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The Nightingale and the Rose
Once upon a time, a young man fell in love with a beautiful maiden, the daughter
of a rich and prosperous land lord. Well, there was a winter Ball coming up in
the town hall in a few days and the man wanted to take her. She was wanted my
all the young men in the town for their dates to the Ball, but the maiden would
only go with the man that brought her a beautiful red rose. Since it was the
middle of winter this was nearly impossible and so the young man remained
dateless.
Well, the young man, upon hearing this information about the girl and the rose,
fell upon his lawn and began to weep, for he knew he would never be able to take
her. Perched on an old oak tree, however, was a nightingale, who heard his
cries. She felt horrible for the young boy and decided to travel to all the rose
bushes in the village in search for a beautiful red rose
The nightingale searched and searched, but all the bushes were either asleep or
didn't have red roses, they had yellow or white. Finally the nightingale came
upon a beautiful rose bush and said " Oh rose bush, could you grow me a
beautiful red rose for the young boy? if you do i will sing you my most
beautiful song!" the rose bush replied "i am sorry little nightingale,
but it is too cold for me to grow a rose. the only possible way of me growing a
rose is too horrible for me to even mention to you!" the nightingale then
said " Oh rose bush, tell me! for i need that rose soon! i will do
anything!" and so, the rose bush wearily replied " all right. the only
way for me to grow a rose for you is for you to press your breast upon my thorn
and sing me your most beautiful song while you blood seeps into me and becomes
part of me! please little nightingale, do not do this for then we will never
hear you beautiful voice again!" The nightingale thought and thought,and
finally decided to do it because she new that the power and meaning of love
inside a young mans heart was much for important than the life of a little bird.
And so, the nightingale pressed her breast against the thorn of the bush and
sand her song. she sang of new love blossoming in the heart on a man, and she
sand of the blossoming of a crimson rose in winter. "press harder!"
yelled the rose bush."you need to press harder if i am to grow the
rose!" and so the nightingale pressed harder against the rose bush, and the
thorn pierced her heart. she felt a great pain, and cried her last song. all the
trees and animals heard it, and shivered at it's power and sadness. and then the
nightingale fell, dead. But her labors were not lost! For upon the upper most
branches of the bush, the was a beautiful crimson rose. The young man opened his
window, and saw the rose in a bush across the street. He dashed over, plucked
the rose from its bush, and ran to the maidens home.
Upon entering the home of the maiden and her family, he said "Most
beautiful maiden, i have come with the rose you have requested! now we will
dance into the night and feel a love for each other for the first time!"
The girl looked at him in a haughty way and replied " Oh, silly boy, who
cares about that little rose! the millers son has given me jewels and ribbons
for my hair. i am going with HIM to the dance! not you! why, you don't even have
brass buckles on your shoes! y would i go with such a dirty, poor man like you!
HA!" she replied, and slammed the door on him. The young man was
heartbroken, and threw the rose into the street where it was run over by a cart.
Then he returned home and thought " Maidens are not worth my time. i shall
not waste anymore time on them. i will study philosophy and become a great
scholar, for philosophy is definite and forever!" and so he went into his
room and opened a great dusty book and began to read.
