This is a Folk tale from Brazil. Brazil is the largest country in South America. The largest country on the continent and it is very well-known for it's cultures and the game ‘Football’. The world biggest river Amazon and the Amazon Rain-forest is here. This Brazilian folk tale was collected by Elsie Spicer Eells.
The boy went to hire out as shepherd to care for the sheep of the king. But he was told that the king already had a large number of shepherds and had no need of another shepherd. The boy took his violin which he had brought with him and hid himself in the deep forest. There he made sweet music with the violin. The shepherds who were near by patrolling the king’s sheep, they heard the sweet melodious music. But they could not find out who was playing that sweet music. The sheep heard the music too. Several of them left the crowd and followed the sound of the music into the forest. They followed it until they reached the boy and the cat and the violin.
The shepherds were greatly disturbed when they found out how their sheep were losing away into the forest. The shepherds went after their sheep to bring them back, but they could find no trace of them. Sometimes it would seem that they were quite near to the place from which the music came, but when they hurried in that direction they would hear the melody of the music coming from an isolated point in the opposite direction. They were scared of getting lost themselves so they gave up in disappointment.
The Boy and the Violin
A South American Folktale
Once upon a time there was a man lived in Brazil, who had an only son. When the man died, then the boy was left all alone in the world. There was not very much property for the boy. He had just a cat and a dog, a small piece of land and a few orange trees. The boy gave the dog away to a neighbor and sold the land and the orange trees. All of the money he got from the sale, he invested in a violin. He had waited for a violin all his life and now he wanted one more than ever. While his father had lived he could tell his feelings to his father, but now there was none to tell them to except the violin. Then the violin became his friend and the violin said him to make the very sweetest music in the world.The boy went to hire out as shepherd to care for the sheep of the king. But he was told that the king already had a large number of shepherds and had no need of another shepherd. The boy took his violin which he had brought with him and hid himself in the deep forest. There he made sweet music with the violin. The shepherds who were near by patrolling the king’s sheep, they heard the sweet melodious music. But they could not find out who was playing that sweet music. The sheep heard the music too. Several of them left the crowd and followed the sound of the music into the forest. They followed it until they reached the boy and the cat and the violin.
The shepherds were greatly disturbed when they found out how their sheep were losing away into the forest. The shepherds went after their sheep to bring them back, but they could find no trace of them. Sometimes it would seem that they were quite near to the place from which the music came, but when they hurried in that direction they would hear the melody of the music coming from an isolated point in the opposite direction. They were scared of getting lost themselves so they gave up in disappointment.
