The Eagle and the Crow Physician
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters ran with a roar, there lived a mighty eagle, master of the skies. The old eagle, from the weariness of the years and a grave illness that had come upon him suddenly, could no longer beat his wings. The dwellers of the mountain who saw his helpless state began, in great anxiety, to look for remedies. The voice of the wind echoing in the depths of the forest carried the sorrow of the majestic ruler to far-off lands. Just at that moment a proud and cunning crow appeared, taking advantage of the occasion. Presenting himself as a matchless physician, the crow claimed that he could heal the lord of the skies.
This bird, whose black feathers had fallen out, whose wings were battered and whose leg was lame, began to fling great promises at those around him. "I have attained the secret of mysterious herbs; I cure even the most merciless ailments in a trice," he boasted. The other animals, left undecided, drew back and let themselves hope for a moment before these bold words. Strutting along, the cunning crow glided towards the nest of the mighty eagle and offered him his services as a physician. "O noble eagle, allow me to restore you to your former strength with my healing prescriptions," he said. Lying feeble in his bed, the eagle examined this wretched physician before him long and hard with his keen eyes.
He carefully studied the falling feathers of the crow, his trembling voice and his own pitiful condition. Heaving a deep sigh, the mighty eagle looked at the crow with a bitter yet instructive smile. "Since you hold in your hand miracles that cure every ill, why have you not first healed your own lame leg and your falling feathers?" he asked. Before this keen question the cunning crow, not knowing what to say, was struck all at once with confusion. The false physician, his lie brought to light, bowed his head in shame and hurried away from there. The eagle, for his part, understood once more that true healing lies not in false promises but in the course of nature and of time. One must never forget that those who cannot find a cure for their own trouble can offer no healing to others. A grandfather in need of help himself can hardly give help to another.