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THE STORY OF KIBARAKA AND THE BIRD
ONCE upon a time there was a Sultan, and he had one son, a very handsome youth, called Hasani.
Every day at noon the Sultan and his son used to go to the mosque to pray. After they had gone the Sultan's wife used to sort out the seeds of every kind of grain in the Sultan's store. Those that needed drying she gave to a slave, called Kibaraka, to put out in the sun to dry.
One day, after the Sultan and his son had gone to prayer, she called to the slave, "Kibaraka, take these seeds and put them out in the sun." Kibaraka took the grain and spread it out to dry, each kind by itself.
Suddenly a wondrously fine bird came and sat down by the grain and called out—
"Kibaraka! Kibaraka!"
He answered, "Here, lady, here."
Then the bird sang—
Bird. "Shall I eat of this wheat?
Or shall I not eat?
Or shall I eat millet?"
Kibaraka. "Eat, Lady, I will it."