English Original
Once in summer, a bear and a wolf were walking in the forest. The bear heard a beautiful song and asked, "Brother wolf, what bird sings so well?"
"That is the King of birds," said the wolf, "before whom we must bow." It was, in fact, the willow-wren.
"If so," said the bear, "I'd like to see his royal palace. Take me there."
"Not so fast," said the wolf. "You must wait for the Queen."
Soon, the Queen arrived with food in her beak, and the King came too. They began to feed their young. The bear wanted to approach, but the wolf held him back. "Wait until they leave," he said.
They noted the nest's location and left. But the bear, restless, soon returned alone. The King and Queen were gone. He peeked in and saw five or six young birds.
"Is this the royal palace?" cried the bear. "It's a wretched place! You are not king's children; you are disreputable!"
The young wrens were furious. "That is not true! Our parents are honest! Bear, you will pay for this!"
The bear and wolf, uneasy, retreated to their holes. The young wrens refused to eat when their parents returned. "We won't touch a fly's leg until you prove we are respectable! The bear insulted us!"
The old King said, "Be calm. He will be punished." He and the Queen flew to the bear's cave. "Old Growler, why insult my children? You shall suffer a bloody war!"
War was declared. The bear summoned all four-footed animals: oxen, asses, cows, deer, and more. The willow-wren summoned everything that flies: all birds, midges, hornets, bees, and flies.
Before the battle, the willow-wren sent a spy—a crafty gnat—to learn the enemy's plans. The gnat hid under a leaf where the bear was speaking to the fox.
The bear said, "Fox, you are the most cunning. You shall be our general."
"Good," said the fox. "But we need a signal. Watch my tail. If I hold it high, charge. If it droops, flee."
The gnat heard everything and reported back to the willow-wren.
At dawn, the four-footed army charged, making the earth tremble. The willow-wren's army filled the air with a terrifying hum. The willow-wren sent a hornet under the fox's tail to sting him.
At the first sting, the fox flinched but kept his tail up. At the second, he lowered it briefly. At the third, he screamed and tucked his tail between his legs.
Seeing this, the animal army thought all was lost and fled. The birds had won.
The King and Queen returned home. "Children, rejoice! We have won! Eat and drink to your heart's content!"
But the young wrens said, "Not yet. The bear must come here, beg our pardon, and call us honorable children."
The willow-wren flew to the bear's hole. "Growler, come to my nest and beg my children's pardon, or I will break every rib in your body!"
Trembling with fear, the bear crept to the nest and begged for forgiveness. Finally satisfied, the young wrens feasted and celebrated late into the night.
中文翻译
夏日里，熊和狼在森林中散步。熊听到一阵美妙的歌声，问道：“狼兄弟，是什么鸟唱得这么好听？”
“那是百鸟之王，”狼说，“我们必须向他鞠躬。”实际上，那是一只鹪鹩。
“既然如此，”熊说，“我很想看看他的王宫。带我去吧。”
“没这么简单，”狼说，“你必须等王后来。”
不久，王后叼着食物来了，国王也来了。他们开始喂幼鸟。熊想上前，但狼拉住了他。“等他们离开再说，”狼说。
他们记下鸟巢的位置后离开了。但熊坐立不安，很快独自返回。国王和王后刚飞走。他偷看进去，看到了五六只幼鸟。
“这就是王宫？”熊喊道，“真是个破地方！你们不是国王的孩子，你们是卑劣的孩子！”
幼鹪鹩们愤怒极了。“这不是真的！我们的父母是正直的！熊，你要为此付出代价！”
熊和狼感到不安，退回了自己的洞穴。幼鹪鹩们在父母回来时拒绝进食。“在我们是不是体面的孩子这件事弄清楚之前，我们连一只苍蝇腿都不会碰！熊侮辱了我们！”
老国王说：“放心，他会受到惩罚。”他和王后飞到熊的洞穴前。“老咆哮鬼，为何侮辱我的孩子？你将承受一场血战！”
战争宣告开始。熊召集了所有四足动物：牛、驴、母牛、鹿等等。鹪鹩召集了所有会飞的东西：所有的鸟、蠓虫、大黄蜂、蜜蜂和苍蝇。
战斗前，鹪鹩派出一名间谍——一只狡猾的蚊子——去探听敌人的计划。蚊子藏在熊对狐狸说话的树叶下。
熊说：“狐狸，你最狡猾。你来当我们的将军。”
“好，”狐狸说，“但我们需要一个信号。看我的尾巴。如果我高举尾巴，就进攻。如果它垂下来，就快跑。”
蚊子听到了一切，回去报告给鹪鹩。
黎明时分，四足动物大军冲锋，大地为之震颤。鹪鹩的军队在空中发出可怕的嗡嗡声。鹪鹩派出一只大黄蜂去蜇狐狸的尾巴下面。
第一次被蜇，狐狸退缩了一下，但仍高举尾巴。第二次被蜇，他暂时放下了尾巴。第三次被蜇，他尖叫着把尾巴夹在了两腿之间。
看到这一幕，动物大军以为大势已去，纷纷逃窜。鸟儿们赢了。
国王和王后回到家。“孩子们，高兴吧！我们赢了！尽情吃喝吧！”
但幼鹪鹩们说：“还不行。熊必须来这里，请求我们原谅，并称我们为体面的孩子。”
鹪鹩飞到熊的洞穴前。“咆哮鬼，到我的巢穴来，向我的孩子们道歉，否则我就打断你每一根肋骨！”
熊吓得发抖，爬到鸟巢前请求宽恕。幼鹪鹩们终于满意了，他们一起吃喝，欢庆到深夜。