Once the great King Solomon was journeying in the desert. Across the sand the King’s caravan made its way, the camels’ embroidered saddle cloths as bright as flowers, and their jeweled bridles flashing as brightly as the sun itself. But the heat smote down on the king’s head, and Solomon yearned for shade. As if in answer to his longing, who should appear but a flock of Hoopoes? Being curious by nature, they circled around until they reached the king’s camel and kept just overhead, so that they might watch this most famous of all monarchs and perhaps overhear some word of wisdom.
Thus the little birds cast a grateful shadow over the king for his whole journey. And richly repaid they were. For Solomon, who was always polite even to the humblest creature in his kingdom, conversed freely with them the whole time, bestowing upon them many wise words. When they reached his palace, he thanked them for providing the shade, and asked what he could do in return.
Now the Hoopoes had begun their conversation with Solomon modestly enough; in fact, they had been very surprised that he had spoken to them at all. But he had questioned them so kindly about their way of living, and their likes and preferences and relations, that they lost their fear of him. They flew into his wonderful palace and saw all his servants in their shining robes standing behind the king’s throne, and waiting on his table, and lining the great courtyard. They beheld the walls of ivory inlaid with gold, and the golden lions guarding the steps, and the white peacocks on their silver terraces. And it quite turned the little bird’s heads to think they had journeyed right across the desert with the owner of all these riches.
So instead of answering Solomon with thanks on their part and telling him that his words of wisdom were rich reward for any shelter they had given, the Hoopoes begged leave to consult together and withdrew to the palace roof, where they discussed what they would ask for.
Finally they decided they would like golden crowns such as the king himself wore; then they could return to the other birds and reign over them. At once the little birds flew down with a rush and made their request to the king as he walked in his wonderful garden.
“What the king has said, the king has said,” Solomon replied. “The gift you desire shall be granted. Yet, because you rendered me true service, when you wish to get rid of your crowns, you may return them and exchange them for wisdom.”
“Nay, King,” said the Hoopoes. “Well we know that wisdom has brought you great renown, but no one would bow down to you or give attention to your words, unless you wore your golden crown. We shall be able to repeat your wise words profitably now, for all will listen when they see gold crowns on our heads, too.”
“All the same, return to me without fear or shame, if your crowns do not satisfy,” said King Solomon kindly. Then he ordered his goldsmiths to supply the Hoopoes with crowns of the finest gold. Off flew the silly birds, with the shining crowns upon their heads, prouder than peacocks and chattering more loudly than parrots.
They could scarcely wait to get back to their friends and hear their exclamations. But when the Hoopoes announce they were now Kings of the Bird World, their friends only laughed and said they were quite satisfied with Solomon, and he was the only king they wished or needed. Then they drove the Hoopoes from the trees, for their golden crowns were always catching in the branches, and the other birds grew tired of freeing them. But the Hoopoes decided the other birds were only jealous and, rather flattered, gathered around the nearby ponds so they could admire themselves in the water.
Very soon people began to notice the antics of the silly little birds as they strutted up and down, cocking their heads first this way, then that. Finally a man caught one and discovered the wonderful gold crown it wore. He hurried off to a goldsmith, who gave him a high price for it. The man rushed back to the pond and laid snares for the Hoopoes, who were so taken up with admiring themselves that they walked straight into the traps.
Then came the saddest time for the Hoopoes. Everyone began to hunt them. The poor birds could not go to the wells or the ponds, for they were thick with snares and nets. They could not go into the gardens, for fowlers lurked behind the flowers. They could not fly up onto the housetops, for even there the people had set traps for them. There was not a spot on earth where they could rest. At last the wretched little birds flew back to the palace and waited until they beheld the great King Solomon walking on his grand terrace, listening to his singers as they performed in the cool of the evening.
“O King,” they said, “we have found that golden crowns are vanity. We know not what you do to keep yourself from being chased about and hunted, and so we have come to ask you to remove ours from us.”
“Beloved Hoopoes,” the king replied, “a crown that people are expected to bow down to always sits heavy on the head, and a crown that excites envy is a net for the feet. The only crown that can be worn with comfort is the crown of service, and that crown should spring up naturally so that no one takes any particular notice of it.”
“Give us that crown of service, O wise king,” cried the poor little Hoopoes very humbly, for they now wanted nothing better than to live without notice.
“May it shelter you even as it has sheltered me,” said the great Solomon; and on their heads, the Hoopoes beheld crowns of feathers. But with these crowns came quite a new feeling to the Hoopoes. They no longer wished to rule, but to serve.
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
– Rabindranath Tagore
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William J. “Bill” Bacqué