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THE NIGHTINGALE AND THEBLINDWORM
Once upon a time there lived anightingale and a blindworm, each with one eye. For a long time they livedtogether peacefully and harmoniously in a house. However, one day thenightingale was invited to a wedding, and she said to the blindworm, “I’ve beeninvited to a wedding and don’t particularly want to go with one eye. Would yoube so kind as to lend me yours? I’ll bring it back to you tomorrow.”
The blindworm gave her the eye out of the kindnessof her heart. But when the nightingale came home the following day, she liked having two eyes in her head and beingable to see on both sides. So she refused to return the borrowed eye to theblindworm. Then the blindworm swore that she would avenge herself on thenightingale’s children and the children of herchildren.
“Well,” repliedthe nightingale, “see if you can find me.
I’llbuild my nest in the linden, so high, so high, so high. You’ll never be able tofind it, no matter how hard you try.”
Ever since that time all the nightingales have hadtwo eyes, and all the blindworms, none.But wherever the nightingale builds her nest, a blindworm lives beneath it inthe bushes and constantly tries to crawl up the tree, pierce the eggs of her enemy, and drink them up.
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