Part One[edit]
had obtained what they were not able to do, the two
King Fernando and his wife Queen Valeriana rule the
Kingdom of Berbanya. They have three children: Don
Pedro, Don Diego and Don Juan. One night, King
Fernando dreamed of Don Juan being murdered by
two traitors (which would turn out to be the two older
sons), becomes frightened and so depressed that he
would not even want to eat nor rest. He becomes ill
and none of his constituents are able to cure him. An
old doctor advises that the Ibong Adarna (a mythical
bird) would be the only creature which could restore
his health by its marvelous songs. He initially sends
out Don Pedro to look for the Ibong Adarna. After
three months of wandering through the forests and
thickets, he cames to a golden tree, known as Piedras
Platas. At the foot of the tree, he falls down tired and
thirsty. What he does not know is that the golden tree
is where the Ibong Adarna was roosts for the night.
By nightfall, Pedro falls asleep. Then the bird flies into
the air and sings the first of its seven songs; its
melody was so softly sweet that anyone was lulled
into a profound sleep. After emitting its seventh song
for the night, the bird excretes dropping on the
sleeping prince in which it was turned into stone.
King Fernando then sends his second son Don Diego
as well to search the bird. Don Diego undergoes the
same hardships (but ventures for five months, two
more than Don Pedro) and meets the same fate as
his older brother. After three whole years without
hearing any news, Don Juan, the youngest and most
favored son is (unwillingly by King Fernando) sent
forth, in search of the bird. Don Juan however, has
the fortune to meet on his way an old hermit who was
impressed by the virtues and good manners of the
young prince and knowing the mission on which he
embarked, put him on guard against the treacheries
of the bird.
The hermit tells of the golden tree where the famed
bird roosts every night after singing seven songs,
warning of the spells in its seven songs which lulls the
hearer to sleep and the excretion which petrifies
anyone. He provides Don Juan with a knife and
lemons,[2] both of which Juan must use to cut seven
wounds on his hands and distill into them the juice of
the fruits to create the pain that will prevent him from
being lulled by the seven songs. The hermit then
gives Juan a golden rope which the prince must use
to bind the bird's legs while it is asleep and take it
inside a cage. Before Juan leaves, the hermit
provides him with a bucket which he must use to
scoop water from a well near the tree and pour over
his two petrified brothers to restore them. Don Juan
did as was bidden and soon found himself in
possession of the desired bird and on his way back to
his home country with his two brothers, Don Pedro
and Don Diego. Don Juan ventured for four months.
On the way, however, being envious that Don Juan
older brothers conspired between themselves to do
away with him. Don Pedro suggested that they should
kill him but Don Diego, who was less brutal,
convinced Pedro that it was sufficient to beat him,
which they did. After beating Don Juan to whom they
owed their lives, they left him unconscious in the
middle of the road as the two brothers continued on
their way to the palace. Once there in the palace, they
convinced the king that they never knew what
happened to Don Juan, but the bird was disheveled
and did not sing for it awaits Don Juan, the true captor
of this bird. Don Juan woke eventually, but could not
move due to the pain caused by the beating. He
prayed fervently for the health of the king and the
forgiveness of God to his brothers. The same hermit
who gave him advice before catching the bird arrives
and heals him magically. Upon return to the palace,
everyone was happy except his two brothers, worried
that Don Juan might tell what happened to the king.
The bird then started to sing. Its enchanted song
revealed to the king that Don Pedro and Don Diego
beat up Don Juan and that he was the true captor of
the bird.
The two were sentenced to being cut off from the
royalty and banished, but they were reprieved due to
Don Juan being forgiving and asking to give them
another chance. They were given one, however, any
consequent fault would mean death. They enjoyed
the bird, they did not treat it as a pet, but rather like a
person. So they made the three princes watch over
the bird for 3 hours each every day. Don Pedro
wanted revenge, so he conspired again and forced
Don Diego to go on board with it yet again. They
planned to trick Don Juan into thinking that under his
watch, the bird escaped. They successfully did it and
Don Juan set out to find the bird before the king
wakes up. The king finds the bird missing and so is
Don Juan, so he asked the two to find the bird and
their brother.