Long ago in a town in holy Russia, there lived a rich merchant along with his wife and only son. The son was a very clever, and brave boy called Ryan. One lovely day Ryan sat at the dinner table with his parents. Near the window in the same room hung a cage, and a nightingale, a sweet-voiced, gray bird, was imprisoned within. The sweet nightingale began to sing its wonderful song with trills and high silvery tones.
The merchant listened and listened to the song and said: "How I wish I could understand the meaning of the different songs sung by these beautiful birds! I would give half my wealth to the man, who could explain to me all the different songs of the different birds."
Ryan took his fathers words seriously and no matter where he went, no matter where he was, no matter what he did, he always thought of how he could learn the language of the birds. Some time after this Ryan happened to be hunting in a forest. The winds rose, the sky became clouded, the lightning flashed, the thunder roared loudly, and the rain poured heavily. Ryan took shelter near a large tree and saw a big nest in the branches. Four small birds were in the nest; they were quite alone, and neither father nor mother was there to protect them from the rain. The good Ryan pitied them, climbed the tree and covered the little ones with his "shawl,". The thunderstorm cleared and the small birds mother came flying and sat down on a branch near the nest and spoke very kindly to Ryan. "Dear Ryan, I'm Indeed thankful to you; since you protected my little children from the cold and rain and so I want to do something for you in return. Tell me what is u'r wish." Ryan answered; "As of now I have nothing to ask; I have everything for my comfort. But can you teach me the birds' language." "Stay with me three days and you shall know all about it" said the mother bird.
Ryan remained in the forest for three days. The mother bird taught Ryan the birds language. He understood well the teaching of the big bird and returned home more clever than before. One beautiful day Ryan was sitting with his parents when the nightingale was singing in his cage. His song was very sad, so very sad, that the merchant and his wife also started crying, and their son, their good Ryan, who listened and understood the song, was even more affected, and the tears came running down his cheeks. "What is the matter?" asked his parents; "what are you weeping about, dear son?" "Dear parents," answered the son, "it is because I understand the meaning of the nightingale's song, and because this meaning is so sad for all of us." "What then is the meaning? Tell us the whole truth; do not hide it from us," said the father and mother.
"Oh, father i cannot speak to you about the truth!" replied the son. "How much better would it be never to have been born!" "Do not frighten us," said the parents, alarmed. "If you really understand the meaning of the song, tell us at once." The nightingale says: 'The time will come when Ryan, the merchant's son, shall become Ryan, the king's son, and his own father shall serve him as a simple servant.'"
The merchant and his wife felt deeply troubled and began to ignore their son, their good Ryan. One night they gave him a drowsy drink, and when he had fallen asleep they took him to a boat on the wide sea, spread the white sails, and pushed the boat from the shore. For a long time the boat danced on the waves and finally it came near a large merchant vessel, which struck against it with such a shock that Ryan awoke. The crew on the large vessel saw Ryan and pitied him. So they decided to take him along with them and did so. High, very high, above in the sky they saw cranes.
Ryan said to the sailors: "Be careful; I hear the birds predicting a storm. Let us enter a harbor or we shall suffer great danger and damage. All the sails will be torn and all the masts will be broken." But no one paid any attention and they went farther on. In a short time the storm arose, the wind tore the vessel almost to pieces, and they had a very hard time to repair all the damage. When they were through with their work they heard many wild swans flying above them and talking very loud among themselves. "What are they talking about?" inquired the men, this time with interest.
"Be careful," advised Ryan. "I hear the birds saying that the pirates, the terrible sea robbers, are near. If we do not enter a harbor at once they will imprison and kill us." The crew quickly obeyed this advice and as soon as the vessel entered the harbor the pirate boats crossed by and the merchants saw them capture several unprepared vessels. When the danger was over, the sailors with Ryan went ahead. Finally the vessel anchored near a town, large and unknown to the merchants.
A king ruled in that town who was very much unhappy by three black crows. These three crows were all the time shouting and perching near the window of the king's chamber. No one knew how to get rid of them and no one could kill them. The king ordered notices to be placed at all crossings and on all prominent buildings, saying that whoever was able to relieve the king from the noisy birds would be rewarded by obtaining the youngest Anna, the king's daughter, for a wife; but the one who should have the daring to undertake but not succeed in delivering the palace from the crows would have his head cut off. Ryan attentively read the announcement, once, twice, and once more.
One fine day Ryan went to the palace. He said to the servants: "Open the window and let me listen to what the birds are saying." The servants obeyed and Ryan listened to them for a while. Then he said: "Take me to your king." When he reached the room where the king sat on a high, rich chair, he bowed and said: "There are three crows, a father crow, a mother crow, and a son crow. The trouble is that they desire to obtain your royal decision as to whether the son crow must follow his father crow or his mother crow."
The king answered: "The son crow must follow the father crow." As soon as the king announced his royal decision the crow father with the crow son went one way and the crow mother disappeared the other way, and no one has heard the noisy birds since. The king gave one-half of his kingdom and his youngest daughter Anna to Ryan, and a happy life began for him.
In the meantime his father, the rich merchant, lost his wife and his fortune also. There was no one left to take care of him, so the old man went begging for his living. He went from one door to another, from one village to another, from one town to another, and one fine day he came to the palace where Ryan lived, begging humbly for charity. Ryan saw him and recognized him, ordered him to come inside, and gave him food to eat and also supplied him with good clothes, asking questions: "Dear old man, what can I do for you?" he said. "If you are so very good," answered the poor father, without knowing that he was speaking to his own son, "let me remain here and serve you as one of your faithful servants."
"Dear, dear father!" recognize me cried Ryan. I'm your son "Remember you doubted the true song of the nightingale, and now see that our fate was to meet according to the predictions of long ago." The old man was frightened and knelt before his son, but Ryan remained the same good son as before, took his father lovingly into his arms, and together they wept over their sorrow.
Several days crossed by and the old father felt courage to ask his son, the :"Tell me, my son, how was it that thou didst not perish in the boat?" Ryan laughed and said "I presume," he answered, "that it was not my fate to die at the bottom of the wide sea, but my fate was to marry the Anna, my beautiful wife, and to serve my beloved old father."
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