A long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman. Every day the old man went to the mountains for firewood. And then one day, when the old man was returning home with brushwood, he heard a squeak in the bushes near the road.
"What's happened?" - thought the old man and quickly ran to the place where the squeak was heard. He looked closer and saw a small sparrow. The sparrow's leg was bruised and therefore could not fly.
The old man was very kind, he took pity on the little sparrow and took him to his home. He gave the sparrow water to drink,
fed him delicious millet and began to take care of him. The old man fell in love with the sparrow very much.
Little Sparrow recovered quickly and every day he merrily sang a song:
When the wind blows
Bamboo leaves are dancing
And with them
Sparrows dance too.
Children who lived in the neighborhood came to play with the sparrow. Only the old woman did not fall in love with the little sparrow.
One morning, when the old man was getting ready to go to the mountains for brushwood, the little sparrow chirped sadly.
- What are you, what are you! - said the old man. “I’ll be back soon...” Then he asked the old woman: “Make sure you don’t offend the sparrow without me.” Feed him and give him something to drink.
And he left.
When it was time for lunch, the little sparrow flew up to the old woman who was washing clothes at the well and chirped:
- Bye-bye-bye-bye!.. Grandma, feed me. Bye-bye-bye!..
But the old woman pretended that she did not understand. Then the sparrow saw a bowl of starch on the ground. “This must be delicious,” he thought, flew up to the bowl and pecked off all the starch.
The old woman saw this. She quickly ran up to the sparrow and shouted:
- You worthless sparrow! I prepared this starch for laundry, and you pecked it all! Here you go! - She hit the little sparrow painfully. - Fly wherever you want!
And the little sparrow flew away crying.
In the evening the old man returned home. He approached the cage, but it was empty.
- Old woman, where did the sparrow go? - asked the old man.
- He's disgusting. He pecked my starch, and for this I beat him and drove him away.
- What? - the old man was scared. - Poor little sparrow! Where did he fly to?
That evening the old man thought only about the little sparrow and could not sleep. As soon as morning came, he left the house. But this time he did not go for brushwood, but walked all day through the fields and mountains - looking for a sparrow.
- Sparrow, where are you? Where is your home? - the old man called.
But no matter how much the old man walked, he could not find him anywhere.
Soon the old man approached the bamboo thickets.
- Sparrow, where are you? Where is your home? - he kept repeating.
And suddenly from the bamboo thickets a voice was heard:
- Here, here is his home! - And two sparrows flew up to the old man.
They sang the little sparrow's favorite song:
When the wind blows
Bamboo leaves are dancing
And with them
Sparrows dance too.
Two sparrows led the old man to the sparrow house. At the gate the old man was met by a whole flock of sparrows. They all chirped warmly and invited:
- Please come in, come in!..
When the old man entered the house, he shouted: “Grandfather!” - a little sparrow flew up. It was a little sparrow that the old man saved. Little Sparrow and the old man were very happy to see each other again.
The old man was led into a large room. The sparrow's father and mother thanked the old man and treated him to sweets.
Then the sparrows hung a lot of paper lanterns in the garden and began to dance. They danced and sang:
When the wind blows
Bamboo leaves are dancing
And with them
Sparrows dance too.
Finally the old man said: “I have to go.” I'll go.
“Well,” said the sparrow, “if grandfather needs to return home, let him go.” But we will definitely give him a gift.
The sparrows brought two baskets: a large one and a small one.
“Grandfather,” said the little sparrow, “this basket is big, this one is small.” Take whichever one you want.
“I’m old,” the old man answered, “I don’t have much strength.” I'll take the small one. And why do I need a big one?
He took the basket and began to say goodbye:
- Thank you very much, little sparrow! Be healthy.
“Be healthy, grandfather, come again,” said the little sparrow.
And the old man went home along the path strewn with sakura flowers.
The old woman was very angry that the old man returned home late. When he told her that he had brought a gift, the old woman was delighted and quickly opened the lid of the basket. The basket was filled to the brim with corals, gold, beautiful fabrics and various treasures. Both the old man and the old woman were very happy. However, when the old man said that he took the smaller of the two baskets, the old woman became angry again:
- How stupid you are, why didn’t you take the big one! You can't do anything properly! I’ll have to go to the sparrows myself and bring a large basket.
And although the old man did not let the old woman go, she did not listen and left.
The old woman ran and shouted loudly:
- Sparrow, where is your house?
Soon she came to a bamboo thicket. Sparrows flew out to meet her. Just like the old man, they led her to their house. Entering the house, the old woman spoke in a gentle voice:
- Oh, little sparrow, you’ve recovered! Well, I'm very glad. Don't treat me, I'm in a hurry. I won't watch the dances either. Hurry up and give me gifts!
The sparrows marveled at the old woman's greed. But still they brought two baskets: one small, the other large.
“Take any one,” they said.
- This one, this one! - the old woman shouted.
She grabbed a large basket, put it on her back and quickly went home.
The basket was heavy, and the old woman was very tired. Besides, she wanted to quickly find out what was in the basket.
She stopped, put the basket on the ground and slowly opened the lid.
And then, one after another, terrible monsters began to jump out of the basket. The old woman started to run, the monsters followed her.
- Evil! Greedy! Wait a minute! - they shouted after her.
The old woman was very scared, and she ran with all her might. But when she ran out of the forest, the monsters suddenly disappeared.
With difficulty the old woman made it home. She told the old man everything and promised to become kind and never be greedy again. The old man was very happy about this.
They sat for a long time in the garden and listened to a familiar song:
When the wind blows
Bamboo leaves are dancing
And with them
Sparrows dance too.

A lullaby about a sparrow:

My young friends - I know a lot of fairy tales.
To begin with, today I’ll tell you about the sparrow.
Without scaring the pigeons, the sparrow jumped in the puddle.
I cleaned the tail, washed the neck and dried it in the sun.
And a cat was walking along the crooked path.
The cat saw a little mischievous bird,
She began to quietly crawl up to catch her by the tail.
Even the pigeons took off - they didn’t want to fight with the cat.
But I did not allow the cat to offend the sparrow.
Scram,” I shouted to this cat, “go your way.”
The sparrow heard a cry, chirped, chirped,
He didn’t look at me and flew to the roof.
He hid behind the pipe and admired himself.
Well, at this time the cat crawls out of the window,
She crawls towards the sparrow, quietly opens her mouth,
He wants to grab the poor guy and drag him to the kittens.
Suddenly a crow flew in and sat on the roof nearby.
She hit the roof with her beak - the sparrow heard her,
He jumped onto the ledge and flew down from there.
Sparrow washed himself in a puddle, flew home for dinner,
I ate a delicious cutlet, drank warm tea with candy,
He cleaned his beak and yawned, sat on a branch and fell asleep.
He will sleep until morning. It's time for the kids to go to bed too.

Lullaby about a sparrow:

There is a gray cat outside the window.
He's wandering around somewhere near the house.
It goes, then it comes,
Sings a lullaby.
It goes, then it comes,
He sings about the sparrow.
*
The cat is sleeping on the floor.
The pigeons also sleep on the roof,
and in the big basement there are mice
They sleep quietly in their corner.
And in the big basement there are mice
They sleep quietly in their corner.
*
So the evening has come.
A crow sleeps near the net.
The sparrow fell asleep on a branch,
Because he's tired.
The sparrow fell asleep on a branch,
Because he's tired.
*
Get up early tomorrow.
Say goodbye to Banilaska.
Children close their eyes
Roma will also sleep.
Children close their eyes
And Ilyusha will sleep.
Children close their eyes
And Svetlana will sleep.
Children close their eyes
Ksyusha will also sleep.
Children close their eyes
....... will sleep.

From branch to branch, from roof to ground - hop-hop.

- Chick-chirp! Tick-tweet! “From morning to evening, the restless sparrow flutters around, having fun. He, the little one, doesn’t care about anything. There he will peck at a grain, and here he will find a worm. This is how he lives.

An old crow was sitting on a tree. Black, angry, important. She glanced sideways at the sparrow with one eye and envied his fun. A sparrow sits and flies, sits again and flies again. Tick-tweet! Tick-tweet! Insufferable sparrow!

“Sparrow, sparrow,” asks the crow, “how are you doing?” How do you get your own food?

But the sparrow cannot sit still for a minute.

“Yes, I’m pecking at the reeds,” the sparrow answers in flight.

- And if you choke, then what? Will you have to die?

- Why die right away? I’ll scratch it, scratch it with my claws and pull it out.

- And if blood starts to flow, what will you do?

“I’ll wash it with water, rinse it off, the bleeding will stop.”

- Well, what if you wet your paws in water, will you freeze, catch a cold, and your paws will hurt?

- Chick-chirp, chick-chirp! I’ll light a fire, warm my paws, and I’ll be healthy again.

- What if you start a fire? Then what?

“I’ll flap my wings and put out the fire.”

- And if you burn your wings, then how will you fly?

“I’ll ask the doctor to cure me.”

The crow doesn't stop:

- What if there is no doctor? What to do then?

- Chick-chirp! Tick-tweet! There, you see, a grain will turn up, there will be a worm, there will be a cozy place for a nest, the sun will gently warm you, the breeze will blow. I’ll be cured without a doctor and still live!

The sparrow said this, fluttered up, and was gone. And the old crow got ruffled, rolled its eyes, and moved its beak dissatisfied.

Life is good, wonderful! Live, don't give up. Be as cheerful as a sparrow.

Posts tagged “tale about the sparrow”

The blade of grass and the sparrow

A sparrow sat on a blade of grass and wanted it to shake it. But the blade of grass did not want to shake the sparrow, so it took it and threw it away.

The sparrow got angry at the blade of grass and chirped:

Wait a minute, lazy thing, I’ll send goats at you! The sparrow flew to the goats:

Goats, goats, go gnaw on a blade of grass, it doesn’t want to shake me!

The goats did not listen to the sparrow.

Wait a minute, goats, I’ll send wolves at you!

The sparrow flew to the wolves;

Wolves, wolves, go strangle the goats, they don’t want to gnaw the blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to rock me.

The wolves did not listen to him either.

Wait a minute, wolves, I will send hunters for you! The sparrow flew to the hunters:

Hunters, hunters, go beat the wolves, they don’t want to strangle the goats, and the goats don’t want to gnaw on a blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to rock me!

The hunters did not listen to him either.

Wait a minute, hunters, I’ll send ropes on you!

The sparrow flew to the ropes:

Ropes, ropes, go tie up the hunters, otherwise the hunters don’t want to beat the wolves, the wolves don’t want to strangle the goats, the goats don’t want to gnaw on a blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to rock me!

They didn’t listen to the ropes either.

Wait, ropes, I’ll send fire on you! The sparrow flew to the fire:

Fire, fire, go burn the ropes, otherwise the hunters don’t want to tie the ropes, the hunters don’t want to beat the wolves, and the wolves don’t want to strangle the goats, the goats don’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to rock me!

The fire did not listen either.

Wait, fire, I’ll send water on you! A sparrow flew to the river:

Water, water, go put out the fire, otherwise the fire doesn’t want to burn the ropes, the hunters don’t want to tie the ropes, the hunters don’t want to beat the wolves, the wolves don’t want to choke the goats, the goats don’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to rock me!

The water didn’t listen either.

Wait a minute, water, I’ll send oxen against you! The sparrow flew to the oxen:

Oxen, oxen, go drink water, otherwise the water doesn’t want to put out the fire, the fire doesn’t want to burn the ropes, the hunters don’t want to tie ropes, the hunters don’t want to beat the wolves, the wolves don’t want to choke the goats, the goats don’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, but the blade of grass doesn’t want shake me!

The oxen did not listen either.

Wait a minute, oxen, I’ll send a gouge at you! The idiot didn’t listen either.

Just wait, you idiot, I’ll send worms on you! The worms did not listen either.

Wait a minute, worms, I’ll send chickens at you! A sparrow flew to the chickens and began to ask them to help in trouble.

Okay,” the chickens answered, “we’ll help!” The chickens went to peck at the worms, and now they are pecking. The worms went to sharpen the chisel, and now they are sharpening. The oxen went out to beat, and now they are beating. The oxen went to drink water, and now they are drinking. The water went to extinguish the fire, and now it is extinguishing it. The hunters went to knit ropes, and now they are knitting them.

The hunters went to beat the wolves, and now they are beating them. The wolves went to strangle the goats, and now they are strangling them. The goats went to gnaw on a blade of grass, and now they are gnawing. The blade of grass of the sparrow began to sway, and now it sways.

Sparrow and blade of grass

A sparrow flew up onto a blade of grass* and said:

Rock the sparrow, good fellow! Answers:

Don't want!

Go get the goat, let the goat come to gnaw on the blade of grass, the blade of grass doesn’t want to shake the sparrow, good fellow.

And the goat says:

Don't want!

Go get the beast. Go, wolf, there’s a goat, the goat doesn’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to rock the sparrow, good fellow,

Wolf says:

Don't want!

Go, people, beat the wolf, the wolf doesn’t want to kill the goat, and the goat doesn’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to shake the sparrow, good fellow.

People say:

We don't want to!

Go,” he says, “then for the Tatars.” Tatars, Tatars! Go kill people, people don’t want to beat a wolf, and a wolf doesn’t want to cut a goat, a goat doesn’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and a blade of grass shakes a sparrow, good fellow.

Yes, and the Tatars say:

We don't want to kill people!

And people say - we don’t want to beat the wolf; and the wolf says, “I don’t want to kill the goat; and the goat says - I don’t want to gnaw on a blade of grass; and the blade of grass says - I don’t want to rock the sparrow, good fellow.

Go, says the sparrow, for fire! After all, the Tatars don’t want to chop people down, people don’t want to beat a wolf, and a wolf doesn’t want to kill a goat, and a goat doesn’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and a blade of grass doesn’t want to rock a sparrow, good fellow.

And the fire says:

Don't want!

And the sparrow says (look, he orders everything to his servants):

Walk on the water! Go, water, put out the fire, because the fire does not want to burn the Tatars, and the Tatars do not want to chop people, and people do not want to beat the wolf, and the wolf does not want to kill the goat, and the goat does not want to gnaw a blade of grass, and the blade of grass does not want to shake the sparrow, good Well done! And the water says:

Don't want!

Go get the oxen! Oxen, oxen! Come, oxen, drink water, the water doesn’t want to put out the fire, the Tatars don’t want to burn the fire, the Tatars don’t want to chop people down, the people don’t want to beat the wolf, but the wolf doesn’t want to cut them. a goat, and a goat doesn’t want to gnaw the blade of grass, and the blade of grass doesn’t want to shake the sparrow, good fellow.

The oxen don’t want it either!

So the sparrow says:

Go get the fucker**! Let him go beat the oxen, because the oxen don’t want to drink water, the water doesn’t want to put out the fire, and the fire doesn’t want to burn the Tatars, the Tatars don’t want to chop people down, the people don’t want to beat the wolf, the wolf doesn’t want to slaughter a goat, and the goat doesn’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, but the blade of grass does not want to shake the sparrow, good fellow. Dolbnya says:

Don't want!

Go, worms, sharpen the gouge, because the gouge doesn’t want to beat the oxen, the oxen don’t want to drink water, and the water doesn’t want to put out the fire, the Tatars don’t want to burn the fire, and the Tatars don’t want to chop people, and people don’t want to beat the wolf, but the wolf doesn’t wants to slaughter the goat, but the goat does not want to gnaw the blade of grass, and the blade of grass does not want to shake the sparrow, good fellow.

The worms don't want to.

Go, he says, and get some chickens! Go, chickens, peck worms, the worms don’t want to sharpen the gouge, the gouge doesn’t want to beat the oxen, the oxen don’t want to drink water, the water doesn’t want to put out the fire, but the fire doesn’t want to burn the Tatars, the Tatars don’t want to chop people down, and the people don’t want to beat the wolf , the wolf does not want to kill the goat, and the goat does not want to gnaw a blade of grass, and the blade of grass does not want to shake the sparrow, good fellow.

And the chickens say:

We don't want to.

Go,” he says, “to the kite!” Go, kite, grab the chickens, because the chickens don’t want to peck the worms, and the worms don’t want to sharpen the gouge, and the gouge doesn’t want to beat the oxen, and the oxen don’t want to drink the water, and the water doesn’t want to put out the fire, doesn’t want to burn the fire of the Tatars, don’t the Tatars want to chop people down, but people don’t want to beat a wolf, and the wolves don’t want to kill a goat, and the goat doesn’t want to gnaw a blade of grass, and a blade of grass doesn’t want to shake a sparrow, good fellow!

A kite for chickens, chickens for worms, worms for a hollow, a hollow for oxen, and oxen for water, and water for fire, fire for Tatars, and Tatars for people, people for a wolf, and a wolf for a goat, a goat for a blade of grass, and a blade of grass Then:

K-o-o-lyh, k-o-o-lyh,

His father is a hundred years old!

* Blade (f.) - a stalk of grass. (Not a blade of grass grows there) (Source: Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by D.N. Ushakov)
**Dolbnya (dolbukha, dolbekha, dolbeshka, dolbevnya zh. mallet, chekmar) - a type of large wooden hammer or block with a hewn handle, rammer. (You can’t hammer it into your head.) (Source: Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by V. Dahl)

The Fox and the Sparrow

One day a fox caught a sparrow.

- Oh, little fox, will you really eat me? Wait a little! - the sparrow begged. “You forgot to sing the hunting song.” I don’t care if I die, and you won’t have luck next time!

“He’s telling the truth,” thought the fox, raised her muzzle and began:

But as soon as she had time to open her mouth, the sparrow flew up and sat down on a tree. There he straightened out his crumpled feathers, cleaned his beak and, looking at the fox, began to jump from branch to branch.

The deceived fox pretended to be offended and said to the sparrow:

- Instead of teasing me, at least tell me where I can eat.

“Okay, follow me,” the sparrow answered and flew away. The fox, wagging its tail, ran after him. Soon they noticed a woman and a boy. She carried a bowl of hominy on her head and a jug of sour milk in her hand.

“Stay here, little fox,” said the sparrow. “I’ll pretend to be crippled, the woman will leave her burden and chase me.” Look, don't yawn here!

The sparrow flew up and fell in front of the woman, pretending that he could not fly. The boy pestered his mother to catch the sparrow. The mother put her burden on the ground and chased the bird. The little son ran after. The sparrow jumped from place to place and took them further and further. Meanwhile, the fox went to the left bowl, ate the hominy and licked the jug of curdled milk.

- Well, little fox, are you full? - asked the sparrow, returning.

“My friend,” answered the fox, “I am very grateful to you - I ate to my fill!”

- Now what else do you want?

“Make sure I have a good laugh, then dinner will be good.”

“Okay, follow me,” said the sparrow.

He flew to the field where three brothers, stubborn and narrow-minded, were hoeing corn.

“Stay here, fox, by the fence and watch what I will do,” said the sparrow.

Then he fluttered up and sat on his older brother’s head.

- Stop, don’t move! - shouted the middle brother.

He raised his hoe and, thinking of killing the sparrow, hit the elder one on the head so hard that he fell down. And the sparrow sat on the head of the middle brother.

Then the younger brother, in order to deal with the annoying sparrow, in turn swung his hoe and hit his middle brother on the head.

Then the sparrow sat on the head of his younger brother. He pulled out a dagger and hit himself on the top of his head, thinking of finishing off the sparrow, but instead, bleeding profusely, he fell to the ground.

The fox rolled on the ground laughing. Sparrow asks her!

- How are you, little fox? Did you laugh enough?

- Of course! I almost died laughing!

- Maybe you want something else?

“Now I would just like to frolic, to chase someone.”

“Okay, I’ll try to make you run as much as you can,” said the sparrow and led the fox to the village itself.

The dogs sensed the fox and rushed after it. The fox, fleeing from them, hid in the hollow of an old oak tree. The hole was narrow, and the dogs could not reach it. When the danger had passed, the fox began to ask his feet:

- How did you help me?

“If it weren’t for us,” said the legs, “you wouldn’t have gotten here, and the dogs would have caught up with you.”

- And you, eyes?

“If we hadn’t noticed the dogs in time, they wouldn’t have let you down.”

-What did you do, tail?

“I fanned the dogs when they were chasing you.”

The fox got angry at her tail and stuck it out of the hollow with the words:

– If so, then go to the dogs! The dogs, clinging to the tail, pulled the fox out of the hollow and strangled it... And I skinned it and brought it home to make a case for a gun.

Neighbours

Really, one might think that something happened in the pond, but in reality absolutely nothing! But all the ducks, both calmly dozing on the water and those flipping over on their heads, tails up - they can do this too - suddenly hurried to the shore; Traces of their paws were imprinted on the wet clay, and their quacking could be heard in the distance for a long, long time. The water also became agitated, and just a minute before it had stood motionless, reflecting in itself, as in a mirror, every tree, every bush, an old peasant house with dormer windows and a swallow’s nest, but most importantly, a large rose bush in full bloom, growing above the water near the wall of the house. But all this stood upside down in the water, like an inverted painting. When the water became agitated, one thing ran into another and the whole picture disappeared. Two feathers, dropped by ducks, were quietly swaying on the water, and suddenly they seemed to be driven and swirled by the wind. But there was no wind, and soon they again calmly lay down on the water. The water itself also gradually calmed down, and it again clearly reflected a house with a swallow’s nest under the roof and a rose bush with all its roses. They were miraculously good, but they didn’t know it themselves - no one told them this. The sun shone through their delicate fragrant petals, and the roses felt as good in their hearts as sometimes happens in our moments of quiet, happy reflection.

How good life is! - said the roses. - We would only like one more thing - to kiss the warm red sun and those roses in the water! They are so similar to us! However, I would like to kiss those little, tender chicks in the nest, down there! There are also chicks sitting above us! These top ones poke their heads out of the nest and squeak! They don't yet have feathers like their father and mother. Yes, we have nice neighbors both above and below. Oh, how good life is!

The upper and lower chicks - the lower ones were only a reflection of the upper ones - were sparrows; their mother and father too. They took possession of last year's swallow's nest and settled in it as if it were their own.

Are these duck babies swimming on water? - asked the sparrows, seeing the duck feathers.

Don't ask stupid questions! - answered the mother sparrow. “Don’t you see that these are feathers, a living dress, the same as I wear, the same as you will have, only ours is thinner!” It would be nice, however, to get these feathers into the nest - they provide great warmth!.. But I would like to know why the ducks were afraid? Something happened there, under the water - it wasn’t me they were afraid of... Although, suppose I said “peep” to you quite loudly!.. The stupid roses should have known this, but they never know anything, only look at themselves in the pond and smell. I'm tired of these neighbors!

Listen to these cute little birds on top! - said the roses. - They are starting to try out their voices! They can't do it yet, but soon they will learn to chirp! This will be joy! It's nice to have such cheerful neighbors!

At this time a pair of horses galloped up to the pond; they had to be given water. On one of them sat a village boy astride; he took off everything he was wearing except his black wide-brimmed hat. The boy whistled like a bird and rode with the horses into the deepest part of the pond. Driving past a rose bush, he plucked one and tucked it into the ribbon of his hat; Now he imagined himself to be so elegant! After watering the horses, the boy left. The rest of the roses looked after the one who had left and asked each other:

Where did she go? But no one knew this.

I would like to go around the world too! - the roses said to one another. - But it’s great here too! The sun warms during the day, and at night the sky glows even brighter! You can see it through the little holes on it!

They considered stars to be holes - after all, roses might not even know what stars are.

We bring the whole house to life! - said the sparrow. - Besides, a swallow's nest brings happiness, as people say; so they are very happy to see us! But this pink bush near the house only breeds dampness. I hope that they will remove it from here, then at least something useful can grow in its place! Roses serve only for appearance and smell, many, many - for decorating a hat! I heard from my mother that they fall off every year, and then the peasant’s wife collects them and sprinkles them with salt, and they already receive some kind of French name - I can’t pronounce it, and I don’t want to! Then they are placed in burning coals so that they smell good. That's it; they are only suitable for pleasing the eyes and nose. That's it!

Evening came; Mosquitoes and midges danced in the warm air, the light clouds turned purple, and the nightingale sang. His song rushed towards the roses, and it said that beauty is a ray of sunshine that enlivens the whole world! But the roses thought that the nightingale was praising itself - and why shouldn’t they think so? It never occurred to them that the song could relate to them. They only innocently rejoiced at her and thought: “Couldn’t all the sparrows become nightingales?”

We understand perfectly well what this bird sings! - said the sparrows. - Only one word is unclear. What is "beauty"?

Yes, empty! Just for show! - answered the mother. - There, in the master's estate, where the pigeons have their own home and where they are treated to peas and grains every day - by the way, I ate with them and you will too: tell me who you hang out with, and I will tell you who you are himself - so, there in the yard, there are two birds with green necks and a tuft on their heads. Their tail can open, but when it opens - well, your wheel, and even the whole thing shimmers with different colors, it just hurts the eyes. These birds are called peacocks, and this is what beauty is. If only we could pluck them a little, they would look no better than us! Wow! I would have pecked them if they weren't so huge!

I'll kill them! - said the youngest, still very naked little sparrow.

A young couple lived in the house - a husband and wife. They loved each other very much, they were both so cheerful, hard-working, and their house was lovely and cozy. Every Sunday morning, a young woman picked a whole bouquet of the most beautiful roses and placed it in a glass of water on a large wooden chest.

So I see that today is Sunday! - said the husband, kissed his pretty wife, then both sat down next to each other and, holding each other’s hands, read the morning psalm together. The sun shone through the window on fresh roses and on the young couple.

It’s sickening to look at them! - said the sparrow, looking into the room from the nest, and flew away.

Everything was repeated the next Sunday - after all, fresh roses appeared in the glass every Sunday morning; The rose bush was still blooming magnificently. The sparrows, who had already fledged, would also like to fly with their mother, but the sparrow told them:

Stay at home! - And they stayed.

And she flew and flew and somehow got her paw into a horsehair snare that the bird catchers had attached to a branch. The noose dug into the sparrow’s leg, as if it wanted to cut it. That was pain! And fear! The boys jumped up and roughly grabbed the bird.

A simple sparrow! - they said, but still did not release the bird, but carried it to their yard, treating it to the nose with clicks every time it squeaked.

Meanwhile, an old man was standing in the yard, making soap for his beard and hands, in balls and in pieces. The old man was so cheerful, he constantly moved from place to place, and never lived anywhere for long. He saw the boys have a bird and heard that they were going to release it into the wild - what did they care about a simple sparrow!

Wait! - he said. - We'll do something with her. This will be beautiful!

Hearing this, the sparrow trembled all over. And the old man took out from his box, where the most wonderful paints were kept, a whole pack of gold leaf in leaves, ordered the boys to bring him an egg, smeared the whole bird with white and then covered it with gold. The sparrow became all golden, but she did not even think about her splendor, but trembled with her whole body. Meanwhile, the old man tore a piece of paper from the red lining of his old jacket, cut it out with teeth like a cock’s comb, and glued it onto the bird’s head...

Now let's see how the golden bird flies! - said the old man and released the sparrow, which rushed away in horror. That was the shine! All the birds were alarmed - sparrows and even a crow, and not just any one-year-old chick, but a big one! They all set off after the sparrow, wanting to find out what kind of important bird it was.

Wow, amazing! Wow, amazing! - the crow croaked.

Wait! Wait! - the sparrows chirped.

But she didn't want to wait; she flew home in horror, but her strength was fading more and more; The sparrow was every minute ready to fall to the ground, and the flock of birds kept growing and growing. There were both large and small birds; some flew close to her to peck at her.

Look! Look! - they chirped and tweeted.

Look! Look! - the chicks also chirped when she flew up to her nest. - This is probably a peacock! Wow, so colorful! It’s unbearable to the eyes, as my mother said. Pip! Here it is, beauty!

And they all began to peck at her with their noses, so that she could not get into the nest, and from horror she could not even say “peep”, let alone “I am your mother!” The other birds also began to peck at the sparrow and plucked all the feathers from her. Drenched in blood, she fell into the very middle of the rose bush.

Poor bird! - said the roses. We'll cover you! Bow your head to us!

The sparrow once again spread her wings, then pressed them tightly to her body and died with her neighbors, fresh, beautiful roses.

Pip! - said the sparrows. -Where did mommy go? Or did she do this thing on purpose? That's right, it's time for us to live by our own minds! She left us the nest as an inheritance, but someone alone needs to own it! After all, each of us will have our own family! To whom?

Yeah, there won’t be a place for you here when I get a wife and children! - said the youngest.

I will have more wives and children than you! - said another.

And I'm older than all of you! - said the third.

The little sparrows quarreled, flapped their wings, pecked each other and - bang! - fell out of the nest one after another. But even lying stretched out on the ground, they did not stop quarreling, twisting their heads to the side and blinking with their eyes turned upward. They had their own way of sulking.

They already knew how to fly somehow, practiced a little more and decided to part, and in order to recognize each other when they met, they agreed to shuffle three times with their left leg and say “peep.”

The youngest, who remained in the nest, tried to sit in it as widely as possible; Now he was the complete master here, only for a short time. At night, a flame appeared from the window of the house and engulfed the roof; the dry straw caught fire, the house burned down, and with it the sparrow; the young couple were happily saved.

The next morning the sun rose; all nature looked so refreshed, as if strengthened by a healthy sleep during the night, but in place of the house only charred beams stuck out, resting on a brick chimney, which was now its own mistress. The ruins were still smoking heavily, but the rose bush stood still fresh and blooming; every twig, every rose was reflected in the calm water of the pond, as if in a mirror,

Oh, what a beauty! These roses - and nearby the charred ruins of a building! - said some passerby. - The most beautiful picture! We must use it!

And he took out of his pocket a book with clean, white pages and a pencil - it was an artist. He quickly sketched with a pencil the smoking ruins, charred beams, a crooked chimney - it became more and more crooked - and in the very foreground a blooming rose bush. The bush was truly beautiful, and it was for its sake that the whole picture was painted.

During the day, two sparrows, born here, flew by.

Where is the house? - they said. - Where is the nest? Pip! Everything burned, and our brother burned too! This is for him for taking the nest for himself! But the roses survived! Still showing off their red cheeks! Perhaps they do not grieve over the misfortune of their neighbors? Obnoxious! And I don’t want to talk to them! And in general it has become really bad here! What a disgrace!

And they flew away.

One day in the fall it turned out to be a wonderful sunny day - really, one would think it was summer. The courtyard in front of the high porch of the manor's estate was dry and clean; pigeons walked here - black, white, and gray; their feathers sparkled in the sun; the old mother doves puffed up their feathers and said to the young doves:

To the groups! To the groups!

It was more beautiful and visible that way.

Who are these little gray babies that scurry around under our feet? - asked the old dove with greenish-red eyes. - Gray crumbs! Gray babies!

These are little sparrows! Nice birds! But we have always been famous for our meekness - let them bite with us! They do not interfere in the conversation and shuffle their paws so cutely.

The sparrows were indeed shuffling; each of them shuffled his left paw three times and said “peep.” Therefore, everyone immediately recognized each other - these were three sparrows from a burnt house.

It's great to eat here! - said the sparrows.

And the doves hovered around the doves, smugly puffing up their feathers, sticking out their crops, judging and dressing.

Look, look at that big-eyed dove over there! Watch her swallow peas! Look, everyone is grabbing the biggest, best peas! Kurr! Kurr! Look how she sticks out her crop! Look at this cute little girl! Kurr! Kurr! - And their eyes became bloodshot with anger. - In groups! To the groups! Gray babies! Gray babies! Kurr! Kurr! - this is how it went on for them, goes on and will go on for thousands of years.

The sparrows pecked and listened, also gathering in groups, but this did not suit them at all. Having had their fill, they left the pigeons and began to wash their bones, then slipped under the bars straight into the garden. The door to the room overlooking the garden was open, and one of the sparrows jumped onto the threshold - he had eaten heavily and therefore plucked up courage.

Pip! - he said. - How brave I am!

Pip! - said another. - I'm braver than you!

And he jumped over the threshold. There was no one there, the third sparrow noticed this perfectly and flew into the very middle of the room, saying:

To enter is to enter, or not to enter at all! What’s really funny here, however, is the man’s nest! What is this placed here? Yes, what is it?

Just in front of the sparrows, roses were blooming, reflected in the clear water, and nearby charred beams stuck out, leaning on a chimney that was about to fall.

What is this? How did all this get to the master's estate?

And all three sparrows wanted to fly over the roses and the pipe, but they hit right against the wall. Both the roses and the trumpet were painted, not real: the artist painted a whole picture from a small sketch he made.

Pip! - the sparrows said to each other. - It's so empty! Just for show! Pip! This is beauty! Do you understand anything about this? I am absolutely nothing!

Then people entered the room and the sparrows flew away.

Days and years passed, the pigeons continued to coo, not to say grumble - feisty birds! Sparrows froze and starved in winter, but lived well in summer. They all started families, or got married, or whatever you want to call it! They already had chicks, and each chick, of course, was more beautiful and smarter than all the chicks in the world. They all scattered into different sides, and if they met, they recognized each other by shuffling their left paw three times and by a special “peep” greeting. The oldest of the sparrows born in the swallow's nest was a sparrow; she remained a maiden, and she had neither her own nest nor chicks. She took it into her head to go to some big city, and she flew to Copenhagen.

Near the royal palace, on the very bank of the canal, where there were boats with apples and pottery, she saw a large multi-colored house. The windows, wide at the bottom, narrowed at the top. The sparrow looked at one thing, looked at another, and it seemed to her that she was looking into the cups of tulips: all the walls were full of different designs and curlicues, and in the middle of each tulip stood white people - some made of marble, others of plaster, but for the sparrow whether marble or plaster - everything was one. On the roof of the building stood a bronze chariot with bronze horses, which were driven by the goddess of victory. This was the Thorvaldsen Museum.

Shine, shine! - said the sparrow. - This is truly beauty! Pip! But there's something bigger than a peacock here!

She still remembered the explanation of the greatest beauty that she had heard from her mother as a child. Then she flew down into the yard. It was wonderful there too. There were palm trees and various branches painted on the walls, and in the middle of the courtyard there was a large blooming rose bush. He bowed his fresh branches, strewn with roses, towards the gravestone. The sparrow flew up to her, seeing several more sparrows there. Pip! And she shuffled her left paw three times. The sparrow greeted all the sparrows with this greeting from year to year, but no one understood it - those who parted do not meet every day - and now she repeated it simply out of habit. Lo and behold, two old sparrows and one young one also shuffled their left paws three times and said “peep.”

Oh, hello! Hello!

It turned out that they were two old sparrows from a swallow's nest and one young offspring of the family,

So that's where we met! - they said. - This is a famous place, but there’s nothing to profit from! Here it is, beauty! Pip!

From the side rooms, where the magnificent statues stood, many people came out into the courtyard; everyone approached the stone slab under which he rested great master, who sculpted all these marble statues, and stood near her for a long, long time in silence, with a thoughtful but bright expression on their faces. Some people collected fallen rose petals and hid them as souvenirs. Among the visitors were those who came from afar - from great England, from Germany, from France. The most beautiful of the ladies took one rose and hid it on her chest. Seeing this, the sparrows thought that roses reigned here and the whole building was built specifically for them. According to the sparrows, this was too great an honor for the roses, but since people looked after them, the sparrows did not want to lag behind.

Pip! - they said and began to sweep the floor with their tails and glance sideways at the roses with one eye. They looked for a short time and quickly recognized their old neighbors. It was them, after all. The artist, who sketched a rose bush and the charred ruins of a house, then asked permission from the owners to dig up the bush and presented it to the museum builder. There could be nothing more beautiful in the world than these roses, and the builder planted the entire bush on Thorvaldsen’s grave. Now he bloomed above her, like a living embodiment of beauty, and gave his pink fragrant petals as a souvenir to people who came here from distant countries.

Have you been assigned to a position here in the city? - asked the sparrows.

And the roses nodded to them; they also recognized the gray neighbors and were glad to meet them.

How good life is! - they said. - To live, to bloom, to meet old friends, to see sweet, joyful faces around you every day!.. Here every day is like a great holiday!

Chilik-chilik!

I opened my eyes - a sparrow was sitting on the edge of a trough and pecking at something. The cat perked up, tensed up, and the fur on his back stood on end from the excitement of the hunt. The sparrow hopped and hopped along the trough, and got even closer. And then, as if some spring had thrown the cat - jump! - and the sparrow is already in his paws. True, the sparrow turned out to be old, and, as you know, you can’t drag an old sparrow through the chaff and you can’t pick it up with your bare hands.

Smart purring cat, you can eat me at any time, - said the sparrow, - but remember, pur-pur-pur, did you wash your face in the morning when you woke up? It's clear from the eyes that no. But smart and good people, mur-mur-mur, start their mornings by washing their faces.

The cat remembered that he really didn’t wash his face in the morning. It’s a shame that some sparrow is teaching him the rules of good manners, but what about you just object to the sparrow?

The cat removed its claws, laid the sparrow on the grass and began to wash itself. He licks his paw with his tongue, and then runs this paw all the way from behind the ear and up to the mustache across the face, wanting to show the sparrow that he understands a lot about cleanliness. And the sparrow looked and looked at how the cat was washing itself, and flew away. The smart cat realized it, but it was too late. There was a delicious breakfast in his paws and - no, he flew away.

Since then, they say, the cat began to wash itself not before eating, but after eating. Well, looking at him, all the other cats began to do the same.

Chuvash fairy tales. 2nd ed. Cheboksary: ​​Chuvash Book Publishing House, 1984 - 160 p. Translation by Semyon Ivanovich Shurtakov.

Page 1 of 1 1

Vorobey Vorobeich and Ersh Ershovich lived in great friendship. Every day in the summer, Sparrow Vorobeich flew to the river and shouted:
- Hey, brother, hello!.. How are you?
“It’s okay, we live small,” answered Ersh Ershovich. - Come visit me. My brother, it’s good in deep places... The water is quiet, there’s as much water grass as you want. I’ll treat you to frog eggs, worms, water boogers...
- Thank you, brother! I would love to go visit you, but I’m afraid of water. It’s better if you fly to visit me on the roof... I, brother, will treat you with berries - I have a whole garden, and then we’ll get a crust of bread, and oats, and sugar, and a live mosquito. You love sugar, don't you?
-What is he like?
- So white...
- How are the pebbles in our river?
- Here you go. And if you put it in your mouth, it’s sweet. I can't eat your pebbles. Shall we fly to the roof now?
- No, I can’t fly, and I’m suffocating on the air. It’s better to swim on the water together. I'll show you everything...
Sparrow Vorobeich tried to go into the water - he would go up to his knees, and then it would become scary. That's how you can drown! Sparrow Vorobeich will drink some light river water, and on hot days he will buy himself somewhere in a shallow place, clean his feathers and go back to his roof. In general, they lived amicably and loved to talk about various matters.
- How come you don’t get tired of sitting in the water? - Sparrow Vorobeich was often surprised. - If you're wet in the water, you'll catch a cold...
Ersh Ershovich was surprised in turn:
- How do you, brother, not get tired of flying? Look how hot it is in the sun: you’ll almost suffocate. And it's always cool here. Swim for as long as you want. Don’t be afraid in the summer everyone comes to my water to swim... And who will come to your roof?
- And how they walk, brother!.. I have a great friend - chimney sweep Yasha. He always comes to visit me... And he’s such a cheerful chimney sweep, he always sings songs. He cleans the pipes and hums. Moreover, he will sit down on the very ridge to rest, take out a piece of bread and eat it, and I pick up the crumbs. We live soul to soul. I also like to have fun.
Friends and troubles were almost the same. For example, winter: how cold poor Sparrow Vorobeich is! Wow, what cold days there were! It seems that my whole soul is ready to freeze out. Sparrow Vorobeich gets ruffled, tucks his legs under him and sits. The only salvation is to climb into a pipe somewhere and warm up a little. But there’s a problem here too.
Once Vorobey Vorobeich almost died thanks to his best friend- chimney sweep. The chimney sweep came and when he lowered his cast-iron weight with a broom down the chimney, he almost broke Sparrow Vorobeich’s head. He jumped out of the chimney covered in soot, worse than a chimney sweep, and now scolded:
- What are you doing, Yasha? After all, this way you can kill to death...
- How did I know that you were sitting in the pipe!
- Be careful ahead... If I hit you on the head with a cast-iron weight, would that be good?
Ruff Ershovich also had a hard time in the winters. He climbed somewhere deeper into the pool and dozed there for whole days. It’s dark and cold, and you don’t want to move. Occasionally he swam to the ice hole when he called Sparrow Sparrow. He will fly up to the ice hole to drink and shout:
- Hey, Ersh Ershovich, are you alive?
“He’s alive...” Ersh Ershovich responds in a sleepy voice. - I just want to sleep. Generally bad. We're all asleep.
“And it’s no better with us either, brother!” What can I do, I have to endure it... Wow, what an evil wind there is!.. Here, brother, you can’t sleep... I keep jumping on one leg to keep warm. And people look and say: “Look, what a cheerful sparrow!” Oh, just to wait for the warmth... Are you asleep again, brother?..
And in the summer there are troubles again. Once a hawk chased Sparrow Sparrow for about two miles, and he barely managed to hide in the river sedge.
- Oh, he barely escaped alive! - he complained to Ersh Ershovich, barely catching his breath. - What a robber!.. I almost grabbed him, but then, remember what his name was.
“It’s like our pike,” comforted Ersh Ershovich. “I also recently almost fell into her mouth.” How he will rush after me like lightning! And I swam out with other fish and thought that there was a log in the water, and how would this log rush after me... What are these pikes for? I'm surprised and can't understand...
- And me too... You know, it seems to me that the hawk was once a pike, and the pike was a hawk. In a word, robbers...

II
Yes, that’s how Vorobey Vorobeich and Ersh Ershovich lived and lived, chilled in winter, rejoiced in summer; and the cheerful chimney sweep Yasha cleaned his pipes and sang songs. Everyone has their own business, their own joys and their own sorrows.
One summer, a chimney sweep finished his work and went to the river to wash off the soot. He goes and whistles, and then he hears a terrible noise. What happened? And the birds are hovering over the river: ducks, geese, swallows, snipes, crows, and pigeons. Everyone is making noise, yelling, laughing - you can’t make out anything.
- Hey, you, what happened? - the chimney sweep shouted.
“And so it happened...” chirped the lively titmouse. - So funny, so funny!.. Look what our Sparrow Vorobeich is doing... He’s completely furious.
The titmouse laughed in a thin, thin voice, wagged its tail and soared over the river.
When the chimney sweep approached the river, Sparrow Vorobeich flew into him. And the scary one is like this: the beak is open, the eyes are burning, all the feathers stand on end.
- Hey, Vorobey Vorobeich, what are you doing here, brother? - asked the chimney sweep.
“No, I’ll show him!..” yelled Sparrow Vorobeich, choking with rage. - He doesn’t know what I’m like yet... I’ll show him, damned Ersh Ershovich! He will remember me, the robber...
- Don't listen to him! - Ersh Ershovich shouted to the chimney sweep from the water. - He’s still lying...
- Am I lying? - Vorobey Vorobeich yelled. - Who found the worm? I'm lying!.. Such a fat worm! I dug it up on the shore... I worked so hard... Well, I grabbed it and dragged it home to my nest. I have a family, - I have to carry food... I just fluttered with a worm over the river, and the damned Ersh Ershovich - so that the pike swallowed him! - when he shouts: “Hawk!” I screamed in fear - the worm fell into the water, and Ersh Ershovich swallowed it... Is this called lying?! And there was no Hawk.
“Well, I was joking,” Ersh Ershovich justified himself. - And the worm was really tasty...
All sorts of fish gathered around Ruff Ershovich: roach, crucian carp, perch, little ones - listening and laughing. Yes, Ersh Ershovich cleverly joked about his old friend! And it’s even funnier how Vorobey Vorobeich got into a fight with him. It keeps coming and going, but it can’t take anything.
-Choke on my worm! - Sparrow Vorobeich scolded. “I’ll dig myself another one... But the shame is that Ersh Ershovich deceived me and is still laughing at me.” And I also invited him to my roof... Good buddy, nothing to say. Yasha, the chimney sweep, will say the same thing... He and I also live together and sometimes even have a snack together: he eats - I pick up the crumbs.
“Wait, brothers, this very matter needs to be judged,” said the chimney sweep. - Just let me wash my face first... I will sort out your case according to my conscience. And you, Vorobey Vorobeich, calm down a little for now...
“My cause is just, so why should I worry!” - Vorobey Vorobeich yelled. - But I’ll just show Ersh Ershovich how to joke with me...
The chimney sweep sat down on the bank, placed the bundle with his lunch next to it on a pebble, washed his hands and face and said:
- Well, brothers, now we will judge the court... You, Ersh Ershovich, are a fish, and you, Vorobey Vorobeich, are a bird. Is that what I say?
- So! so!.. - everyone shouted: both birds and fish.
- Let's talk further. A fish must live in the water, and a bird must live in the air. Is that what I say? Well, here... A worm, for example, lives in the ground. Fine. Now look...
The chimney sweep unwrapped his bundle, placed a piece of rye bread, which was his entire lunch, on the stone, and said:
- Look, what is this? This is bread. I earned it and I will eat it; I'll eat and drink some water. So? So, I’ll have lunch and won’t offend anyone. Fish and birds also want to dine... So you have your own food. Why quarrel? Sparrow Vorobeich dug up a worm, which means he earned it, and that means the worm is his...
“Excuse me, uncle...” a thin voice was heard in the crowd of birds.
The birds parted and let the Sandpiper Snipe go forward, who approached the chimney sweep himself on his thin legs.
- Uncle, this is not true.
- What's not true?
- Yes, I found a worm... Just ask the ducks - they saw it. I found it, and Sparrow swooped in and stole it.
The chimney sweep was embarrassed. It didn't turn out that way at all.
“How is this so?” he muttered, gathering his thoughts. - Hey, Vorobey Vorobeich, are you really lying?
“It’s not me who’s lying, it’s Bekas who’s lying.” He conspired with the ducks...
- Something’s not right, brother... um... yes! Of course, the worm is nothing; but it’s just not good to steal. And whoever stole must lie... Is that what I say? Yes…
- Right! That’s right!..” everyone shouted in unison again. - But you still judge between Ersha Ershovich and Vorobyov Vorobeich. Who is right?.. Both made noise, both fought and raised everyone to their feet.
- Who is right? Oh, you mischievous ones, Ersh Ershovich and Vorobey Vorobeich!.. Really, mischievous ones. I will punish both of you as an example... Well, make up quickly, right now!
- Right! - everyone shouted in unison. - Let them make peace...
“And I’ll feed the Sandpiper Snipe, who worked hard to get the worm, with crumbs,” the chimney sweep decided. - Everyone will be happy...
- Great! – everyone shouted again.
The chimney sweep had already extended his hand for bread, but there was none. While the chimney sweep was reasoning, Vorobey Vorobeich managed to steal it.
- Oh, robber! Ah, the rogue! - all the fish and all the birds were indignant.
And everyone rushed in pursuit of the thief. The edge was heavy, and Sparrow Vorobeich could not fly far with it. They caught up with him just above the river. Large and small birds rushed at the thief. There was a real dump. Everyone just tears it up, only the crumbs fly into the river; and then the edge also flew into the river. At this point the fish grabbed onto it. A real fight began between the fish and the birds. They tore the whole edge into crumbs, and ate all the crumbs. As it is, there is nothing left of the edge. When the edge was eaten, everyone came to their senses and everyone felt ashamed. They chased the thief Sparrow and ate the stolen piece along the way.
And the cheerful chimney sweep Yasha sits on the bank, looks and laughs. It all turned out very funny... Everyone ran away from him, only Snipe the sandpiper remained.
- Why don’t you fly after everyone? - asks the chimney sweep.
“And I would fly, but I’m small, uncle.” The big birds are just about to peck...
- Well, it’ll be better this way, Bekasik. Both of you and I were left without lunch. Apparently they haven't done much work yet...
Alyonushka came to the bank and began asking the cheerful chimney sweep Yasha what had happened, and she also laughed.
- Oh, how stupid they all are, both the fish and the birds. And I would share everything - both the worm and the crumb, and no one would quarrel. Recently I divided four apples... Dad brings four apples and says: “Divide in half, for me and Lisa (the writer’s sister).” I divided it into three parts: I gave one apple to dad, the other to Lisa, and took two for myself.

Home » Useful » A little fairy tale about a sparrow and a pig. “The Smart Sparrow” is an interesting fairy tale for children. A lullaby about a sparrow