Summary of Hundred Dove
The story starts out with the fowler who was called by the king in the palace to catch 100 doves for his wedding ceremony. At that time, there was a woman (Columba) who was neat, slim and fair like a bird. She had worn gold ring on her finger. He dared to kiss the glittering gold ring of Columba. Then, he moved out to catch the hundred doves within seven days. He would kill larger birds with arrow and catch small birds with net.
On the first day, he trapped twenty-one doves. All of them were similar besides one. One was thin and as white as milk. As he was watching the strange dove, she slipped out and taking only 20 doves returns back to his cottage which was in the forest.
In the following day, he again caught twenty-one doves and one of them was same slim dove. Today too same case happened and had to return with twenty doves at home. Till fourth day, he collected 80 doves. On fifth day, he only collected nineteen doves and, for 100, he had to catch a dove. Now in sixth day, he only thought to catch the slim and white dove who had escaped every time from his net. On that day, he succeeded to trap her in the net. She has also black eyes like of the queen. The female dove had a glittered (shining) gold ring around her leg. She requested him to free her and if he did so, he would get gold, ring and queen. Foolish fowler only thought about serving was his motto. He thought that she might again escaped from the net, so he killed her. As he went to palace with 99 alive and one dead dove, there was not wedding.
After this incident, he gave up hunting and lived on eating berries and fruit for his entire life. Similarly, he never saw another dove.
What do you think is the moral of the story?
The story is trying to say that we should not misuse the power and should follow our head (mind). In the story, Fowler and the king misuse the power because one wants to serve collecting 100 doves and another wants to have the fun of them in his wedding ceremony.
Another moral lesson is about head (mind). While serving to other, we should use logic, reason and mind. It is the queen who came in the form of dove said to fowler that the queen would be his if he freed her. The dove was like queen because she was slim with dark eyes. Not only this much, dove's feet had same gold ring that the queen had worn in her finger. But foolish fowler, in the name of servo was his motto, he killed her who had lovingly come to meet him in disguising form of dove.