"i'll tell you a story," said the wind. "kindly remember," said the rain, "that it's my turn to talk. you've been howling around the corner at the top of your voice quite long enough."
"is that the thanks i get for all of the favors i've done you?" the wind blustered. "many an umbrella i've turned inside out, or even blown to tatters, when people tried to avoid you."
"be silent! it is i who shall speak," said the sunshine, who spoke with such brilliance and warmth that the weary wind fell flat on his back, and the rain shook him and tried to rouse him, crying: "we won't stand for it. this madam sunshine is forever interrupting us. don't lets listen to her. what she says is not worth hearing."
and the sunshine began: "a beautiful swan flew over the rolling, tossing waves of the ocean. each of its feathers shone like gold. one feather drifted down above a great merchant ship that sailed the sea with all its canvas spread. the feather came to rest upon the curly hair of a young overseer who looked after the goods aboard that ship - supercargo they called him. the bird of fortune's feather touched his forehead, became a quill pen in his hand, and brought him such luck that he soon became a merchant, a man of wealth, a man so rich that he could wear spurs of gold and change a golden dish into a nobleman's shield. i know - i have shone on it," said the sunshine.
"the swan flew far away, over a green meadow where a little shepherd boy, not more than seven years old, lay in the shade of an old tree, the only tree in that meadow. as the swan flew past it, she brushed one leaf from the tree. this leaf fell into the boy's hands, where it turned into three leaves, ten leaves - yes, it turned into all the leaves of a book. in this book he read of the many wonderful things that are in nature, about his native language, about faith, and about knowledge. before he went to sleep he laid the book under his pillow to keep from forgetting what he had learned during the day. the wonderful book led him first to school, and then far into the fields of learning. i have seen his name where they carve the names of great scholars," the sunshine said.
