of a tree a few feet distant from me, in the full enjoyment of its innocent life uttered a happy little song. Suddenly, in the midst of its notes there was a downward rush of a dark bird from behind, and in an instant the hapless Robin was bteing carried away in the merciless claws of a Sparrowhawk which must have been hidden in another part of the tree. The hawk was merely fulfilling the Law of Nature; the strong always devours the ..weak, without pity.

In A. von Schiefner’s Tibetan Tales (Ralston), p. 355, a crow which uttered agreeable (that is, auspicious) sounds when a woman’s husband was absent on a journey, was promised a golden cap by her if he returned safe and sound. When he came back in health and the crow repeated the agreeable sounds, she gave it the cap, and the crow put it on and flew about proudly with it. A falcon, seeing the cap, then tore ofl the crow’s head on account of it (apparently because it coveted the gold).