Once upon a time, there was a man who had to raise his only son alone. One day, with a heavy heart, he had to leave his home village to earn money in the city. So he took his few belongings, lifted the little child onto his shoulders and set off for the city. It was a long way and the son was getting bored. He looked around and saw a bird. "What's that?" he wanted to know. "It's a raven," replied the father. The boy saw many different things and his father answered patiently. Finally, he pulled a string out of his jacket and when the boy asked, "What's that?", the father replied, "A hawk..., a sparrow..., a pigeon...", tying a knot in the string each time. When they finally arrived in the city, the string was full of knots.

The father and his son lived in the city for many years. The father traded, earned money and the son grew up and helped him. So the father grew old and the son took over the business. Over time, the old man became so frail that he could hardly move, let alone walk.

Eventually he expressed the wish to return home and the son also wanted to visit his relatives. The son took a few belongings with him, lifted his old father onto his shoulders and set off for his home village. It was a long way and the father was running out of time. He looked around and saw a bird. As his eyes were no longer the best, he asked: "What is that?"

"A raven," replied the son.

"And that?" the father wanted to know and pointed to another bird.

"A raven," said the son without lifting his eyes.

"And this one?" asked the father, but by then the son's patience had run out. He lifted his father off his shoulders, sat him on the ground and said loudly: "I told you it was a raven!"

The father then pulled a string out of his jacket. It was full of knots. He looked at it and said: "Look, this string is full of knots. You asked me so many questions as I carried you along the same path to the city and I answered them all patiently. But you get annoyed after just a few questions. It's like the saying: a father can bear ten children, but ten children can't bear one father."

The son listened. Then he sat down on the floor next to his father, picked up the knotted cord and looked at it. Finally he smiled, took his father's hand, lifted him onto his back and it wasn't long before they arrived in their home village. When the father later died, the son took the knotted cord, and when he became a father himself, he never tired of telling his children this story.

Aus: Djamila Jaenike, Die Quelle der Weisheit, Trachselwald 2025 © Mutabor Verlag, englische Fassung Lysander Jaenike