Mnogi su čuli za jedno malo kraljevstvo iza 7 gora. Bilo je poznato po tome što je narod u njemu dobro živio: svi su imali krov nad glavom, dovoljno hrane, liječnici su ih dobro liječili, nisu morali puno raditi, imali su dovoljno slobodnog vremena i svakakve zabave.

Many have heard of one small kingdom behind the 7 mountains. It was known for the fact that the people lived well in it: everyone had a roof over their heads, enough food, doctors treated them well, they didn’t have to work much, they had enough free time and all kinds of fun.

Takav lijep život omogućio im je njihov  kralj  koji je nadaleko bio poznat po svojoj dobroti i mudrosti. Međutim , kralj je bio poznat i po svom neobičnom izgledu: svakog dana  nosio je šarene kratke hlače i držao svoju papigu na ramenu pa je nekima više sličio na cirkusanta nego na kralja.

Such a beautiful life was made possible by their king who was widely known for his kindness and wisdom. However, the king was also known for his unusual appearance:  every day he wore colorful shorts and held his parrot on his shoulder, so to some he looked more like a circus performer than a king.

Narod ga je počeo potajno ogovarati  i smijati mu se. Ogovaranje je iz dana u dan postajalo sve češće, glasnije i oštrije dok jednog dana nije preraslo u opće nezadovoljstvo kraljem. Odlučili su mu poslati  izaslanstvo sa svojim zahjevom: Kralj se mora riješiti papige i smiješnih kratkih hlača ! Ako to ne učini, narod ga više neće slušati!

The people began to secretly gossip  and laugh at him.  Gossip became more frequent, louder, and sharper day by day until one day it grew into general dissatisfaction with the king. They decided to send a delegation to him with their request: The king must get rid of the parrot and the funny shorts! If he does not do that, the people will no longer listen to him!

Kralj  srdačno dočeka izaslanstvo , ali se silno rastuži čuvši njihov zahtjev. Dugo je razmišljao, a onda im reče: „ Ja jako volim svoju papigu i ona me uveseljava po cijele dane. Odani mi je prijatelj. Ove hlače podsjećaju me na moje sretno djetinjstvo i u njima se dobro osjećam. Ne mogu udovoljiti vašem zahtjevu. Nadam se da me razumijete."

 The king welcomed the delegation warmly, but was greatly saddened to hear their request. He thought for a long time, and then he told them: “I love my parrot very much and she cheers me up all day long. She is a loyal friend of  mine.  These shorts remind me of my happy childhood and I feel good in them. I cannot comply with your request. I hope you understand me. "

Ali, nisu ga razumjeli! Čak su se i razbjesnili jer su smatrali da traže tako malo, a on ih odbija. Glasno su negodovali. 

Vidjevši to, razočarani kralj im reče: „ Kad je tako, ja se povlačim. Sami izaberite novog kralja. "

But they didn't understand him! They were even enraged because they thought they were asking so little, and he refused them. They protested loudly.

“When this is so, I withdraw. Choose a new king yourself. "

Narod je još istog dana izabrao novog, mladog kralja. Mladi kralj je jako lijepo izgledao, zanimljivo pričao, odlično plesao i svi su se ponosili njime. 

Oduševljeno su prepričavali sve događaje s dvora u kojima je on sudjelovao.

 The people elected a new, young king on the same day.  The young king looked very nice, talked interestingly, danced great and everyone was proud of him.  

They enthusiastically recounted all the events from the  court  which he participated.

Bivši kralj se  povukao i skromno živio u  kućici daleko od dvorca.  Imao je puno slobodnog vremena pa je vrtlario, šetao, svirao klavir i pisao knjige. Bio je jako zadovoljan svojim novim životom. 

Međutim, uskoro su počele nevolje u tom malom kraljevstvu.

 Mladi kralj je bio neiskusan, a i jako se volio zabavljati te je državne poslove prepustio svojim podanicima koji su brinuli samo o sebi, a za narod ih nije bilo briga. Uz to je i on sam trošio jako puno novaca na svoju odjeću, kočije, zabave pa se kraljevska kasa brzo praznila. Narod je sve lošije živio. Siromaštvo je kucalo na vrata nekoć bogatog   kraljevstva. 

The young king was inexperienced, and he loved to have fun, so he left the state affairs to his subjects who took care only of themselves, and did not care for the people.