Читать книгу Stories about elephant calf Lanchenkar - Ayusha Erdyneev - Страница 10

One day, being in a state of meditation4, Lanchenkar acquired a divine auditory gift, when he could hear all sounds in this world.

– Black?

– No, red.

– And why white?

– Because it’s green.

After the meditation the Elephant Prince did not forget those phrases. He kept thinking what all that might mean. What things could have so many colors? Lanchenkar asked many wise men but none could give him an answer. It seemed that there could never be such things in this world! But Lanchenkar didn’t lose hope and continued his quests.

In this state Lanchenkar could sense things which he otherwise took no notice of.

One day he met a tramp from a faraway Northern land. His name was Ivan. He was a daredevil but kind and openhearted. Lanchenkar asked him to explain those strange words.

“Dear Ivan, do you happen to know a thing that could be described as:

– Black?

– No, red.

– But why white?

– Because it’s green.

Perhaps you have it in your north.”

“Sure,” Ivan replied. It’s currants. They grow everywhere where I live. We make stewed fruit from them and give them to children in cold winter. What you heard was a dialogue at a bazaar. There are black and red currants. If red currants are not ripe, they are white, others are green. So this is what you heard.

– Black currants?

– Red currants.

– Why are they white?

– Because they are green, not ripe.

After that Ivan became the main hero of the elephants’ stories. Speaking about clever people or animals they always added, “Wise as Ivan.”