The Hundredth Dove by Jane Yolen
Characters:
*King
*White dove
The Hundredth Dove, written by Jane Yolen, has a fairytale (the story about magical and imaginary beings) setting. It is a story of the misuse of power and the triumph (success) of love. It asks an important question when you have choices, do you follow your head or your heart?
Hugh, the main character, was called by the King. The king was getting married to Lady Columba in one week. When Hugh saw Lady Columbia, his heart felt warm. She was neat as a bird, slim and fair with black eyes and so beautiful. The king held out her hand to Hugh to kiss but he was nervous and just kissed the golden ring of her finger. The King ordered Hugh to catch one hundred birds for his wedding feast. (विवाह भोज). The queen, Lady Columbia, requested not to catch birds but the king didn't care. Hugh took his master's words as his main duty and went back.
On the first day, he caught (समात्यो) twenty-one doves, twenty fat gray and one white slim and fair. The white one escaped (भाग्यो) so remained twenty. Although he was not sad still he decided to capture it. For the following four days, the same thing happened. On the fifth night, he caught only nineteen gray doves, there wasn't that white dove. Then he had ninety-nine doves. He needed one more to complete his task. Therefore, he determined (उनले निर्णय गरे) to catch that white dove.
In the evening when the white dove came down to eat, Hugh caught it. She requested him to leave her. She offered gold, silver, fame, and fortune but he rejected all because serving his master was his main purpose. Then the dove offered him queen's love, for the first time he noticed the golden ring on the dove's foot. He imagined Lady Columba. He began to tremble (shake) and his heart began to pulse madly. He felt a burning in his chest. Then he looked down at the dove and it seemed to be smiling at him, its black eyes shining.
His sense of duty to the king stopped him from hearing his heart's voice. He closed his eyes and twisted the dove's neck. The next day the fowler, (Hugh) brought the hundred doves - the ninety-nine live ones and the one dead to the king's kitchen. But there never was a wedding. The fowler gave up hunting and feed grain to the birds. He hung that gold ring around his neck.
We can understand that the queen actually disguised (e]if abNg') herself as a dove. She liked Hugh. Hugh also liked her but for him, his duty was his first priority. In fear the dove flew away again, he killed it avoiding his heart's voice.
Please read the real textbook to get the exact and detailed information. The summary may misguide you. Thank you.
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