A clever worm saves its life by teaching a crow four riddles about sweetness, bitterness, stench, and fragrance – revealing that words and deeds matter more than anything in this classic Khmer folktale.
There is a folktale that tells of a worm eating leaves when a crow, flying in search of food, came upon it. The crow thought, “Now I am lucky – I’ve found a worm to eat,” and flew closer.
The worm saw the crow and thought, “This crow is cruel; it will peck and eat me now.” So the worm asked, “What are you looking for?”
The crow replied, “I’ve come to eat you.”
The worm said, “Only if you can solve my riddles may you eat me. If you cannot, then you cannot eat me.”
The crow asked, “What are your riddles? Ask them, and I will solve them.”
The worm then asked:
- What is the sweetest thing of all?
- What is the most bitter and sour thing of all?
- What is the foulest-smelling thing of all?
- What is the most fragrant thing of all?
When the crow heard these four riddles, it became very pleased and cried out joyfully, thinking, “These are easy – I will surely solve them and then eat the worm.” So the crow answered:
- The sweetest things are sugar and honey.
- The most sour and bitter things are lime, tamarind, sour-sop garcinia, Java feroniella (krasaing), and vinegar.
- The foulest things are excrement and the stench of dead animals.
- The most fragrant things are rumduol flowers, jasmine, and perfume.
After hearing this, the worm said, “Your answers are incorrect.”
The crow looked disappointed and said, “If I am wrong, then please tell me the correct answers.”
The worm replied, “I will tell you, but you must promise not to eat me.”
The crow agreed, “If you tell me, I will not eat you.”
After they made this agreement, the worm explained:
- What is called the sweetest is not sugar or honey, but kind and sincere words spoken gently to one another – this is the sweetest of all.
- What is called the most bitter and sour is not tamarind or lime, but harsh and cruel speech exchanged between people – this is more bitter than anything else.
- What is called the foulest smell is not excrement or rotting corpses, but a bad reputation caused by evil deeds – this is a stench that spreads against the wind.
- What is called the most fragrant is not the scent of flowers or perfume, but a good reputation earned through virtuous conduct – this is more fragrant than all fragrances.
After hearing these answers, the crow did not eat the worm and flew away.
