Week 11 Storytelling: The Power of Song

Oftentimes, we drift through life meeting people of all shapes and sizes that stick around for a while then leave, giving us only a faint memory by which to remember them. If we are lucky, we stumble upon human beings who, though they may not linger long, leave a strong and lasting presence with which we exist for the remainders of our lives. I’m here to tell you a story about the latter.

Long ago, there lived in a great city a little boy by the name of Hugo. Hugo was a seven-year-old Christian and went to school in the Jewish quarter, where he soaked up knowledge like a sponge. He loved knowledge of all kinds, but he especially loved to learn about the Virgin Mary, whom he had developed an adoration for just about as soon as he could talk. His mother, a devout woman of faith, helped fuel this adoration by teaching him the Ave Maria and other prayers and songs of praise dedicated to the Holy One.

One day, while little Hugo was in school, he heard a new song, one that immediately plucked at his heart strings. He knew with every bone in his body that this was another song of praise to the great Mary, and he yearned more than anything to learn and sing this new song. After school that day, Hugo went up to the teacher and begged him to teach him the song. The teacher agreed, and Hugo learned the song in record time.

(Hugo Singing)

On his way home, Hugo couldn’t help but sing the song as loudly as his little lungs would allow. The angelic singing echoed through the streets, and people all around stopped to listen. Unfortunately, since Hugo was in the Jewish quarter, the attention he received for singing the praises was overwhelmingly negative. As soon as the officials heard his singing, they immediately went to the school, grabbed the teacher, and had him thrown in prison. They then rushed to Hugo’s house in order to have them kicked out.

When they arrived at the house, however, they experienced something that can only be called a miracle. From the time Hugo learned the song to the time that the officials arrived at his home, Hugo had not stopped singing. The officials, having stormed the house, were about to take Hugo and his mother when, all of a sudden, they heard another voice join in, harmonizing with Hugo’s sweet melody. Another voice followed, then another. Soon, it seemed as though a thousand people had started to join in, yet there was nobody there but Hugo and his poor, frightened mother. The officials soon realized what was taking place. The angels, hearing Hugo’s sweet singing to the Virgin, had decided to step in and support the little boy.

The officials were stunned, and for the longest time all they could do was listen in awe. Then, one by one, they too joined in. The neighbors, hearing all that was happening, felt compelled to sing too. Slowly, the whole quarter joined in. Gradually, the singing echoed throughout the city, with every citizen singing the miraculous song along with Hugo and the angels. What’s especially interesting is that those that didn’t know the song found themselves singing with perfect clarity, as though their souls were being shown the lyrics.

After a few minutes, the singing began to die down until only Hugo was left to sing the final notes. The officials, awestruck by the happenings, quickly apologized and left the house. They then went straight to the jail and released the poor teacher.

After that, the city experienced a long and prosperous peace, with all quarters of the city treating each other with the utmost respect and kindness. As for Hugo, he died at a ripe old age, having dedicated his life to spreading the love and kindness that had unified his city on to the rest of the world. He was buried in a white temple, and to this day, people say that they hear his pure, sweet voice echoing within the temple walls.

Author's Note: This week's story was based off of Little Hugh from the Canterbury Tales unit. The original tale tells of the short life of Hugh, a little boy that had a deep love and reverence for the Virgin Mary. After learning a song of praise, he was murdered in the Jewish quarter for singing the song. After finding his body, everyone was stunned to see that he was still singing. As it turned out, Mary had placed a little grain on his tongue so that he wouldn't stop singing the praises, and taking the grain out of his mouth would be the only way to get him to stop. In my version, I changed up the tale so that there would be a happier ending. Since this tale is also anti-Semitic, I wanted my version to include the part where everyone settled their differences and lived together happily.
The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908)
Web source: UN-Textbook