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THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. |
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fairy who had planned it all to please them. When they had explored and admired until they were tired they sat down to rest under the rose-covered porch, and the fairy said that to pass the time until the wedding-guests whom she had invited could arrive she would tell them a story. . This is it:
The Yellow Bird.
Once upon a time a fairy, who had somehow or other got into mischief, was condemned by the high court of Fairyland to live for several years under the form of some creature, and at the moment of resuming her natural appearance once again to make the fortune of two men. It was left to her to chose what form she would take, and because she loved yellow she transformed herself into a lovely bird with shining golden feathers such as no one had ever seen before. When the time of her punishment was at an end the beautiful yellow bird flew to Bagdad and let herself be caught by a fowler at the precise moment when Badi-al-Zaman was walking up and down outside his magnificent summer palace. This Badi-al-Zaman—whose name means "Wonder-of-the-World"—was looked upon in Bagdad as the most fortunate creature under the sun because of his vast wealth. But really, what with anxiety about his riches and being weary of everything, and always desiring something he had not, he never knew a moment's real happiness. Even now he had come out of his palace, which was large and splendid enough for fifty kings, weary and cross because he could find nothing new to amuse him. The fowler thought that this would be a favorable opportunity for offering him the marvelous bird, which he felt certain he would buy the instant he saw it. And he was not mistaken, for when Badi-al-Zamani took the lovely prisoner into his own hands, he saw written under its right wing the words, "He who eats my head will become a king," and under its left wing, "He who eats my heart will find a hundred gold-pieces under his pillow every morning," In spite of all his wealth he at once began to desire the promised gold, and the bargain was soon completed. Then the difficulty arose as to how the bird was to be cooked; for among all his army of servants not one could Badi-al-Zaman trust, At \m\ he uske4 |
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