One day the lady crow saw a grasshopper, dozing on a green leaf, and she wanted to peck him with passion. But then the grasshopper guy woke up from his slumber, raised his head and said:
“Mistress Crow, do me a favor and guess my riddles.” If you guess right, then you can eat me.
The crow croaked and nodded its head:
- Good! Great! Just make your wish quickly, don’t hesitate.
And the grasshopper says to her:
- Guess, Madam Crow, what is hotter than hot in the world?
- There’s nothing to think about here! Carr! - The crow croaked joyfully. “Everyone knows, I myself have been convinced more than once that the tip of an arrow is sharper than a sharp one.”
“You didn’t guess right, most honorable one,” said the grasshopper. - I’ll tell you another riddle. Tell me, what in the world is lighter than the lightest?
- There’s nothing to think about here! This is cotton fiber! Cotton fiber! Carr!
“You didn’t guess right again, Mrs. Crow.” What's faster than the fastest thing in the world?
- Carr! Carr! Chariot! War chariot! - the crow croaked.
- No, madam, you guessed wrong again. Now tell me, what is stronger than the strongest in the world?
- Tiger! Carr! Carr!
- No! No! What is heavier than the heaviest?
- Earth! Our land! Carr! - The crow croaked angrily.
- Not that! Not the same again! - answered the grasshopper.
He was very pleased, but the crow became completely angry. She was black before, but now she has become even blacker from anger. The crow soared up and decided to pounce on the grasshopper from above and peck it. The grasshopper sees that things are bad for him. He began to beg the lady crow:
- Let's go to the judge together. Let him judge which of us is right and which is wrong.
The crow agreed, and they both went to the judge’s house. The crow was the first to tell the judge everything. And then the grasshopper stepped forward.
- Dear judge! - he spoke. “The crow wanted to feast on me, and then I told her: “If you, madam, can guess my riddles, then eat me to your health.” Only the crow failed to guess a single one of my riddles. Judge for yourself. After all, the sharpest thing in the world is reason, the lightest thing is a clear conscience, the fastest thing is thought, the strongest thing is virtue and honesty, and the heaviest thing is the soul of a criminal. I ask you, dear sir, judge which of us is right.
The judge thought for a moment, and then nodded his head:
- The grasshopper guy is right. Right about everything. You, lady crow, have lost.
This is where everyone parted ways. But since then the crows have been very angry with the grasshoppers. And wherever the crow sees a grasshopper, it immediately strives to peck it.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru