Story Of
by Édouard Laboulaye · from Laboulaye's Fairy Book
Adapted Version
Once there was a little rooster named Coquerico. He was not like others. He thought he was pretty!
Coquerico was a rooster. He lived in a yard. He was not like others. He had one eye. He had one wing. He had one leg. But Coquerico thought he was very handsome. He thought he was the best. He looked at himself in the water. He loved himself very much.
One day, Coquerico wanted to leave. "I will go to Rome," he said. Coquerico's Mother was sad. "Do not go, my son," she said. "It is not safe. Do not crow near St. Peter's church. "Do not go near cooks." He disobeyed. He went away.
Coquerico walked. He saw a small stream. The Small Stream was very tiny. Leaves stopped its water. "Help me, please," said the stream. "Move these leaves." He said, "No." He jumped.
Coquerico walked more. He saw The Quiet Wind. The Quiet Wind was very still. It could not move. "Help me, dear Coquerico," it said. "Fan me with your wing." Coquerico said, "No. You were naughty to me. I will not help."
Coquerico walked on. He saw The Little Flame. It was very small. It needed air. "Help me, friend," said the flame. Coquerico did not help. He put dirt on it. The flame went out. "I am strong!" he crowed.
At last, Coquerico came to Rome. He saw a big church. It was St. Peter's Church. Mother said, "Do not crow." He disobeyed. He stood in front. He crowed three times. "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" he shouted.
A man heard Coquerico. The Man was a guard. He was not happy. He caught Coquerico. He took Coquerico home. "This rooster is for dinner," he said.
The Man had warm water. Coquerico was scared. "Please, water, do not hurt me!" he cried. Water said, "You did not help." It splashed. All his feathers came off. He had no feathers now.
The Man put Coquerico near fire. "Oh, fire, do not burn me!" Coquerico cried. The fire said, "You hurt The Little Flame." Fire made him hot. He became dark and hard. He was black now.
The Man saw Coquerico. He was black. The Man threw Coquerico out. Coquerico flew through the air. The Quiet Wind blew him. The wind carried him far away.
The Quiet Wind blew Coquerico. It blew him very high. "You did not help me," said the wind. The wind blew him up. He landed on a tall building. He got stuck there.
St. Peter saw Coquerico. He made Coquerico stay there. Coquerico was stuck on the building. He became a wind rooster. A wind rooster turns with the wind. He was black and had no feathers. He turned and turned.
Coquerico stayed on the building, turning. He learned a big lesson. Coquerico was proud. He did not help others. So, he stayed on the building. He turned with the wind. This shows us to be kind. We must help others. Do not be proud.
Original Story
Story of
Coquerico
A Spanish Tale
nce upon a time there was a handsome hen who lived like a great lady in the poultry-yard of a rich farmer, surrounded by a numerous family which clucked about her, and none of which clamored more loudly or picked up the corn faster with his beak than a poor little deformed and crippled chicken. This was precisely the one that the mother loved best. It is the way with all mothers; the weakest and most unsightly are always their favorites. This misshapen creature had but one eye, one wing, and one leg in good condition; it might have been thought that Solomon had executed his memorable sentence on Coquerico, for that was the name of the wretched chicken, and cut him in two with his famous sword. When a person is one-eyed, lame, and one-armed, he may reasonably be expected to be modest; but our Castilian ragamuffin was prouder than his father, the best spurred, most elegant, bravest, and most gallant cock to be seen from Burgos to Madrid. He thought himself a phœnix of grace and beauty, and passed the best part of the day in admiring himself in the brook. If one of his brothers ran against him by accident, he abused him, called him envious and jealous, and risked his only remaining eye in battle; if the hens clucked on seeing him, he said it was to hide their spite because he did not condescend to look at them.
One day, when he was more puffed up with vanity than usual, he resolved no longer to remain in such a narrow sphere, but to go out into the world, where he would be better appreciated.
"My lady mother," said he, "I am tired of Spain; I am going to Rome to see the pope and cardinals."
"What are you thinking of, my poor child!" cried his mother. "Who has put such a folly into your head? Never has one of our family been known to quit his country, and for this reason we are the honor of our race, and are proud of our genealogy. Where will you find a poultry-yard like this—mulberry-trees to shade you, a whitewashed henroost, a magnificent dunghill, worms and corn everywhere, brothers that love you, and three great dogs to guard you from the foxes? Do you not think that at Rome itself you will regret the ease and plenty of such a life?"
Coquerico shrugged his crippled wing in token of disdain. "You are a simple woman, my good mother," said he; "everything is accounted worthy of admiration by him who has never quitted his dunghill. But I have wit enough to see that my brothers have no ideas and that my cousins are nothing but rustics. My genius is stifling in this hole; I wish to roam the world and seek my fortune."
"But, my son, have you never looked in the brook?" resumed the poor hen. "Don't you know that you lack an eye, a leg, and a wing? To make your fortune, you need the eyes of a fox, the legs of a spider, and the wings of a vulture. Once outside of these walls, you are lost."
"My good mother," replied Coquerico, "when a hen hatches a duck she is always frightened on seeing it run to the water. You know me no better. It is my nature to succeed by my wit and talent. I must have a public capable of appreciating the charms of my person; my place is not among inferior people."
"My son," said the hen, seeing all her counsels useless—"my son, listen at least to your mother's last words. If you go to Rome, take care to avoid St. Peter's Church; the saint, it is said, dislikes cocks, especially when they crow. Shun, moreover, certain personages called cooks and scullions; you will know them by their paper caps, their tucked-up sleeves, and the great knives which they wear at their sides. They are licensed assassins, who track our steps without pity and cut our throats without giving us time to cry mercy. And now, my child," she added, raising her claw, "receive my blessing. May St. James, the patron saint of pilgrims, protect thee!"
Coquerico pretended not to see the tear that trembled in his mother's eye, nor did he trouble himself any more about his father, who bristled his plumage and seemed about to call him back. Without caring for those whom he left behind, he glided through the half-open door and, once outside, flapped his only wing and crowed three times, to celebrate his freedom—"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
As he half flew, half hopped over the fields, he came to the bed of a brook which had been dried up by the sun. In the middle of the sands, however, still trickled a tiny thread of water, so small that it was choked by a couple of dead leaves that had fallen into it.
"My friend," exclaimed the streamlet at the sight of our traveler—"my friend, you see my weakness; I have not even the strength to carry away these leaves which obstruct my passage, much less to make a circuit, so completely am I exhausted. With a stroke of your beak you can restore me to life. I am not an ingrate; if you oblige me, you may count on my gratitude the first rainy day, when the water from heaven shall have restored my strength."
"You are jesting," said Coquerico. "Do I look like one whose business it is to sweep the brooks? Apply to those of your own sort." And with his sound leg, he leaped across the streamlet.
"You will remember me when you least expect it," murmured the brook, but with so feeble a voice that it was lost on the proud cock.
A little farther on, Coquerico saw the wind lying breathless on the ground.
"Dear Coquerico, come to my aid," it cried; "here on earth we should help one another. You see to what I am reduced by the heat of the day; I, who in former times uprooted the olive-trees and lashed the waves to frenzy, lie here well-nigh slain by the dog-star. I suffered myself to be lulled to sleep by the perfume of the roses with which I was playing; and, lo! here I am, stretched almost lifeless upon the ground. If you will raise me a couple of inches with your beak and fan me a little with your wing, I shall have the strength to mount to yonder white clouds which I see in the distance, where I shall receive aid enough from my family to keep me alive till I gain fresh strength from the next whirlwind."
"My lord," answered the spiteful Coquerico, "Your Excellency has more than once amused himself by playing tricks at my expense. It is not a week since your lordship glided like a traitor behind me and diverted himself by opening my tail like a fan and covering me with confusion in the face of nations. Have patience, therefore, my worthy friend; mockers always have their turn; it does them good to repent and to learn to respect those whose birth, wit, and beauty should screen them from the jests of a fool." And Coquerico, bristling his plumage, crowed three times in his shrillest voice and proudly strutted onward.
A little farther on he came to a newly mown field where the farmers had piled up the weeds in order to burn them. Coquerico approached a smoking heap, hoping to find some stray kernels of corn, and saw a little flame which was charring the green stalks without being able to set them on fire.
"My good friend," cried the flame to the new-comer, "you are just in time to save my life; I am dying for want of air. I cannot imagine what has become of my cousin, the wind, who cares for nothing but his own amusement. Bring me a few dry straws to rekindle my strength, and you will not have obliged an ingrate."
"Wait a moment," said Coquerico, "and I will serve you as you deserve, insolent fellow that dares ask my help!" And behold! he leaped on the heap of dried weeds, and trampled it down till he smothered both flame and smoke; after which he exultingly shouted three times, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" and flapped his wings, as if he had done a great deed.
Proudly strutting onward and crowing, Coquerico at last arrived at Rome, the place to which all roads lead. Scarcely had he reached the city when he hastened to the great Church of St. Peter. Grand and beautiful as it was, he did not stop to admire it, but, planting himself in front of the main entrance, where he looked like a fly among the great columns, he raised himself on tiptoe and began to shout, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" only to enrage the saint and disobey his mother.
He had not yet ended his song when one of the pope's guard, who chanced to hear him, laid hands on the insolent wretch who dared thus to insult the saint, and carried him home in order to roast him for supper.
"Quick!" said he to his wife on entering the house, "give me some boiling water; here is a sinner to be punished."
"Pardon, pardon, Madame Water!" cried Coquerico. "Oh, good and gentle water, the best and purest thing in the world, do not scald me, I pray you!"
"Did you have pity on me when I implored your aid, ungrateful wretch?" answered the water, boiling with indignation. And with a single gush it inundated him from head to foot, and left not a bit of down on his body.
The unhappy Coquerico stripped of all his feathers, the soldier took him and laid him on the gridiron.
"Oh, fire, do not burn me!" cried he, in an agony of terror. "Oh, beautiful and brilliant fire, the brother of the sun and the cousin of the diamond, spare an unhappy creature; restrain thy ardor, and soften thy flame; do not roast me!"
"Did you have pity on me when I implored your aid, ungrateful wretch?" answered the fire, and, fiercely blazing with anger, in an instant it burnt Coquerico to a coal.
The soldier, seeing his roast chicken in this deplorable condition, took him by the leg and threw him out of the window. The wind bore the unhappy fowl to a dunghill, where it left him for a moment.
"Oh, wind," murmured Coquerico, who still breathed, "oh, kindly zephyr, protecting breeze, behold me cured of my vain follies. Let me rest on the paternal dunghill."
"Let you rest!" roared the wind. "Wait, and I will teach you how I treat ingrates." And with one blast it sent him so high in the air that, as he fell back, he was transfixed by a steeple.
There St. Peter was awaiting him. With his own hand he nailed him to the highest steeple in Rome, where he is still shown to travelers. However high placed he may be, all despise him because he turns with the slightest wind; black, dried up, stripped of his feathers, and beaten by the rain, he is no longer called Coquerico, but Weathercock, and thus expiates, and must expiate eternally, his disobedience, vanity, and wickedness.
Story DNA
Moral
Pride, vanity, and a refusal to help others will lead to a bitter and humiliating end.
Plot Summary
Coquerico, a deformed but excessively vain chicken, leaves his home for Rome, ignoring his mother's warnings. Along the way, he encounters a dried-up stream, a breathless wind, and a struggling flame, refusing to help each and even actively harming the flame. Upon reaching Rome, he defiantly crows at St. Peter's Church, leading to his capture. He is then sequentially punished by the very elements he scorned: scalded by water, burned by fire, and finally flung by the wind to be impaled on a steeple by St. Peter, becoming a weathercock, forever expiating his vanity and disobedience.
Themes
Emotional Arc
pride to humiliation and suffering
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Édouard Laboulaye was a French jurist, poet, and author, known for collecting and retelling fairy tales, often with a moralistic bent. The story's 'Spanish Tale' designation likely refers to its setting or a perceived origin, rather than Laboulaye's own nationality.
Plot Beats (12)
- Coquerico, a deformed but vain chicken, lives in a Spanish poultry-yard, believing himself beautiful and superior.
- He decides to leave for Rome to find a public that appreciates him, ignoring his mother's warnings about St. Peter and cooks.
- On his journey, he encounters a dried-up streamlet and refuses to help it clear debris.
- Next, he encounters a breathless wind and refuses to help it rise, holding a grudge for past annoyances.
- He then encounters a struggling flame and actively smothers it, boasting of his 'deed'.
- Upon reaching Rome, Coquerico defiantly crows three times in front of St. Peter's Church, directly disobeying his mother.
- A guard captures Coquerico to be roasted for supper.
- The guard's boiling water, personified, scalds Coquerico, stripping him of his feathers, as punishment for his ingratitude.
- The fire, also personified, burns Coquerico to a coal, punishing him for his cruelty.
- The soldier throws the burnt Coquerico out the window, and the wind, personified, carries him away.
- The wind, in its turn, punishes Coquerico by flinging him high into the air, causing him to be impaled on a steeple.
- St. Peter himself nails Coquerico to the highest steeple in Rome, where he becomes a weathercock, forever turning with the wind, a symbol of his eternal punishment.
Characters
Coquerico ★ protagonist
A small, deformed, and crippled chicken. He has only one eye, one wing, and one leg in good condition. His body is otherwise typical of a chicken, but his deformities make him appear ungainly and asymmetrical. Initially, he has feathers, but these are later scalded off, leaving him bare, and finally, he is burnt to a coal.
Attire: None, as he is a chicken. His 'wardrobe' is his plumage, which is later removed.
Wants: To be appreciated and admired by a wider, more 'worthy' audience, to escape his 'narrow sphere' and seek fortune, driven by extreme vanity.
Flaw: His overwhelming vanity, pride, and ingratitude. He refuses to help others and disobeys warnings, leading directly to his downfall.
Starts as a vain, disobedient, and ungrateful chicken who leaves home to seek admiration. Through a series of encounters where he refuses to help others, he is eventually punished by the very elements he scorned. He is stripped, burned, and ultimately transformed into a weathercock, eternally expiating his sins.
Vain, proud, disobedient, ungrateful, spiteful, arrogant, self-important. He believes himself superior to others despite his physical flaws.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, deformed rooster standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has one dark, beady eye, a small comb, and wattles. He has only one wing and one leg, making him appear unbalanced. His plumage is a mix of reddish-brown and golden-brown feathers, bristling slightly. He has a proud, sneering expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Coquerico's Mother ◆ supporting
A handsome hen, likely plump and well-fed from living in a rich farmer's poultry-yard. She would have soft, full feathers, typical of a mother hen.
Attire: None, as she is a chicken. Her 'wardrobe' is her plumage.
Wants: To protect her son, Coquerico, from the dangers of the outside world and to keep her family together and safe within their established home.
Flaw: Her inability to convince her headstrong son to heed her warnings, leading to his eventual downfall.
Remains consistent throughout the story, serving as the voice of reason and maternal love that Coquerico rejects.
Loving, worried, wise, traditional, protective. She deeply cares for her children, especially Coquerico, and tries to impart wisdom and warnings.
Image Prompt & Upload
A plump, handsome hen standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. She has soft, dark eyes and a gentle expression, with a single tear visible in one eye. Her feathers are a rich, warm brown, smooth and well-kept. She has a small, neat comb and wattles. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Streamlet ○ minor
A tiny thread of water, almost choked by dead leaves, trickling in the middle of a dried-up brook bed. It appears weak and exhausted.
Attire: N/A (elemental)
Wants: To be freed from the obstructing leaves and regain its strength.
Flaw: Its current state of extreme weakness and exhaustion.
Initially weak and pleading, it later becomes powerful and exacts revenge on Coquerico.
Weak, pleading, grateful (in principle). It is desperate for help and promises future gratitude.
Image Prompt & Upload
A tiny, shimmering thread of clear water, barely visible, struggling to flow around two brown, decaying dead leaves in a cracked, dry streambed. The water appears exhausted and weak. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Wind ○ minor
Lying breathless on the ground, seemingly lifeless due to the heat. It is an invisible force, but its effects are described.
Attire: N/A (elemental)
Wants: To regain its strength and mount to the clouds for aid.
Flaw: Its current state of exhaustion and powerlessness due to the heat.
Starts weak and pleading, then becomes a powerful force of punishment for Coquerico.
Playful (in the past), currently weak and pleading, later roaring and vengeful. It remembers past slights.
Image Prompt & Upload
A visual representation of an invisible force lying breathless on the ground. A small pile of dry leaves and dust are completely still, not moving, indicating the absence of air current. The ground is parched and still. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Flame ○ minor
A little flame charring green stalks without being able to set them on fire, appearing weak and struggling.
Attire: N/A (elemental)
Wants: To rekindle its strength with dry straws and air.
Flaw: Its current inability to burn effectively due to lack of air and proper fuel.
Starts weak and pleading, then becomes a powerful force of punishment for Coquerico.
Weak, pleading, later fiercely blazing with anger. It is desperate for air and fuel.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, struggling orange and red flame, barely flickering, amidst a pile of green, smoking weeds. The flame appears weak and unable to ignite the surrounding material. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Soldier ○ minor
A member of the pope's guard, implying a robust and capable build, typical of a soldier. No specific height or build is given.
Attire: A uniform of the pope's guard, which in a Spanish tale set in Rome, would likely be a period-appropriate military uniform, possibly with a breastplate or tunic, and a helmet or cap. The story does not specify colors or materials but implies official attire.
Wants: To punish Coquerico for insulting St. Peter and to provide supper for his family.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, acts as an agent of fate.
A static character who serves as the initial human agent of Coquerico's punishment.
Dutiful, decisive, punitive. He acts quickly to punish perceived insults to St. Peter.
Image Prompt & Upload
A stern-faced male soldier in a 17th-century Italian guard uniform, standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He wears a dark, fitted tunic with a white collar, a leather belt, and dark breeches. He has short, dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He holds a small, struggling chicken firmly in one hand. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
St. Peter ⚔ antagonist
Not physically described until the end, where he is implied to be a spiritual presence or a representation of divine judgment. He 'nails' Coquerico to the steeple, suggesting a powerful, perhaps spectral, form.
Attire: N/A (spiritual being, or implied traditional saintly robes if visualized)
Wants: To punish Coquerico for his insolence and disobedience, particularly for crowing at his church.
Flaw: None, as he represents divine judgment.
A static character representing the ultimate judgment Coquerico faces.
Dislikes cocks, especially when they crow, and is a stern dispenser of eternal justice for disobedience and vanity.
Image Prompt & Upload
A powerful, ethereal male figure, appearing as an older man with a flowing white beard and a stern, judging expression. He wears simple, flowing robes of a muted, earthy tone. His hands are raised in a gesture of judgment. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Farmer's Poultry-Yard
A bustling Spanish farmyard, likely enclosed, with mulberry trees providing shade, a whitewashed henroost, and a magnificent dunghill. The ground is rich with worms and corn. Three large dogs guard the area.
Mood: Initially a place of comfort and plenty, but perceived as a 'narrow sphere' and 'hole' by Coquerico; later, a place of maternal concern.
Coquerico lives here, admiring himself in the brook and deciding to leave for Rome. His mother tries to dissuade him.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sun-drenched Spanish farmyard with a whitewashed, low-slung henroost building made of rough-hewn stone and timber, nestled under the shade of mature mulberry trees. A large, steaming dunghill sits prominently in the foreground, surrounded by scattered corn kernels. The ground is dry, dusty earth with patches of green weeds. In the distance, a glimpse of a small, clear brook. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Dried Brook Bed
A parched brook bed, mostly sand, with only a tiny, barely trickling thread of water in the middle. This small stream is choked by a couple of dead leaves.
Mood: Desolate, weak, struggling, reflecting the streamlet's plea for help.
Coquerico encounters the struggling streamlet and refuses to help it.
Image Prompt & Upload
A wide, cracked earth bed of a dried-up Spanish brook, stretching into the distance under a harsh midday sun. The ground is a mosaic of pale, sun-baked clay and fine, light-colored sand. A minuscule, barely visible thread of clear water meanders through the center, almost entirely obscured by two brown, curled dead leaves. The banks are sparse, with only a few resilient, dry grasses clinging to life. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Newly Mown Field with Weed Piles
A field recently mown by farmers, where weeds have been gathered into smoking piles, intended for burning. One pile has a small, struggling flame trying to char the green stalks.
Mood: Industrial, agricultural, with a sense of controlled destruction and a struggling element (the flame).
Coquerico encounters the struggling flame and intentionally smothers it.
Image Prompt & Upload
A vast, flat Spanish field, recently mown, with short stubble covering the dry earth. Several large, irregular piles of green and drying weeds are scattered across the field, one of which is emitting a thin wisp of smoke. A tiny, flickering orange flame struggles to ignite the damp green stalks within the smoking pile. The sky above is a clear, pale blue, indicating a dry, warm day. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
The grand and beautiful St. Peter's Church in Rome, specifically its main entrance with immense columns. Coquerico appears tiny in comparison.
Mood: Imposing, sacred, grand, but also a place of defiance for Coquerico.
Coquerico arrives in Rome and defiantly crows in front of St. Peter's, leading to his capture.
Image Prompt & Upload
A majestic, wide-angle view of the main entrance of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, featuring its colossal Baroque columns of polished travertine stone rising towards a clear blue sky. The grand facade is bathed in bright daylight, casting deep shadows within the portico. The vast, open plaza in front is paved with ancient cobblestones, stretching into the foreground. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Roman Rooftop/Steeple
The highest steeple in Rome, where Coquerico is nailed as a weathercock. It is exposed to the elements, making him black, dried up, featherless, and beaten by the rain.
Mood: Punitive, desolate, exposed, eternal suffering.
Coquerico's final punishment, where he is transformed into a weathercock.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dramatic, high-angle view of a weathered, dark metal or stone steeple piercing a stormy Roman sky. Rain streaks across the frame, and strong winds are evident in the blurred clouds. The steeple's surface is rough and aged, with visible rivets or stone joints. Below, a glimpse of the terracotta rooftops and ancient architecture of Rome stretches into the hazy distance. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
