The Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, bearing opulent gifts, and hoping to see if he was as wise as the stories claimed.
“What can I offer in return?” asked Solomon. “Only ask, and it shall be yours.”
The queen had also heard that Solomon spoke the language of the birds, but didn’t believe it. Here was her chance to kill two birds with one stone. “Build me a palace made entirely of bird beaks,” she said, “if you can.”
“Oh, I can, ” boasted Solomon. “You shall have it.”
To her amazement, Solomon summoned the birds, from every corner of the earth.
They heeded his call…
….from the tiniest hummingbird…
…to the majestic eagle.
“We’re going to make our nation the envy of the world,” he told his gathered flock, to the cheering of the birds.
“But I need your beaks to build a palace.” And the birds bowed their heads and wept.
“Stop fussing,” said the king. “Everyone dies sooner or later. Believe me, I know more about that than anyone else in the world.” The king scanned his gathered flock as they waited to die. “Where is the hoopoe bird? Why isn’t she here? How dare she defy me?”
Breathlessly, the hoopoe swooped in to land at his feet. “Forgive my late arrival, Sire. I’ve come from the ends of the earth, and I’ve seen so much along the way. I’ve even learned three things you don’t know.”
(photo in public domain)
“Really?” King Solomon frowned. “A lot of people say I’m the smartest king that ever lived. I know more than anyone, about pretty much everything in the world. What could you possibly know that I don’t? Tell me quickly, before I take your beak.”
The other birds trembled, fearful that Hoopoe would upset the king, for they knew that he didn’t like his genius questioned.
“Sire,” asked Hoopoe, “do you know who it is that was never born, nor will never die?”
“Of course, I do! The Lord of the Universe…
…the Creator, who made the sky above us…
…the earth we stand on…
…every blade of grass…
…every creature that walks…
…or swims…
…or crawls.
King Solomon hesitated. “Or flies.”
Solomon looked at the birds…
…each one magnificent…
…each in its own way…
…..each one created by the Lord of the Universe…
…who had also made Solomon, and blessed him with wealth, power, and responsibility.
“What’s the second thing?” asked Solomon irritably.
“Sire, do you know what kind of water rises not from the earth nor falls from the sky?”
“Of course, I do! It’s a tear that falls from the eye, born of sorrow.”
Solomon looked at the birds, their heads bowed, tears flowing, as they waited for him to chop off their beaks. Might he have acted rashly in agreeing to build a palace of bird beaks? But the Queen of Sheba, the whole world was watching, and he thought, “A promise is a promise.”
“One last question, Sire,” said the hoopoe. “Do you know what is so delicate that it can put food into the mouth of a baby, yet is strong enough to bore holes into the hardest wood?”
“Of course, I do. It’s a bird beak,” said the king.
(Photo by Amanda Lightfoot)
“Yes,” he repeated, “a bird beak. Of course.”
The great gathering of birds stretched out before him, their lives and children as precious to them as his own were to him…
In his arrogance, he’d promised to build a useless palace to fulfill a selfish whim, and to make his own subjects pay for it, without considering the cost in blood and tears. And he knew what he must do.
“Hoopoe, you’ve demonstrated courage for daring to resist this injustice. You have shown wisdom in helping me understand that my true power is in resisting my own cruel impulses. I shall not demonstrate my power by destroying the defenseless.”
King Solomon turned to the Queen of Sheba. “A wise and worthy leader must never be so proud that he can’t admit his mistakes, or do what he must to right a wrong. There will be no palace of bird beaks, now or ever.”
The queen smiled and nodded. “I came here to take the measure of a man, and I believe I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.”
Except where noted, all words and images ©2020 Naomi Baltuck
