Fifty-One Tales · Chapter
The Hen explained
A hen, inspired by the swallows' annual migration south, attempts her own journey but only reaches the garden at the end of the road.
What happens
A hen, inspired by the swallows' annual migration south, attempts her own journey but only reaches the garden at the end of the road. Upon returning, she describes her limited travels as a grand adventure, and the poultry prefer her account over the swallows' tales of the sea.
Themes in this chapter
The Power of Myth and Imagination
The hen's mundane journey is transformed into a grand narrative through her description, contrasting with the swallows' actual epic migration.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator observes and recounts the hen's journey and the poultry's reaction.
- The North Wind
The North wind is mentioned as waiting and later as the wind that the swallows feel in their wings.
- Winter
Winter is personified as wearing away while the hen stays home.
- Spring
Spring appears after winter, marking the swallows' return.
Key passages
“I think I shall go South myself next year," said a hen.”
A hen declares her intention to migrate south like the swallows.
This sets the hen's ambition in motion.
“And she ran fluttering out on to the road and some way down it until she came to a garden. At evening she came back panting.”
The hen runs down the road to a garden and returns exhausted by evening.
Her entire journey is limited to a short distance.
“How extremely interesting," the poultry said, "and what a really beautiful description!”
The other poultry praise the hen's account of her journey.
They prefer her imaginative tale over the swallows' true story.