Page 230 of 274

The Swan is said to sing but once in its life--when it knows that

it is about to die. A certain man, who had heard of the song of

the Swan, one day saw one of these birds for sale in the market,

and bought it and took it home with him. A few days later he had

some friends to dinner, and produced the Swan, and bade it sing

for their entertainment: but the Swan remained silent. In course

of time, when it was growing old, it became aware of its

approaching end and broke into a sweet, sad song. When its owner

heard it, he said angrily, "If the creature only sings when it is

about to die, what a fool I was that day I wanted to hear its

song! I ought to have wrung its neck instead of merely inviting

it to sing."

THE SNAKE AND JUPITER