A crow and a sparrow were close friends. They took a field jointly, and when the time came to plough it, the sparrow said to the crow: “Brother crow, come let us plough our field.” The crow who was interested only in having a good time said: “You go, sparrow, I’m just coming. Let me first smoke my hubble-bubble. And swing on the twig of the mango tree.” The sparrow went alone to the field and ploughed it. The crow did not come.
Next day the sparrow got up very early while the stars were yet in the sky. He went to his friend, and said: “Brother crow, let us return before dawn to level the field. We will be free for the day after that. The lazy crow answered: “You go, sparrow. I’m just coming. Let me first smoke my hubble-bubble. And swing on the twig of the mango tree.” The sparrow went to the field again and waited in vain for the crow. When the crow did not come the sparrow set to the work himself and worked hard on the field till all the lumps of mud were broken and the ground was levelled.
The crow kept wandering about care-free, and enjoying himself. When it began to drizzle and the earth became damp, the farmers were glad because fields were ready for sowing. After some days the sparrow went to the crow and said: ‘‘Brother crow, now is the time to sow our field. Come let us scatter the grains in it.” The crow gave the same old reply; “You go, sparrow. I’m just coming, Let me first smoke my hubble-bubble. And swing on the twig of the mango tree.” Again the sparrow had to go alone. He found himself helpless and could not say anything. So he sowed the field all alone, while the lordly crow rocked on the mango tree!
When the tiny sprouts showed themselves on the field, the sparrow danced with joy. But soon the weeds appeared and he went to the crow and said: “Come, let us weed out a field otherwise we won’t have a good crop.” The unmindful crow went on swinging on the branch of the mango tree and answered as before: “You go, sparrow. I’m just coming. Let me first smoke my hubble-bubble, And swing on the twig of the mango tree.”
When the time came for watering the field the crow again gave the sparrow the go-by and did not help him. The poor sparrow had to water the whole field all alone. Slowly the grain began to ripen and the stalks of wheat became hard and brown. The fields assumed golden colour. The fateful day came when all the labour taken in ploughing and sowing and watering would be rewarded. The sparrow hastened to reap the grain, but the idle crow still refused to lend a hand and repeated as before: “You go, sparrow, I’m just coming, Let me first smoke my hubble-bubble. And swing on the twig of the mango tree.” When the time came for separating the chaff from the wheat, the crow kept on sitting on the tree and again it was the sparrow who had to do the job.
Finally, the day came for the division of the produce between the two. The wheat was piled up on one side, the chaff on the other. The cunning crow flew and alighted on the grain, while the poor sparrow, who had worked so hard to produce it, had to be content with the chaff. He did not get a single grain of wheat. Yet he did not complain, for he considered it bad to have an evil thought about a friend. Night came, and it began to rain heavily. The sparrow to whose share the chaff had fallen hid himself inside it and sheltered himself from the storm and rain. The lazy crow was caught and imprisoned in his heap of wheat and was crushed to death inside it!
A Folkstory from Uttar Pradesh sourced from : Folktales from Uttar Pradesh ed. I
Additional Notes: Similar in many ways to Aesop’s ‘The Grasshopper and the Ant’, while the lesson at the end might be similar, the cast of characters and the eventual just desert tell us a lot about the culture this story is rooted in; karmic retribution being the lesson driver in this Indian retelling.
Click here to submit your Folklore.