She told the tale, thus: "It's a tale of a dove that was blown off her course, she ended up nesting in a crows tree.
The crow thought her quite pretty, so he offered her his wing to keep her warm and dry. When the came dame the dove found that without her flock, she was bound to stay, so she went into a field to eat seeds with the sparrows there. The crow though was a jealous bird, and none to pleased, ere upon her return at eve he cloaked her in his wing once more, and asked of her: "Ah sweet dove, what meal have you brought for me?" But crows are carrion birds, you see, they do not care for seeds, so she said in reply: "nothing".
Came more days much the same, and the crow grew in his jealousy, each night she returned with no meal for him to eat, his brooding grew, though he cloaked her with his wing all the same and his his malcontent so she would not see. Finally came a day when the crow decided that the dove had mislead him too far, and when she came she found the rest of his flock, brooding in the branches. But he had kept her warm, so yet again she took to rest under his wing. Yet he held her tightly then, and with his murder looking on, he asked of her again: "My dear, my sweet, what meal have you brought for me?" Yet she said again: "Nothing, crow, for in the field we eat only seeds'. He asked again, and the flock, hungry and cruel eyed, fluttered their wings.
He asked again, and again, and to her dismay, when no meal had she to offer the flock began to caw cackling cries, for if there was no meat in the field, doves, assuredly were sweet, and he began to peck and pluck at her feathers, pulling them from her wings one after another. She could not escape, and soon her white wings were wet with blood. They asked her again, yet her reply could not change, and so she was beset to great agony under those blackened wings. Yet the sparrows heard her frightful cries, and though they were small birds, they were fast and fierce. So up they rose from the fields in a swarm to chase the crows away, and took the dove back to their own nests, where she could rest and heal again.
Though the dove lives with them now, somewhat happily ever after, and her wings healed, she never felt they were quite as full, nor ever again did she so blindly trust those that welcomed her too eagerly."
And she sang the song, as well: D G A D
So a crow sat in his tree, watching storm go by
D G A D
shorn from her flock then came dove, to land on branch nearby,
Am F E Am
'come to me, my sweetest dove, my wing will keep you dry,
Am F E Am
come to me, my lovely dove, until again you fly'.
D A Bm A
glad the dove came unto him, warmed throughout the night,
D A Bm A
when morning came, she went aflight, to sparrows field nearby,
E B C#m B
'come and feast, oh sweetest dove, and sing away the time,
E B C#m B
we'll share our seeds, oh lovely dove, until the night abides.'
Am F E Am
jealous he, that black crow was, though welcomed her again,
Am F E Am
under wing and clung so close, asked of her softly then,
Am F E Am
'what meal for me', oh pretty dove, from sparrows field afar?
D G A D
'there is no meat, oh handsome crow,' the gentle dove replied.
D G A D
And so she came and so she went, that tender little dove,
D G A D
until the day returned on eve, to murders host above.
Am F E Am
'what meal for us', cried jealous crows, 'you cannot us deny',
D G A D
'no meat', she plead, that gentle dove, long into the night.
D A Bm A
So cruel were they that black winged host, pretty feathers plucked,
D A Bm A
but then the sparrows of the field, came up and up and up,
E B C#m B
'Off you go, oh wicked crows!' the little sparrows cried,
E B C#m B
And with them, oh wounded dove, flew into the night.
D G A D
Now with them she stays yet still, wings once more to shine
Am F E Am
Though never trusts a blackened wing, cast so swiftly by.
D A Bm A
'Stay with us, oh pretty dove, our fields for you abide,
E B C#m B
Stay with us, oh sweetest dove, our home is safe and kind'
// Lyrics and Melody by me:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1jAwZh2xFww (s'cuse ma singing again!)
// Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/dragonfell-angel/crows-wings// Chord arrangement by Badgerlizard!
// Remastered version with voice and piano by Badgerlizard!
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0WSM6MiJKv1