Before the Rain: The Little Bird Mends Its Nest
Do you know the idiom "fix the house before it rains"? It actually comes from a very old book called the Classic of Poetry.
This book is already over two thousand five hundred years old! In it there is a poem about a little bird. A wicked owl stole its babies.
The little bird did not cry forever. While the sky had not yet rained, it hurried to patch its nest with mulberry bark. It wanted to protect the home that remained.
Strange, isn't it? We often say this phrase to encourage people to prepare early. But the original poem actually carries sorrow and courage.
There is another interesting thing. A prize-winning author, Pearl S. Buck, translated it into English and called it "The Owl."
So next time you hear "fix the house before it rains," you can think of that little bird. While the sky was clear, it had already begun repairing its home.
In the morning, the sun came up. Mother Bird stood on the tree branch, singing softly. Her song was lovely, gentle as the wind.
Under the tree grew little green grass, patch by patch, soft and tender. When the wind blew gently by, the little grass nodded its head.
In the nest, the little babies grew bigger day by day. They opened their mouths wide, waiting for Mama to come home. Everyone was very happy.
Suddenly, a big-eyed owl flew over. Its wings were so huge that they covered the whole sky.
The owl reached out its claws and carried away the little babies in the nest. The mother bird chased after it, but she couldn't catch up.
The nest became empty. Only a tiny feather was left inside. The mother bird looked at the feather and felt terribly sad, tears streaming down nonstop.
The mother bird was very sad, but she did not give up. She flapped her wings and returned to the tree. She said softly to herself, "I must take good care of the home that is left. That way, when my children come back later, they can live here safely." She dried her tears and looked at the empty nest. Her heart still ached, but she decided to stand up and repair the home.
The sun in the sky was still very big, making the leaves shine brightly. The other birds were all playing, flying here and there, laughing happily. Only the mother bird sat on a branch, lifted her head, and looked at the sky. The sky was blue, without a single cloud. The mother bird thought to herself: "The weather is so nice, but will it rain later? If it rains, will this nest still hold up?"
The mother bird remembered the time it had rained heavily before. The wind was strong, and the rain was fierce. The nest swayed in the wind, as if it might fall at any moment. Back then, Little Treasure would tremble and cling tightly to Mama. Whenever the mother bird thought of this, her heart ached. So she decided to start fixing the nest now, before the rain came. If she made their home strong today, they wouldn't have to fear the wind and rain later.
The mother bird flew to the mulberry tree. The bark of the mulberry tree was long, strip after strip, and it looked very strong. She pecked at it with her beak, again and again, pulling down the long strips of mulberry bark. One strip, two strips, three strips—she set them down carefully. Then she bit the bark until it was soft, until it was fine and thin. When it was ready, she would take it home to tie her nest tightly.
The mother bird carried over a bundle of dry thatch grass and picked out a few thin twigs. She wrapped the mulberry bark around and around, tightening it for a very, very long time. The gap in the nest slowly grew smaller. She flapped her wings to test it—the nest was firm and did not wobble at all. The mother bird smiled happily.
A little sparrow neighbor flew over and asked, "The weather is so nice, why are you so busy?" The mother bird smiled and said, "If we get ready now, we won't be afraid when it rains." The little sparrow tilted his head and thought about it. The mother bird said again, "When the nest is strong, the family can sleep safely." The little sparrow nodded and went to pick up twigs too.
In the evening, it really did start to rain heavily. The raindrops hit the trees with a loud splash, over and over. But the mother bird's nest was safe and strong—not a single drop of rain could get in. She sat inside, warm and cozy, watching the rain outside, and her heart was no longer afraid.
The rain stopped, and the moon came out. Moonlight shone on the nest, bright and quiet. The mother bird sang softly. She said to her little ones: Prepare on sunny days, and you'll be at peace on rainy days — that is what it means to fix the roof before it rains. Children, remember this, okay?
