The Prince and the Talking Bird

Long ago, in the golden city of Samarkand, there lived a prince named Kamil, beloved by his people for his gentle nature and sharp mind. His father, the old king, knew his son’s heart was good — but he worried that Kamil was too trusting, too eager to see only the good in men.

One spring, word came to the court of a wondrous bird, caged deep in the palace of a faraway sultan. This bird, they said, could speak the language of men and reveal secrets no one else dared tell. Whoever possessed the bird would know who was true and who was false, who was loyal and who was a traitor.

The old king, who feared conspiracies in his court, called Kamil to his side.

“My son,” he said, “bring me this bird. Let it tell me which of my ministers whispers poison in the shadows. Let it protect you when I am gone.”

Kamil bowed low. “Father, I shall return with this bird, or not at all.”

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Prince Kamil set out with only his loyal guard, Farid. They rode through harsh deserts and green valleys, crossed rivers wide as oceans and climbed mountains sharp as teeth. Many nights they camped under stars that seemed to watch them with silent eyes.

At last, they came to the sultan’s palace, hidden behind walls of white marble and guards clad in bronze. Kamil presented himself at the gate, bearing gifts of silk and pearls. The sultan welcomed him with feasts and songs, but when Kamil asked for the bird, the sultan laughed.

“You may see the bird,” he said. “But it will not come cheap.”

In the highest tower, under a dome of sapphire glass, Kamil found the bird: a small creature with feathers of emerald and gold, its eyes bright with a human-like knowing. When the guards left him alone, the bird spoke.

“Prince Kamil,” it said, “I know why you have come. But know this: truth is not a trinket to be carried in a cage. If you free me, I shall tell you three truths. If you cage me, I shall sing only lies.”

Kamil was astonished. “If I free you, how will I face my father empty-handed?”

The bird tilted its head. “Better an empty cage than a golden lie.”

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Kamil returned to the sultan and offered all he had — jewels, spices, fine horses — but the sultan demanded more: “Your guard, Farid. Leave him here to serve me, and the bird is yours.”

Kamil’s heart twisted. Farid had been his shield through storms and battles. He could not abandon him. That night, Kamil lay awake in the guest chamber, torn between duty and honor.

At midnight, Farid came to him. “My prince,” he said, “I have heard what the sultan asks. Give me to him — your father needs the bird.”

But Kamil shook his head. “A kingdom built on betrayal will crumble. I will not trade your loyalty for a promise of truth.”

At dawn, Kamil crept into the tower and opened the bird’s cage. It hopped to his shoulder and whispered, “Listen well. Here is the first truth: your father’s greatest danger is not from his ministers — it is from his own fear. Second: your people trust you because you trust them. Lose that, and you lose your kingdom. Third: the sultan who covets your guard would poison you both — flee now.”

Kamil ran to Farid, and together they fled the palace before the sun had risen high. Behind them, the sultan’s guards searched in vain for the bird that had vanished into the dawn.

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When Kamil returned to Samarkand, his father sat waiting, frail and tired. The old king looked for the cage but saw none.

“Where is the bird?” he demanded.

Kamil knelt beside him. “Father, the bird spoke to me freely. It gave me truths greater than any cage could hold. Our enemies are not only men with daggers — but the fear in our hearts that makes us betray one another.”

The king wept. “Then you are wiser than I, my son.”

When the old king died, Kamil ruled with Farid at his side. The people said he was the prince who returned with an empty cage but a kingdom full of trust — and that was worth more than any bird’s song.

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So it is told in the nights that never end: that truth, once freed, can never be caged again.

Book reference: One Thousand and One Nights