The jackal had been starving for several days. He couldn't catch anything in the forest. One night he went to the village for prey, but even here he was unlucky: apart from cuffs, the jackal received nothing. He rummaged through the trash heap and found old, torn boots.
And the jackal conceived a trick. He hung the earrings on his ears the way ascetic hermits hang large earrings. He dragged old bones to the shore of a large lake, piled them up, coated them with manure, and sat down on top. Neither give nor take - a holy sage, immersed in pious thoughts.
It's morning. The sun rose, and its gentle rays flooded the entire earth. Forest inhabitants flocked to the lake to drink.
But as soon as one of them approached the water, he was stopped by the cry of a jackal:
- If you want to drink water from the lake, then first greet me, say:
His entire throne is made of silver and covered with gold. Two huge earrings in my ears, Look - the prince is sitting here!
“What a joker,” the animals think. They will laugh at the jackal’s invention, repeating his rhyme after him, drink water and go home. At noon a tiger came to the lake. The jackal forced him to say a greeting. The tiger, like everyone else, laughed, repeated his stupid rhyme after the jackal and drank some water. And the jackal is bursting with joy.
“What a lucky man I am,” he thinks, “even the tiger himself shows me respect and calls me prince. If everyone respects me like this, then soon I will truly become the king of beasts.”
Gradually, rumors about the jackal's invention spread among all the forest dwellers. They deliberately went to the lake to have fun, praised the jackal with laughter, and then drank the water. The jackal took everything at face value and was happy.
One day a hare came running to the lake. Without paying any attention to the jackal, he ran to the water and began to drink it.
“Even the king of the forest, the tiger, honors me for my piety!” cried the jackal. “And you, insignificant little hare, turned out to be such an impudent person.” If you want to get drunk, first praise me. Speak:
His entire throne is made of silver and covered with gold. Two huge earrings in my ears, Look - the prince is sitting here!
The hare was smart and resourceful. He did not want to please the jackal with flattery, but he was afraid that if he did not fulfill his demands, the jackal would immediately eat him. The hare thought about it and said, stuttering:
“My mouth is dry.” Command me to take a sip of water, and then I will praise you.
What you say is correct. After all, if you wet your throat, your voice will become louder.
The hare got drunk and galloped away. The jackal became very angry and began to call the hare back. And the hare sees that the jackal can no longer catch him, and asks:
- How can I praise you?
The jackal told him to repeat his rhyme:
His entire throne is made of silver and covered with gold. Two huge earrings in my ears, Look - the prince is sitting here!
Then the hare thought a little and sang:
His entire throne is made of skulls and is covered with dung. The dudes are hanging on my ears, Look - the jackal is sitting!
And he immediately rushed to his hole, as quickly as an arrow from a bow.
The jackal heard his song, became so furious that even his fur stood on end, and rushed after the hare. But the nimble hare was already in the hole. The jackal became sad, sat down at the entrance and began to wait for the scythe to appear to grab him. And he hid deeper and sang in a sweet voice:
His entire throne is made of skulls and is covered with dung. The dudes are hanging on my ears, Look - the jackal is sitting!
The jackal could not bear such an insult, covered his ears so that he could hear nothing, and ran away.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru