小学英语阅读：The Birth Of Poetry And Art

　　The Birth Of Poetry And Art

　　When Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, there was an incident when the flames of a blazing sword of an angel, who had sent them away, burned a birds' nest.

　　The birds were all burned to death, but a new bird was born from one of the ruddily heated eggs. This means that the unique 'Phoenix' was born.

　　The phoenix builds its nest in Arabia, and there is a myth that it set fire to its own nest once every 100 years. Among those ruddy eggs heated by the fire, a new Phoenix comes to be born again.

　　The phoenix flies as fast as a ray of light, its feathers are of dazzling beauty, and the sound of its voice is very sweet.

　　When a mother sits next to her baby's cradle and dandles the baby, the Phoenix comes down to the baby's pillow, and the glaring feathers of Phoenix make a halo around the baby's head. The phoenix flies around rooms of poor people, sprinkles sunshine, and carries the fragrance of violets into the rooms.

　　The phoenix stays not only in Arabia but it flies around the far North Pole, broad field, above the rivers where the sunshine falls in coal mines and in our front yards where beautiful flowers bloom.

　　On the carriage of the Greek tragic poet, Thespis, the Phoenix became a talkative crow, for the troubadours of Island it played the harp disguised as a swan, and on the shoulder of Shakespeare the phoenix whispered "eternity" as it was the Odin's crow. The phoenix sang beautiful songs, and people kissed its shining fallen feathers from its wings. Even though the Phoenix came from glorious Paradise, people may not see the Phoenix because they are busy with seeing sparrows.

　　The bird of the Paradise! Born once every 100 years, dies in flames! When it was born under the tree of wisdom in the garden of the Paradise, God kissed the Phoenix and gave him a name. That was "Poetry and Art".