The Songbird in the Garden

A long time ago, in a city called Tihrán in the country of Persia, there lived a small boy named 'Abbás. He grew up to be 'Abdu'l-Bahá. But this story is from when He was only seven years old.

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The family had a garden behind the house. There were tall trees and small flowers and a quiet pool of water. Many birds lived in the garden. They flew from tree to tree and sang in the morning.

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One day, one of the older boys in the household caught a small songbird in a net. He was very pleased. He wanted to keep the songbird in a cage so the family could hear its song every day.

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Little 'Abbás watched the songbird in the cage. The bird was not singing. The bird was sitting very still. Its small eyes were sad.

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'Abbás opened the cage door very gently. The songbird flew out at once. Up, up into the tall tree it flew. It sat on a high branch in the sunshine. Then it began to sing — the loudest, brightest song the family had heard in many days.

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'Abbás listened. He smiled. He understood.

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> Every living thing should have its own free place in the > world.

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That was the lesson 'Abbás learned in the garden when He was seven. He carried it with Him for the rest of His life. And every time He saw a small creature in a cage, He remembered the song of the small bird in the tall tree.

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