Passion and the Owl

A swan named Passion, living a life of leisure on a forest lake, was approached one day by an owl who claimed to have traveled the world in search of virtue and, finding none greater than the swan's, wished to be his friend.

Passion welcomed the owl warmly, and the two spent time together in friendly diversion until the owl eventually returned to his own home, called Lotus Grove, inviting Passion to visit someday as a mark of true friendship.

Years later, having grown old and wishing for new experiences, Passion decided to accept the invitation and traveled to Lotus Grove. He found his friend crouched blind and miserable in an ugly hole, since owls cannot see by daylight, and had to wait until nightfall for a proper reunion, then fell asleep exhausted from his journey.

That same night, a merchant caravan camped nearby, and at dawn its leader signaled departure with a conch. The owl, startled, answered with a harsh hoot and immediately dove for cover in his hole -- but the sleeping swan did not stir at all, remaining exposed and visible.

Believing the swan's silence and stillness to be an evil omen, the caravan leader ordered an archer to shoot in that direction, and the swan, resting innocently near his friend's home, was killed instantly by an arrow meant to ward off bad luck.

The tale is remembered as a caution about friendships built across very different worlds without full understanding of each other's risks: what is safe and natural for one friend, like the owl retreating from danger, may be exactly what leaves the other exposed and vulnerable in ways neither anticipated.