The Goose and the Swan
In the dark the cook mistakes the swan for the goose; the swan is saved by her song.
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In a rich man's garden lived a goose and a swan. He kept the goose to eat and the swan for her beautiful voice. Both were white, and in the dark of night they were hard to tell apart.
One evening guests came. The cook said, "I'll kill the goose," and went out into the garden. In the dark he caught the first bird that came to hand. The bird he caught was the swan.
When the swan saw the knife, she began to sing for the last time. It was such a beautiful, such a sorrowful song that the cook's hand stopped. "This isn't the goose," he said. "Does a goose ever sing like this?" He let the swan go and put her back in the garden.
The goose was saved that night too, because the cook was so flustered that he forgot the meal and served the guests vegetable soup.
Aesop ends this tale like this: if you have a gift, show it even in the darkest moment; only that can save you. And as for the goose: every goose has a song too, if only it has the courage to sing it.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Goose and the Swan is a children's tale from Aesop, suitable for ages 4-8 and about 1 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Aesop's Fables category.
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