The Little Bird in the Clock

In the Black Forest in Germany, people make beautiful clocks out of wood. These are called cuckoo clocks. Skilled makers carve them by hand, with little leaves, birds, and houses cut into the dark wood. Each clock takes time and care, and no two are exactly the same. They hang on the wall and tick softly all day long.

U Schwarzwaldu u Njemačkoj ljudi izrađuju prekrasne satove od drveta. Zovu se kukavičji satovi. Vješti majstori izrezuju ih ručno, s malim lišćem, pticama i kućicama urezanim u tamno drvo. Svaki sat traži vrijeme i pažnju, i nikad nisu potpuno isti. Vise na zidu i tiho otkucavaju cijeli dan.

Then something special happens. Every hour, a tiny door near the top of the clock opens. A small wooden bird pops out and calls, cuckoo, cuckoo, two clear notes into the room. After the call, the little door shuts again, and the house grows quiet. The bird waits inside for the next hour to come.

Zatim se dogodi nešto posebno. Svaki sat, mala vratašca pri vrhu sata se otvore. Mala drvena ptica izađe i zazove, kuku, kuku, dva jasna tona u sobu. Nakon zova, vratašca se ponovno zatvore, i kućica utihne. Ptica čeka unutra do sljedećeg sata.

Children love to watch and wait for the door to open. They sit very still, with their eyes on the clock, and when the bird appears they laugh with joy. In the Black Forest, this craft is old and well loved. Parents teach it to their children, and the skill of making these clocks is passed down from one generation to the next.

Djeca vole gledati i čekati da se vratašca otvore. Sjede vrlo mirno, očiju uprtih u sat, i kad se ptica pojavi, smiju se od radosti. U Schwarzwaldu je ovaj obrt star i voljen. Roditelji ga uče svoju djecu, a vještina izrade ovih satova prenosi se s jednog naraštaja na drugi.