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From Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest, Collected and Translated by Walter Skeat, M.A.llustrated by F. H. Townsend; Cambridge: At the University Press; 1901; pp. 64-66, 84.

KING SOLOMON AND THE BIRDS.

KING Solomon commanded all Birds who were his subjects to go forth to hunt for food and to return everyone of them together at nightfall. And in the evening when he had called his subjects together again, the Eagle, one of his own Body-guard, was found to be missing. Then King Solomon commanded inquiry to be made, “On what errand went this comrade of yours?” And the most of them made reply, “He went on no errand; he simply neglected to accompany us.” “If that is the case,” spake the King, “he is nothing but a rebel, and wherever you meet him, you are to cut him down without question asked.” On hearing this, however, the Blue Heron made answer and said, “Assuredly he went on some errand or other; I crave one day’s respite” (said he). And a like reply was made by the Woodpecker, saying, “If he 65 had done any wrong I should be the first person to know of it. Am I not one of your Majesty’s Body-guard, and could I not settle it if he had done any wrong? I crave two days’ respite” (said he). But the Thrush said only, “I crave three days.” So Solomon the King granted three days’ respite. Now when the days of respite were ended, the Eagle returned and sought his comrades. And he took counsel with the Woodpecker and persuaded him to enter King Solomon’s presence.

Then the Woodpecker went in before the King, and made obeisance, and said, “The Eagle, your Majesty, did not return the other day because he found in a cavern of the rocks a follower of Her Highness the daughter of the King of the Genii, who is a person of surpassing beauty and worthy to become a consort of your Majesty.“ To this the King replied, “Very well, if you are strong enough to do so, take her from him, you have our permission.” But the Eagle had arranged with the Woodpecker to excavate a hollow in a tree, and they had put the Princess in the hollow and closed the aperture with pitch and the Eagle had mounted guard there. So when the King heard this he said, “Bring 66 them both here, and I will grant his life.” Then the Eagle brought the Princess before King Solomon, and the King commanded the Queen to make a lather of powdered rice^a and wash it off the Princess’s person again with limes. At this the Princess’s feathers disappeared and the white markings of her skin showed up in all their beauty. Thus the daughter of the King of the Genii was married unto Solomon the King.

Now when all these things had happened, King Solomon spake unto the assembled Birds and said, “If ye had had nothing to say, ye should have spoken like the Thrush. If ye had aught to say, ye should have spoken like the Blue Heron.” And he cursed all the other birds with a great curse. And that is why to this day there are birds of so many different sorts, some with too long a beak, and others with too long a tail, and yet others with a black mark round the neck.

[84] Notes.

^a  a lather of powdered rice.  The Malay method of (ceremonial) bathing is to cover the person with a lather made of finely powdered rice mixed with other substances, and to wash it off again with the juice of limes.

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