"So the Queen came to Kuddus. Mashallah! Shall a picture be limned of her coming! Flushed dancers and lutists athrumming light-limbed as Daoud round the Ark! Crushed roadway and crowd-applause rumbled, loud music, hushed barbarous mumming! To the cry, 'On to Sion' above her, this lover rode straight at her mark!" And the Wazir cried, "Ho!" to the rhymes. "She had but to flatter the wizard to win him. He said to the hoopoe: 'I will haggle no more. You shall learn to your cost what the bargainer buys, Whose faith levies toll upon duty, whose trust will not serve me on trust, Or love for Love. On your head be it.' The hoopoe said: '_Cheshm_--on my eyes!' "All other birds fainted with envy, as Suleiman lifted a digit. Thereon was the Ring-of-most-Magic. Then he spat on the dust from his bed, And the miracle came! for the hoopoe went swaggering out of the presence (So he struts in his walking to-day) with a crown of pure gold on his head. "But the Jews thus learnt avarice. Some one spread news of the bird-coronation To the ends of the kingdom. The tribes ran out as one man armed with lime, Bows, nets, slings--and slew the hoopoes for the sake of their crowns. There was profit In sport then; none other has liked them so well since King Suleiman's time. "They divided the spoil till in Israel only our messenger-bird Survived with two fellows.... He fled to Suleiman's closet for _bast_, Sobbing, 'Spare us, O king! Make a sign with the ring that men sing of! We fare as Amalekites. If I have sinned, I am punished. We three are the last "'Of our race. In your grace turn your face to our case. We place hope in your favour! My brood is a Yahudi's food. Israel--who disputes it--insane For gain. We are slain all day long by the strong sons of Cain. Let us waive our Gold bane for plain down, lest we drown in our own blood! Discrown us again!'" And the Wazir cried, "Hi!" to the rhymes.