The Peacock and Its Voice
Once upon a time, a magnificent peacock lived in the depths of an enchanting forest where colourful flowers bloomed. This peacock made all the creatures in the forest admire him with his emerald green and blue feathers that shone in the sunlight. When he opened his splendid tail like a fan, even the wind stopped and watched this unique beauty. But although he was so charming, there was a hidden unease in the heart of the proud peacock. Whenever he heard his own voice he fell into a deep sorrow, and his joy vanished in a moment. One spring morning he began to listen to the enchanting song of the nightingale that rose among the branches. As the sweet voice of the nightingale rang through the forest, the jealousy and the grief of the peacock grew even more.
“My god, you gave me such a magnificent appearance, but why did you make my voice so ugly?” he cried out. Weeping, he came before Juno, the protecting goddess of the forest, and told her his condition. “O great goddess, why does the voice of the nightingale enchant every listener while my voice scrapes the ears?” he said. The goddess Juno looked at this beautiful bird, with tears running from his eyes, tenderly but firmly. The peacock, thinking that he had suffered an injustice, argued that a sweet voice was his right as well. He claimed that all the birds admired him but mocked him because of his voice. With a sweet smile, the goddess Juno reminded the proud bird of the just balance of nature.
“To each creature a separate gift has been given; to you a unique beauty, and to the nightingale a sweet voice,” she said. While the strength of the eagle conquers the skies, your tail carries all the colours of the sky. If you do not know the worth of the blessings you have, the advantages of others only give you pain. The peacock felt ashamed before these wise words and bowed his head. From that day on, instead of envying the talents of others, he learned to live happily with his own magnificent feathers. When a person becomes aware of the unique values in his own hand, he gives up envying the advantages of others and finds true peace. The five fingers of a hand are not alike.