The Rat

There was once a rat, who thought that he must have none other than the king's daughter for his wife. So, he went to the king and proposed to wed the princess. Said the rat to the king, "You are the greatest one on earth."

The king, however, said: "Not me. The sun is mightier than I am."

So the rat went to the sun and said: "You are mightier than the king. Please give me your daughter in wedding."

"But the cloud is more powerful than me," said the sun.

The rat went to the cloud and said to him: "Please give me your daughter. You are mightier than the sun."

"I am not that powerful," said the cloud, "The wind pushes me around. He is stronger than me."

So, the rat went to the wind and said to him, "Please let me marry your daughter."

"No, I am not as strong as you think," said the wind, "Howsoever hard I blow I cannot take the grass away with me. The grass is, therefore, more powerful than me."

The rat went to the grass and asked for his daughter's hand.

But the grass said: "The rat burrows beneath me, cuts at my roots and kills me. I cannot stop him. The rat is more powerful than me."

The rat was now convinced more than ever that there was none greater on earth than a rat. So, he married a rat.