The Cuckoo and the Eagle
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters flowed, there lived a deceitful cuckoo. This selfish bird was known for leaving its eggs secretly in the nests of others instead of building its own nest. In the steep cliffs of the same forest, however, there glided a majestic eagle known for its courage and its justice. Day by day the cuckoo began to envy the deep respect that all the creatures of the forest felt for the eagle. In the end it could not endure it, gave in to its vanity and flew up towards the high cliffs to confront the eagle. One morning, while the eagle was resting on the branch of a great oak, the cuckoo insolently perched beside it. With an arrogant air it puffed up its feathers and looked at the great eagle with curious eyes.
“O ruler of the heavens, why do the little birds revere you with great love while they flee from me?” it asked. “I too fly high like you, and I fill the forest with joy with my beautiful voice.” “Even so, the wrens and the sparrows complain about my presence all the time.” The eagle turned its sharp and wise eyes to this deceitful bird and listened calmly. Spreading its wings with majesty, it answered him in a deep tone of voice. “By settling on the work of others, you choose to live without trouble, without shedding sweat,” it said. “True respectability is built not with trickery, but with your own work and with justice.”
Before this wise answer the cuckoo bowed its head in bashfulness. At that moment it understood that false successes obtained without making any effort are worthless. Flapping its broad wings, the proud eagle glided towards the endless blue of the sky. The cuckoo, however, understanding that it could never win a true love by what it had done, disappeared into the depths of the forest. Thus it was left alone with its own mistakes under the light of the truth. A temporary reputation gained without work is always condemned to disappear before the wind of truth. No work, no bread.