The Crow, the Snake and the Golden Necklace (from Kalila wa Dimna)

The book of Kalila and Dimna tells that a crow and his wife lived in a warm nest at the top of a tall tree near a green mountain. They loved their tree very much. Every spring they built their nest from small twigs and soft feathers, laid their eggs in it, and waited happily for the little chicks to hatch.

The crow's wife loved to decorate the nest with small shiny things she found in the fields: a colorful feather, a red leaf, and a blue thread of wool. Every morning the crow flew far away to bring food, and in the evening he came back and told his wife about the wonders he had seen: villages, fields, and rivers. They dreamed of teaching their chicks to fly over the green mountain.

But there was a big problem. In a hole at the foot of the tree lived a large snake. Every spring, when the crows laid their eggs, the snake would quietly climb the tree and take the eggs from the nest. The crows would come back to find the nest empty, and they would be terribly sad.

Each time, the crows tried to stop the snake. They cawed and flapped their wings, but the snake was bigger than them and paid no attention to their cries. Afterward, the crow's wife would sit silently on the branch, looking at the empty nest with tears in her eyes. The crow would try to comfort her: "We'll build a new nest and try again." But he was just as sad as she was.

One day, the crow's wife sat on the branch and said, with tears in her eyes, "Husband, I can't stay here. Every year we lose our eggs. Let's leave this tree and look for another place." The crow said, "But this is our tree, and we have beautiful memories here. I don't want to leave it. There must be a solution."

"We've tried everything," said his wife. "We built the nest on the highest branch, covered it with leaves, and stayed beside it day and night. Nothing worked." The crow thought and said, "Wife, sometimes we can't see the solution because we're too close to the problem. We need someone to look at it with different eyes." So his wife agreed that he should ask a wise friend for advice before they left.

The crow thought for a long time, then said, "I'll go to our friend the jackal. He is wise and gives sound advice." He flew to the jackal and told him his story. The jackal listened carefully, then said, "My friend, the snake is stronger than you, and you can't fight it with your beak. But a wise creature uses his mind where strength is no use. I have an idea."

This jackal was known throughout that land for his wisdom, and animals came from everywhere to ask his advice. He sat by a big rock near the river, listening more than he spoke and never hurrying to give his opinion. When the crow finished his story, the jackal was silent for a long time. He looked at the sky, then at the river, as if he were weighing things in his mind.

The crow came closer, and the jackal said, "Fly to the king's palace nearby and look for something precious and shiny, like a necklace or a bracelet, that one of the princesses leaves near the pool. Take it in your beak and fly slowly so the guards can see you, then drop it by the snake's hole. The guards will come to get the necklace, they will see the snake, and they will drive it away from the tree." The crow was delighted. "What a clever idea!"

Then the jackal warned him, "But be careful, my friend. Don't carry the necklace far away or hide it. It isn't yours, and its owners will be sad to lose it. We only want to lead the guards to the tree, and then the necklace will go back to its owner. A clever trick is only fair if it wrongs no one." "I promise the necklace will be returned whole," said the crow.

The next morning, the crow flew to the palace garden. It was a very beautiful garden, with a fountain, flowers, and fruit trees. He saw a little princess playing near the pool. She had taken off her gold necklace and laid it on the stone edge so it wouldn't get wet. The crow swooped down lightly, took the necklace in his beak, and rose slowly into the air.

When the crow reached the palace wall, he hesitated a little, afraid the guards might catch him. But he remembered his sad wife and the empty nest, and he gathered his courage. He knew he had to be quick and calm at the same time. So he flew around the garden twice, watching the place, until he saw the right moment.

"My necklace!" the princess cried. "The crow took my necklace!" The guards ran after the crow, looking up at the sky and following him. The crow flew slowly, sometimes stopping on trees so the guards wouldn't lose track of him. He flew over fields and roads until he reached his tree, then dropped the necklace right by the snake's hole and flew up to a high branch to watch.

The guards reached the tree and saw the necklace glittering by the hole, and they saw the big snake coiled there. "Look!" said the head guard. "This snake is near the tree, and it's a danger to passers-by and birds." They carefully picked up the necklace, then brought long sticks and drums and made a great noise, until the snake was frightened and slithered far, far away to the distant rocks behind the mountain, and it never came back.

The two crows stood on the highest branch, watching the snake move farther and farther away until it vanished among the rocks. Then they looked at each other, hardly believing that their big problem was over without anyone being harmed.

The guards went back to the palace and returned the necklace to the little princess, who was overjoyed. "It seems that crow wanted to show us something," said the head guard. As for the crow, he flew to his wife and said joyfully, "The snake is gone! Our tree is safe!" His wife clapped her wings and said, "How clever you are, husband, and how wise our friend the jackal is!"

The next day, the little princess came to the tree with her guards. She looked up at the two crows at the top and said, "I think that crow was asking us for help." Then she ordered that a dish of grain be left at the foot of the tree every week. The crows were very happy, and they cawed whenever they saw the princess pass by, as if greeting and thanking her.

The following spring, the crows built their nest again and laid their eggs, and the mother sat on them for many long days, calm and at peace. One bright morning, the eggs hatched, and little chicks came out, opening their beaks and crying with hunger. The crow flew off to bring them food, singing with joy.

When the chicks had grown a little, the crow taught them how to fly from branch to branch, how to look for food, and how to watch out for danger. Every evening he told them the story of the golden necklace and said, "My little ones, when you face a big problem, don't cry and don't run away right away. Sit down and think, and ask someone wiser than you." The chicks listened carefully and learned the story by heart.

The crow went to the jackal to thank him, and the jackal said, "My friend, strength isn't always in claws and fangs. Sometimes a clever plan and calm thinking are stronger than any force." The crow smiled. "I've learned to ask the wise for advice before I give up or do something rash."

This fable from Kalila and Dimna teaches us that intelligence and careful planning can solve what strength cannot, and that whoever faces a big problem should neither despair nor rush, but ask wise people for advice, think calmly, and look for a clever solution that doesn't hurt anyone needlessly.