In a far off land there once lived an old shoemaker who had only one son, and he was stupid and would not learn anything. So his father said, "Listen, my son, I can't get anything into your thick head, you'll have to leave here. I'm sending you to a famous teacher, he should do better than I can."
The son studied with this master for a year. When he returned, his father asked him what he had learned. "I have learned what the animals say, father", said the boy. "To think I've been saving my money for years so you can speak to animals. You will have to study with another master".
So he was sent out for another year of study with amnother master. When he returned, his father asked him, "What have you learned?" The son replied, "What the birds sing". His father was furious that his son had again wasted his time and money, so he threatened, "I'll send you to a third master, but if again you learn nothing I shall no longer be your father". When the year was over, the son returned to his father's house.
"What have you learned?"
"I have learned what the frogs croak".
"Those masters are charlatans", said the father.
"No, they can only teach what one needs to learn, father", said the son.
"Well, if you need to learn about dogs and frogs and birds, you had better to and live with them, and the father threw the son out in a rage, ordering his servant to kill him secretly, but the servant had pity on him and left him in the forest.
After some time, the son came to a land where huge packs of ferocious dogs roamed the countryside, frightening the people. Indeed, men were being killed and eaten every day by one or other of the packs. The situation was so bad the people talked about nothing else all day.
"I wonder if I can help", thought the shoemaker's son. So he hid himself in a small thicket and waited. That night a pack of dogs stopped to rest just nearby, and he overheard them saying -
"Soon we shall have our revenge for the tortures we have suffered at the hands of our cruel human masters."
"We attack the town at dawn", said a great fierce Alsatian.
The son stepped out and immediately the dogs fell on him, but "Stop", he said in dog language, "I am your friend". When they heard the language they lay down in astonishment and fear. "No-one wins a war", and "Maybe I can help you", said the son, and he became their translator, and made an agreement between the dogs and the people, that they should live in peace, and dogs should never be beaten.
He lived happily with them for a while, and then he heard that there was to be a great contest of magic in Rome. He felt drawn to the contest but was so happy with the dogs that he could not decide what to do. He was walking dby a pond thinking deeply, when a voice interrupted him.
"You should go to Rome without delay. A great future awaits you there. Have no fear, and remember, you have friends."
He looked around for the speaker, and saw it was a frog, who straight away jumped into the water and swam away.
The shoemaker's son set off for Rome without delay. When he arrived on the outskirts of the city, he went to an inn, where everybody was talking about the contest, and learned that for some reason the contest was especially difficult. Many good magicians had failed even the first tasks, and had died or been wounded. The young man felt a little fearful at these tales, but remembered the frog's prophecy, and had faith.
The next day he presented himself to the scribe who recorded entrants to the contest. The old man laughed, and told him to go home and enjoy his simple life, for he wouldn't live even an hour if he entered the contest, but he insisted, for he felt an inner voice telling him not to turn back. So he was accepted, and found himself waiting by a large door. The door was locked, but there happened to be a spider crawling up the wall. He spoke to it, and it unlocked the door for him. So he stepped through it.
Al around were magicians sitting. Suddenly they saw him, and there was silence...Then a great roar as a huge golden lion charged for him. The young man did not move, but merely looked it in the eye, and spoke in lion language, "I am your friend. Too skinny to ear anyway. Roll over and I'll scratch your ears".
To everybody's astonishmebnt, the lion did just that, and the young man left the arena...
The elder magi were impressed by the young man's prowess and worried lest he prove too powerful and overthrow them, so they devised a special test for him...
"Next you have to swim across the River Tiber with a stone tied to your back". The test came. He dived into the water, straight onto the back of a turtle, which carried him to the surface, and across the river. Everybody around cheered and waved him on, for they felt he must be a mighty magician indeed to float with so heavy a stone on his back.
The elders were so angry when they heard of his success. "There must be something he can't do".
"He surely cannot fly, can he? For he has not passed through the school of air, to my certain knowledge".
So they had him bound in a cloth, and brought to a high tower overlooking the city. He was permitted a song before he fell, and he sang to the doves nesting all around.
"My friends the birds give me wings and strength of heart that I may fly awhile before I die".
Then he was pushed off the parapet. The ground rushed up to meet him, the crowd gasped and hid their eyes, when suddenly thousands of white doves swooped down around him, grasping pieces of his clothing, and bearing him up. They fluttered to the ground, and set him on his feet. At this extraordinary sight, the elders rejoiced, for they felt he was truly a great magician.
There was a banquet that evening, and when he was asked to speak, the shoemaker's son said.
"I am but a poor uneducated young man, and feel so humble amongst such a wise and powerful gathering. Yet I have passed your tests, and you have told me I may now learn anything I desire. I have thought long, for my heart speaks slowly to me, and what I wish for most is a flute to play music to the animals and people that will show to them everything of this world and the next as they need to see it".
Said the c***f Mage, "You shall have a magic flute wrought for you by the swarfs of the silver mountain, and with it you may charm anything that lives to do your will. But you must swear never to use it for harm".
"So do I swear", said the young man, and soon he became the Piper, and went his way playing his flute in his coat of red and yellow.
The son studied with this master for a year. When he returned, his father asked him what he had learned. "I have learned what the animals say, father", said the boy. "To think I've been saving my money for years so you can speak to animals. You will have to study with another master".
So he was sent out for another year of study with amnother master. When he returned, his father asked him, "What have you learned?" The son replied, "What the birds sing". His father was furious that his son had again wasted his time and money, so he threatened, "I'll send you to a third master, but if again you learn nothing I shall no longer be your father". When the year was over, the son returned to his father's house.
"What have you learned?"
"I have learned what the frogs croak".
"Those masters are charlatans", said the father.
"No, they can only teach what one needs to learn, father", said the son.
"Well, if you need to learn about dogs and frogs and birds, you had better to and live with them, and the father threw the son out in a rage, ordering his servant to kill him secretly, but the servant had pity on him and left him in the forest.
After some time, the son came to a land where huge packs of ferocious dogs roamed the countryside, frightening the people. Indeed, men were being killed and eaten every day by one or other of the packs. The situation was so bad the people talked about nothing else all day.
"I wonder if I can help", thought the shoemaker's son. So he hid himself in a small thicket and waited. That night a pack of dogs stopped to rest just nearby, and he overheard them saying -
"Soon we shall have our revenge for the tortures we have suffered at the hands of our cruel human masters."
"We attack the town at dawn", said a great fierce Alsatian.
The son stepped out and immediately the dogs fell on him, but "Stop", he said in dog language, "I am your friend". When they heard the language they lay down in astonishment and fear. "No-one wins a war", and "Maybe I can help you", said the son, and he became their translator, and made an agreement between the dogs and the people, that they should live in peace, and dogs should never be beaten.
He lived happily with them for a while, and then he heard that there was to be a great contest of magic in Rome. He felt drawn to the contest but was so happy with the dogs that he could not decide what to do. He was walking dby a pond thinking deeply, when a voice interrupted him.
"You should go to Rome without delay. A great future awaits you there. Have no fear, and remember, you have friends."
He looked around for the speaker, and saw it was a frog, who straight away jumped into the water and swam away.
The shoemaker's son set off for Rome without delay. When he arrived on the outskirts of the city, he went to an inn, where everybody was talking about the contest, and learned that for some reason the contest was especially difficult. Many good magicians had failed even the first tasks, and had died or been wounded. The young man felt a little fearful at these tales, but remembered the frog's prophecy, and had faith.
The next day he presented himself to the scribe who recorded entrants to the contest. The old man laughed, and told him to go home and enjoy his simple life, for he wouldn't live even an hour if he entered the contest, but he insisted, for he felt an inner voice telling him not to turn back. So he was accepted, and found himself waiting by a large door. The door was locked, but there happened to be a spider crawling up the wall. He spoke to it, and it unlocked the door for him. So he stepped through it.
Al around were magicians sitting. Suddenly they saw him, and there was silence...Then a great roar as a huge golden lion charged for him. The young man did not move, but merely looked it in the eye, and spoke in lion language, "I am your friend. Too skinny to ear anyway. Roll over and I'll scratch your ears".
To everybody's astonishmebnt, the lion did just that, and the young man left the arena...
The elder magi were impressed by the young man's prowess and worried lest he prove too powerful and overthrow them, so they devised a special test for him...
"Next you have to swim across the River Tiber with a stone tied to your back". The test came. He dived into the water, straight onto the back of a turtle, which carried him to the surface, and across the river. Everybody around cheered and waved him on, for they felt he must be a mighty magician indeed to float with so heavy a stone on his back.
The elders were so angry when they heard of his success. "There must be something he can't do".
"He surely cannot fly, can he? For he has not passed through the school of air, to my certain knowledge".
So they had him bound in a cloth, and brought to a high tower overlooking the city. He was permitted a song before he fell, and he sang to the doves nesting all around.
"My friends the birds give me wings and strength of heart that I may fly awhile before I die".
Then he was pushed off the parapet. The ground rushed up to meet him, the crowd gasped and hid their eyes, when suddenly thousands of white doves swooped down around him, grasping pieces of his clothing, and bearing him up. They fluttered to the ground, and set him on his feet. At this extraordinary sight, the elders rejoiced, for they felt he was truly a great magician.
There was a banquet that evening, and when he was asked to speak, the shoemaker's son said.
"I am but a poor uneducated young man, and feel so humble amongst such a wise and powerful gathering. Yet I have passed your tests, and you have told me I may now learn anything I desire. I have thought long, for my heart speaks slowly to me, and what I wish for most is a flute to play music to the animals and people that will show to them everything of this world and the next as they need to see it".
Said the c***f Mage, "You shall have a magic flute wrought for you by the swarfs of the silver mountain, and with it you may charm anything that lives to do your will. But you must swear never to use it for harm".
"So do I swear", said the young man, and soon he became the Piper, and went his way playing his flute in his coat of red and yellow.