THE MOON-STROKE
by Laurence Housman · from The Blue Moon
Adapted Version
A jackdaw group lived in a tall tree. Papa and Mama Jackdaw had five babies. The parents worked hard. They found food for their hungry little ones. They loved their babies very much.
Soon, the baby birds grew big. Their wings became strong. They could fly a little. Papa and Mama Jackdaw looked for shiny things. They liked broken glass. They liked shiny bits. They put them in their nest.
The youngest jackdaw was Pip. He did not like the shiny things. "What are they for?" Pip asked. Mama said they were pretty. Pip wished he sang. He wanted a pretty, sweet song. He wanted to make music.
One night, Papa Jackdaw brought a Glimmer Worm. It glowed green. The nest shone brightly. Pip heard a sad sound. The Glimmer Worm cried for its friend. Pip felt its sadness. He took the worm down. He put it in the grass. Glimmer's Friend came. They were happy. Pip felt special.
Next morning, the Glimmer Worm was gone. Pip felt happy for them. He knew some goodness is not for keeping. It is for helping others. Pip knew this.
Later, Papa Jackdaw found a new thing. It was a shiny stick. A green gem was on its end. Pip looked at it. He knew it was special. It was a magic wand.
Pip heard a small, sad sound. He found a tiny Sparkle Fairy. She cried for her wand. Pip gave her the shiny stick. The Sparkle Fairy was very happy. She said thanks. Pip got a good voice. He could sing now.
Pip sang his new, sweet song. His group did not know. Mama Jackdaw said, "Stop that noise!" Papa Jackdaw said, "It is not good." Pip felt very sad. He flew away from the nest. He wanted to sing freely.
Pip flew alone in the world. He sang his pretty song. A man named Mr. Boast heard him. Mr. Boast liked Pip's song very much. He wanted to show Pip. Many people would hear Pip sing.
Pip stayed with Mr. Boast. He sang for the people. One day, Mr. Boast showed a glass bottle. Inside was the Sparkle Fairy! She looked very sad. She wanted to be free.
Mr. Boast wore a shiny pin. Pip saw the green gem. It was the Sparkle Fairy's wand! Pip knew the magic. He wanted to help his friend. Pip took the shiny wand.
Mr. Boast dropped the glass bottle. Crash! The Sparkle Fairy flew out. She was free! She touched Pip's wings. Pip felt strong. He was ready to fly freely again.
Pip was very happy. He did not ask for more. He knew good things would happen. He felt truly free. He was very content.
The Sparkle Fairy smiled. She took Pip to the moon. On the moon, all the jackdaws sang. They sang pretty songs. Pip found his happy home. He was very happy there. This was his place.
Original Story
THE MOON-STROKE
In the hollow heart of an old tree a Jackdaw and his wife had made themselves a nest. As soon as the mother of his eggs had finished laying, she sat waiting patiently for something to come of it. One by one five mouths poked out of the shells, demanding to be fed; so for weeks the happy couple had to be continually in two places at once searching for food to satisfy them.
Presently the wings of the young ones grew strong; they could begin to fly about; and the parents found time for a return to pleasuring and curiosity-hunting. They began gathering in a wise assortment of broken glass and chips of platter to grace the corners of their dwelling. All but the youngest Jackdaw were enchanted with their unutterable beauty and value; they were never tired of quarrelling over the possession and arrangement of them.
“But what are they for?” asked the youngest, a perverse bird who grouped himself apart from the rest, and took no share in their daily squabblings.
The mother-bird said: “They are beautiful, and what God intended for us: therefore they must be true. We may not see the use of them yet, but no doubt some day they will come true.”
The little Jackdaw said: “Their corners scratch me when I want to go to sleep; they are far worse than crumbs in the bed. All the other birds do without them—why should not we?”
“That is what distinguishes us from the other birds!” replied the Janedaw, and thanked her stars that it was so.
“I wish we could sing!” sighed the littlest young Jackdaw. “Babble, babble!” replied his mother angrily.
And then, as it was dinner-time, he forgot his grief as they all said grace, and fell-to.
One evening the old Jackdaw came home very late, carrying something that burned bright and green, like an evening star; all the nest shone where he set it down.
“What do you think of that for a discovery?” he said to the Janedaw.
“Think?” she said; “I can’t. Some of it looks good to eat; but that fire-patch at the end would burn one’s inside out.”
Presently the Jackdaw family settled itself down to sleep; only the youngest one sat up and watched. Now he had seen something beautiful. Was it going to come true? Its light was like the song of the nightingale in the leaves overhead: it glowed, and throbbed, and grew strong, flooding the whole place where it lay.
Soon, in the silence, he heard a little wail of grief: “Why have they carried me away here,” sighed the glow-worm, “out of the tender grass that loves the ground?”
The littlest Jackdaw listened with all his heart. Now something at last was going to become true, without scratching his legs and making him feel as though crumbs were in his bed.
A little winged thing came flying down to the green light, and two voices began crying together—the glow-worm and its mate.
“They have carried you away?”
“They have carried me away; up here I shall die!”
“I am too weak to lift you,” said the one with wings; “you will stay here, and you will die!” Then they cried yet more.
“It seems to me,” thought the Jackdaw, “that as soon as the beautiful becomes true, God does not intend it to be for us.” He got up softly from among his brothers. “I will carry you down,” he said. And without more ado, he picked it up and carried it down out of the nest, and laid it in the long grass at the foot of the tree.
Overhead the nightingale sang, and the full moon shone; its rays struck down on the little Jackdaw’s head. For a bird that is not a nightingale to wake up and find its head unprotected under the rays of a full moon is serious: there and then he became moon-struck. He went back into bed; but he was no longer the same little Jackdaw. “Oh, I wish I could sing!” he thought; and not for hours could he get to sleep.
In the morning, when the family woke up, the beautiful and the true was gone. The father Jackdaw thought he must have swallowed it in his sleep.
“If you did,” said his wife “there’ll be a smell of burnt feathers before long!”
But the littlest Jackdaw said, “It came true, and went away, because it was never intended for us.”
Now some days after this the old Jack-daw again came carrying something that shone like an evening star—a little spike of gold with a burning emerald set in the end of it. “And what do you think of that?” said he to his wife.
“I daren’t come near it,” she answered, “for fear it should burn me!”
That night the little Jackdaw lay awake, while all the others slept, waiting to hear the green stone break out into sorrow, and to see if its winged mate would come seeking it. But after hours had gone, and nothing stirred or spoke, he slipped softly out of the nest, and went down to search for the poor little winged mate who must surely be about somewhere.
And now, truly, among the grasses and flowers he heard something sobbing and sighing; a little winged thing darted into sight and out again, searching the ground like a dragon-fly at quest. And all the time, amid the darting and humming of its wings, came sobbing and wringing of hands.
The young Jackdaw called: “Little wings, what have you lost? Is it not a spike with a green light at the end of it?”
“My wand, my wand!” cried the fairy, beside herself with grief. “Just about sunset I was asleep in an empty wren’s nest, and when I woke up my wand was gone!”
Then the little Jackdaw, being moon-struck, and not knowing the value of things, flew up to the nest and brought back the fairy her wand.
“Oh!” she cried, “you have saved my life!” And she thanked the Jackdaw till he grew quite modest and shy.
“What is it for? What can you do with it?” he asked.
“With this,” she answered, “I can make anything beautiful come true! I can give you whatever you ask; you have but to ask, and you shall have.”
Then the little Jackdaw, being moon-struck, and not knowing the value of things, said, “Oh, if I could only sing like a nightingale!”
“You can!” said the fairy, waving her wand but once; and immediately some-thing like a melodious sneeze flew into his head and set it shaking.
“Chiou! chiou! True-true-true-true! Jug! jug! Oh, beautiful! beautiful!” His beak went dabbling in the sweet sound, rippling it this way and that, spraying it abroad out of his blissful heart as a jewel throws out its fires.
The fairy was gone; but the little Jackdaw sprang up into the high elm, and sang on endlessly through the whole night.
At dawn he stopped, and looking down, there he saw the family getting ready for breakfast, and wondering what had become of him. Just as they were saying grace he flew in, his little heart beating with joy over his new-found treasure. What a jewel of a voice he had: better than all the pieces of glass and chips of platter lying down there in the nest! As soon as the parent-birds had finished grace, he lifted his voice and thanked God that the thing he had wished for had become true.
None of them understood what he said, but they paid him plenty of attention. All his brothers and sisters put up their heads and giggled, as the young do when one of their number misbehaves.
“Don’t make that noise!” said his mother; “it’s not decent!”
“It’s low!” said the father-bird.
The littlest young Jackdaw was overwhelmed with astonishment. When he tried to explain, his unseemly melodies led to his immediate expulsion from the family circle. Such noises, he was told, could only be made in private; when he had quite got over them he might come back,—but not until.
He never got over them; so he never came back. For a few days he hid himself in different trees of the garden, and sang the praises of sorrow; but his family, though they comprehended him not, recognised his note, and came searching him with beak and claw, and drove him out so as not to have him near them committing such scandalous noises to the ears of the public.
“He lies in his throat!” said the old Jackdaw. “Everything he says he garbles. If he is our son he must have been hatched on the wrong side of the nest!”
After that, wherever he went, all the birds jeered at and persecuted him. Even the nightingales would not listen to his brotherly voice. They made fun of his black coat, and called him a Nonconformist without a conscience. “All this has come about,” thought he, “because God never meant anything beautiful to come true.”
One day a man who saw him and heard him singing, caught him, and took him round the world in a cage for show. The value of him was discovered. Great crowds came to see the little Jackdaw, and to hear him sing. He was described now as the “Amphabulous Philomel, or the Mongrel-Minstrel”; but it gave him no joy.
Before long he had become what we call tame—that is to say, his wings had been clipped; he was allowed out of his cage, because he could no longer fly away, and he sang when he was told, because he was whipped if he did not.
One day there was a great crowd round the travelling booth where he was on view: the showman had a new wonder which he was about to show to the people. He took the little Jackdaw out of his cage, and set him to perch upon his shoulder, while he busied himself over something which he was taking carefully out of ever so many boxes and coverings.
The Jackdaw’s sad eye became attracted by a splendid scarf-pin that the showman wore—a gold pin set with a tiny emerald that burned like fire. The bird thought, “Now if only the beautiful could become true!”
And now the showman began holding up a small glass bottle for the crowd to stare into. The people were pushing this way and that to see what might be there.
At the bottom sat the little fairy, without her wand, weeping and beating her hands on the glass.
The showman was so proud he grew red in the face, and ran shouting up and down the plank, shaking and turning the bottle upside down now and then, so as to make the cabined fairy use her wings, and buzz like a fly against the glass.
The Jackdaw waggled unsteadily at his perch on the man’s shoulder. “Look at him!” laughed some one in the crowd, “he’s going to steal his master’s scarf-pin.”
“Ho, ho, ho!” shouted the showman. “See this bird now! See the marvellous mongrel nature of the beast! Who tells me he’s only a nightingale painted black?”
The people laughed the more at that, for there was a fellow in the crowd looking sheepish. The Jackdaw had drawn out the scarf-pin, and held it gravely in its beak, looking sideways with cunning eyes. He was wishing hard. All the crowd laughed again.
Suddenly the showman’s hand gave a jerk, the bottle slipped from his hold and fell, shivering itself upon the ground.
There was a buzz of wings—the fairy had escaped.
“The beautiful is coming true,” thought the Jackdaw, as he yielded to the fairy her wand, and found, suddenly, that his wings were not clipped after all.
“What more can I do for you?” asked the fairy, as they flew away together. “You gave me back my wand; I have given you back your wings.”
“I will not ask anything,” said the little Jackdaw; “what God intends will come true.”
“Let me take you up to the moon,” said the fairy. “All the Jackdaws up there sing like nightingales.”
“Why is that?” asked the little Jackdaw.
“Because they are all moon-struck,” she answered.
“And what is it to be moon-struck?” he asked.
“Surely you should know, if any one!” laughed the fairy. “To see things beautifully, and not as they are. On the moon you will be able to do that without any difficulty.”
“Ah,” said the little Jackdaw, “now I know at last that the beautiful is going to come true!”
Story DNA
Moral
True beauty and purpose are often misunderstood or rejected by those who value only the conventional and material.
Plot Summary
A young Jackdaw, unlike his materialistic family, questions the value of their shiny trinkets and longs for something truly beautiful. After returning a captured glow-worm, he becomes 'moon-struck,' gaining a unique sensitivity. He later helps a fairy, who grants his wish to sing like a nightingale, but his family rejects his beautiful song, driving him away. Ostracized and exploited by a showman, he encounters the fairy again, also captured. He frees her, and in return, she restores his wings, taking him to the moon where all Jackdaws are moon-struck and sing beautifully, finally finding acceptance for his unique nature.
Themes
Emotional Arc
misunderstanding to suffering to liberation and acceptance
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Laurence Housman was a British writer and illustrator, known for his fairy tales and fantasy. This story reflects themes common in late 19th/early 20th-century literature about individuality and the artist's struggle.
Plot Beats (14)
- A Jackdaw family nests in a tree, with parents constantly feeding their young.
- The young Jackdaws grow, and the parents return to collecting shiny, broken objects.
- The youngest Jackdaw questions the purpose of these objects, wishing for the ability to sing instead.
- The father brings home a glow-worm, which the youngest Jackdaw, hearing its lament, returns to its mate, becoming 'moon-struck' under the full moon.
- The next day, the glow-worm is gone, and the youngest Jackdaw understands that true beauty is not for them.
- The father brings home a gold spike with an emerald, which the youngest Jackdaw recognizes as a fairy's lost wand.
- He finds the grieving fairy and returns her wand, and in gratitude, she grants his wish to sing like a nightingale.
- His family rejects his beautiful singing, calling it 'indecent' and 'low', and drives him out of the nest.
- He is persecuted by other birds and eventually captured by a showman who exploits his singing as a 'Mongrel-Minstrel'.
- The Jackdaw, now tamed and with clipped wings, sees the showman display a captured fairy in a bottle.
- He recognizes the showman's scarf-pin as the fairy's wand and, wishing for beauty to come true, steals it.
- The showman drops the bottle, freeing the fairy, who then restores the Jackdaw's wings.
- The Jackdaw refuses to ask for anything more, stating that what God intends will come true.
- The fairy takes him to the moon, where all Jackdaws are moon-struck and sing like nightingales, accepting his unique vision of beauty.
Characters
The Youngest Jackdaw ★ protagonist
A small, sleek jackdaw, slightly smaller than his siblings. His feathers are a uniform, glossy black, typical of his species, with a subtle metallic sheen in certain lights. He is nimble and quick in his movements.
Attire: Natural black feathers, typical of a jackdaw. No artificial clothing.
Wants: To understand the true nature of beauty and purpose, to find his place in the world, and to sing beautifully like a nightingale.
Flaw: Naivety about the 'value of things' and the harsh realities of the world, leading him to be easily exploited and misunderstood. His sensitivity makes him vulnerable to rejection.
Begins as a questioning, misunderstood youth. Becomes 'moon-struck' and gains the ability to sing beautifully, but is rejected by his family and exploited by humans. He experiences disillusionment but ultimately finds freedom and a new perspective on beauty and truth with the fairy, ascending to the moon where all jackdaws sing.
Curious, sensitive, introspective, compassionate, persistent, initially naive, later disillusioned but ultimately hopeful.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, sleek jackdaw with glossy black feathers, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. Its head is slightly tilted, and its intelligent black eyes are wide with curiosity. Its beak is slightly open as if about to sing, with a thoughtful, earnest expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Fairy ◆ supporting
A tiny, delicate winged creature, small enough to fit into a wren's nest or a small glass bottle. Her form is ethereal and graceful.
Attire: Implied to be wearing something light and natural, perhaps resembling petals or leaves, befitting a creature of the natural world. No specific garments are mentioned, suggesting a simple, unadorned appearance.
Wants: To regain her magical wand, to escape captivity, and to help those who have helped her.
Flaw: Powerless and vulnerable without her wand, easily captured by humans.
Begins as a captive, powerless creature. Is rescued by the Youngest Jackdaw, regains her wand, and uses her magic to grant his wish and restore his wings, ultimately guiding him to the moon.
Vulnerable, grateful, powerful (with her wand), compassionate, wise, playful.
Image Prompt & Upload
A tiny, delicate winged fairy, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. She has translucent, dragonfly-like wings and a slender, graceful body. Her face is small and expressive, with wide, luminous eyes. She wears a simple, flowing gown made of what appears to be shimmering light or fine, iridescent fabric. She holds a slender, glowing wand with a tiny emerald set at the end in her right hand. Her expression is one of gentle wisdom and gratitude. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Old Jackdaw (Father) ◆ supporting
A mature jackdaw, robust and strong, with the typical glossy black plumage. He is a diligent provider for his family.
Attire: Natural black feathers.
Wants: To provide for his family, to collect 'valuable' objects, and to maintain the family's status and traditions.
Flaw: Inability to appreciate non-material beauty or abstract concepts, leading to a lack of understanding and empathy for his youngest son.
Remains unchanged throughout the story, representing the rigid, conventional world from which the protagonist escapes.
Materialistic, conventional, practical, somewhat dismissive of abstract beauty, judgmental.
Image Prompt & Upload
A mature jackdaw with glossy black feathers, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. Its dark eyes are sharp and observant. Its strong, dark beak holds a shimmering, broken piece of glass. Its posture is confident and slightly proud. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Janedaw (Mother) ◆ supporting
A mature jackdaw, similar in appearance to her mate, with glossy black feathers. She is attentive to her nest and young.
Attire: Natural black feathers.
Wants: To raise her young according to jackdaw traditions, to maintain the family's unique identity, and to uphold what she believes is 'true' and 'decent.'
Flaw: Inflexibility, inability to understand or accept differences, leading to her rejection of her own son.
Remains unchanged, serving as a foil to her youngest son's evolving perspective.
Conventional, traditional, dismissive of anything outside her understanding, easily angered by perceived 'misbehavior,' proud of her family's distinctiveness.
Image Prompt & Upload
A mature jackdaw with glossy black feathers, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. Her dark eyes are focused and slightly stern. Her beak is closed, conveying a sense of disapproval. She has a traditional, somewhat rigid posture. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Glow-worm ○ minor
A small, soft-bodied insect with a distinct bright green light emanating from its tail. Its body is delicate and vulnerable.
Attire: Natural insect body.
Wants: To be reunited with its mate and return to its natural habitat.
Flaw: Physical vulnerability, inability to move itself once removed from its environment.
Is rescued by the Youngest Jackdaw and reunited with its mate, representing the first instance of 'beautiful becoming true' for the protagonist.
Sensitive, sorrowful, dependent on its natural environment and mate.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, soft-bodied glow-worm, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. Its body is a muted brown-green, and a distinct, bright green light emanates from its tail end. It has a delicate, segmented body. Its expression is one of quiet sorrow. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Winged Mate (of the Glow-worm) ○ minor
A small, winged insect, delicate and capable of flight. It is drawn to the light of its mate.
Attire: Natural insect body with wings.
Wants: To find and be reunited with its mate.
Flaw: Physical weakness, unable to lift its mate.
Reunited with its mate through the Youngest Jackdaw's intervention.
Loyal, sorrowful, persistent in searching for its lost mate.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, delicate winged insect, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. Its body is slender and dark, with translucent, veined wings. Its small head has prominent antennae. Its expression is one of distress and searching. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Showman ⚔ antagonist
A robust man, prone to becoming 'red in the face' with pride and exertion. He is likely of average height and build, but his actions suggest a boisterous and somewhat crude demeanor.
Attire: Practical, somewhat flashy attire suitable for a traveling showman, perhaps a waistcoat or jacket over a shirt, possibly with a scarf-pin. The story mentions a 'splendid scarf-pin' he wears.
Wants: To make money by exhibiting 'wonders' and to entertain crowds, regardless of the cost to his captives.
Flaw: Overconfidence, carelessness, and an inability to recognize true value beyond monetary gain.
Remains unchanged, serving as a representation of human exploitation and materialism. His carelessness leads to the Fairy's escape and the Jackdaw's freedom.
Greedy, cruel, boastful, exploitative, proud, oblivious to the suffering of others.
Image Prompt & Upload
A robust adult man, facing forward, full body visible head to toe. His face is flushed red with exertion and pride, with a wide, boisterous smile. He has a coarse, unkempt hairstyle, perhaps dark brown. He wears a slightly rumpled dark green waistcoat over a cream linen shirt, with a patterned red cravat. A splendid gold scarf-pin with a tiny emerald gleams at his throat. He holds a small, empty glass bottle in his right hand, gesturing grandly with his left. His posture is theatrical and attention-seeking. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Hollow Heart of an Old Tree
A dark, enclosed space within the trunk of an ancient, gnarled tree, serving as a jackdaw's nest. Initially filled with the clutter of broken glass and chips of platter, it becomes illuminated by a glowing object.
Mood: cozy, cluttered, later mysterious and glowing
The jackdaw family's home, where the youngest jackdaw first encounters the 'beautiful' (the glow-worm and later the emerald pin) and experiences his first moon-stroke.
Image Prompt & Upload
A cross-section view into the hollow heart of a massive, ancient oak tree, its rough, dark bark forming a natural cavity. Inside, a messy nest of twigs and feathers is illuminated by a soft, pulsating green light emanating from a small, glowing object. Scattered around the nest are glinting shards of broken glass and ceramic chips, catching the faint light. The timber walls of the hollow are textured with age and shadow. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Foot of the Old Tree / Long Grass
The base of the ancient tree, surrounded by tall, tender grass and various wild flowers. It is a quiet, natural environment under the open sky.
Mood: peaceful, natural, later magical and transformative
The youngest jackdaw brings the glow-worm back to its mate here. It is also where he is 'moon-struck' by the full moon's rays, gaining his desire to sing.
Image Prompt & Upload
A low-angle view from within a dense patch of tall, dewy green grass and wild bluebells at the base of a colossal, ancient oak tree. The rough, moss-covered roots of the tree spread into the earth. Overhead, a luminous full moon casts cool, silvery light, dappling the grass and highlighting the delicate petals of the flowers. The air feels still and magical. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Travelling Booth / Showman's Stage
A bustling, temporary outdoor stage or booth, likely made of rough-hewn timber planks, where a showman displays his 'wonders' to a crowd. It is a place of public spectacle and confinement.
Mood: noisy, crowded, exploitative, tense
The moon-struck jackdaw is displayed here as a singing marvel. He encounters the imprisoned fairy and helps her escape, regaining his own freedom.
Image Prompt & Upload
A bustling, sunlit scene at a rustic travelling show booth, constructed from weathered, unpainted timber planks. A boisterous crowd of people in period attire presses forward, their faces upturned towards a showman on a raised platform. The showman, with a red face, holds a small glass bottle containing a tiny, distressed fairy. A black jackdaw perches precariously on his shoulder, its beak subtly tugging at a gleaming gold scarf-pin with a green emerald. The ground is packed earth. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
