The Cuckoo and the Birds
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters flowed, hundreds of birds large and small lived in peace. Every morning the lush green branches echoed with the sweetest melodies and scattered joy to every corner of the forest. Yet among this cheerful company there was a lazy cuckoo who did not own a single twig of her own. While the other birds woke early at dawn and wove their nests, she only sat on a high branch, watched them and grew bored. Fond of her own comfort, this bird was a proud creature who had made a habit of living on the labor of others. One day she glided down proudly and perched beside the swallow, the most skilled architect of the forest. She looked at the skilled swallow with an arrogant air and said that she wanted to learn the secret of building a nest.
As the swallow worked the mud and the stalks with delicacy, she patiently began to explain the fine points of this art. "First you must lay a solid foundation, then slowly mix the mortar that will withstand the wind," said the swallow kindly. But the impatient cuckoo grew bored at the very first grain of mud and began to grumble and to complain. "Is so much effort and labor really necessary for a worthless heap of mud?" she asked scornfully. Seeking shortcuts instead of learning, the cuckoo cut the swallow short and hurried away from there. She called on the other architect birds of the forest as well, but she listened to none of their lessons to the end. Each time she belittled labor, and instead of showing patience she chose to covet the ready nests of others.
When the seasons changed swiftly and the harsh winds knocked at the door, all the birds withdrew into their warm nests. But the cuckoo, who did not have even a single sheltered corner, was left all alone in the freezing cold. She paid the price of belittling the labor of others by trembling on stormy nights and searching for shelter. In her helplessness she had to leave her eggs secretly in the nests of other birds and lead her life like a nomad. From that day on she could never sing proudly, tasting the peace and the warmth of her own nest. No shelter obtained without labor can offer a person true peace or a sense of belonging. There is no mercy without toil.