King was walking towards the royal park. Suddenly the painter appeared before him. "Where are you bound to?" Asked the king."I am watching birds and beasts." Painter responded.
"Nice to hear that. I like birds. I want to see different kinds of birds coming to my royal park. Would you like to go to the royal park to see birds?"
The painter had to say yes to the king.
"Will that disturb your meditative mood?" Asked the king, when the painter showed a hesitant look cast on his face.
"No. It is a privilege to be on Your Majesty's side and watch birds perched on branches of trees."
Then they walked to the royal park. The king was silent. The painter too kept silent - he had nothing to tell the king. The king stopped and pointed his finger to a certain bird perched on a tall tree. The king spoke silently.
"Can you see that bird?" The painter nodded his head.
"What's that bird called?"
"It's a rare king of a rooster."
"Shall we look at it for sometime?"
Then they stood still and gazed at the rooster.
"What a beautiful bird it is." Said the king. The painter nodded his head in agreement.
"Look at his golden feathers. Oh it's beautiful." Said the king mesmerized.
There was a grave silent in the royal park. Once in a way the sound of a bird was heard. Then the sound was followed by the twinkling sound of a squirrel. In the silence few more birds perched on the branch of the tree. The king and the painter watched the entire scene of beauty for a long time. But they all flew to the blue sky, when they heard the trumpeting sound of a royal elephant tied to a tree at a distance in the same royal park.
"Oh my dear elephant disturbed the beautiful scene." Said the king in dismay. Then he looked at the painter for his response. The painter stood silent.
"Can you draw the picture of that bird we saw?" Asked the king.
"I'll try." Said the painter.
"How long would you take to do that?" Asked the king.
The painter could not decide the time factor.
"Perhaps as soon as I go home," said the painter.
"Can you do it soon?" Asked the king.
"Then give me a week's time." Requested the painter.
"I'll reward you with a good sum of money." Said the king.
"It's my pleasure to do it for your majesty."
"See me as soon as possible." Said the king when they departed for two directions.
The king went to the palace. The painter went to his residence not so closer to the palace. On his way the painter as well as the king were thinking of the beautiful bird they saw in the royal park.
The king was waiting to see the painter as soon as possible.
The king went to the palace thinking of the beautiful bird he saw in the royal park. The painter went on thinking as to how he would draw the very same bird on a paper he laid down on the table.
He drew on a rough sketch of that bird visualizing the way he saw it.
But he was not at all satisfied with what he sketched. Then he pulled out another paper and tried to another sketch. It was coming off well. But in the end he was disgusted thinking that it was not the very same bird he saw in the royal park.
He threw that drawing that sketch as well. He got up from where he was and walked to and fro in his studio.
Sometime he was sleepless thinking of the beautiful bird. He never had this experience in the past. On the other hand the king found that one whole week had gone by. The painter who promised to bring the painting of the bird, had not visited the king.
"I want to know why he is not keeping his promise." Said the king to his courtiers.
One of the royal courtiers went to see the painter. The courtier had a word with the painter.
"Please inform the king that I am in the process of doing what I promised. It will take another day or two."
The courtier came back and informed the king as to what the painter said. The courtier found that the king was slightly worried. But the king wanted to hide it by saying:
"All right I'll wait for two more days.'
Two days passed. The painter did not come to see the king. On the third day the king decided to see the painter. So the king went to the studio of the painter. The painter was engaged in his work. To his surprise the king saw a whole heap of papers lying down beside his work table.
"What's all these?" Asked the king.
"Listen to me Great Majesty. Imagine how much I have tried to capture the very same bird we saw together in the royal park. But as you can see the real bird when we saw had not entered into my creative vision.
It looks as if the real bird that we saw had flown away.
The king stood gazing at the painter. A silence ensued between king and painter.
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