Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 7, 1896.djvu/142

120 from darkness unto light, from death to life, from ignorance unto knowledge of his truth. For the darkness of ignorance covers them that worship idols. For it is written: The idols of the heathen are gold and silver, the handiwork of the sons of men. They see not, neither do they hear, and have no speech in their mouths. Like unto them shall be all who made them and worship them."

"Let those who worship idols be likened to a certain birdcatcher, who caught a little sparrow, and he was bent on killing it, when the bird gave a human cry, and said, 'What profit hast thou, O man, in eating me? An thou wilt release me and let me go, I will tell thee three maxims, which, if thou canst keep them in mind, will be of great value and advantage to thee for thy life.' Forthwith the man wondered greatly at the human speech of the bird and bethought him of what sort of advice it would give him. So he let it go; and the sparrow flew away and perched on a bough and then began to soar in the air, and said to the hunter, 'This is my advice, listen and take it to heart. Put no trust in a vain report, and lament not over things that are past; and try not to grasp that which thou canst not reach. If thou observe this advice, thou wilt find much joy in thy life.'

"Now when the hunter began to go on his way, the sparrow tempted him to see if the man observed the counsels which he gave him. And he cried out to him from the air and said, 'Woe to thee, for thy folly, O man, since a grand and glorious thing hath this day been lost to thee. For I had in my crop a great pearl, greater than the egg of an ostrich.' When the hunter heard that he began to repent that he had let the bird go; and lifting his hand in the air he stretched it out, and tried to take hold of it, but took hold of nothing; and since he could not reach it, he said: 'Come down from out of the air, and I will carry thee into my house and with great honour release thee.'

"But the sparrow answered and said: 'Behold, I knew thee to be a senseless man; for thou didst with joy receive my advice, but of three maxims thou hast not kept one. I told thee not to repent of the past, and behold I see thy countenance changed in colour because I was liberated from thy hands. And whereas I warned thee not to venture to aspire to what thou canst not reach, thou endoavourest to bring me down out of the air. I fold thee also not to trust to light words; and yet thou hast relied on them. For how can that be found in my belly which is greater than my entire bulk? Thou hast not bethought thee, O fool, that I, feathers and all, am not so big as the egg of an ostrich. How then could there be found in me a pearl of such a size?'

"Even so foolish as he are they that put their hope in idols and worship the works of their own hands and think they are profited thereby. For how can the creature save its creator? Now for us who have faith there is one