28* The Birds^ Complaint before Solomon : being: an- 

 extract with a translation from the Kitah'^' l-Janiharahfi 



r 



'Um^ 'l-Bazyarah. 



I 



By LtKUT.-Coi.ONKL D. C. Phillutt and Mk. R. F, Azoo. 



It is said that ouce, by the inspiration o£ tlie Almighty, 



the birds went to the Prophet of Godj to Solomon^ the son of David 

 (peace and blessings on both of them), and saluted him with all 

 reverence and said : " Oh Prophet of God ! we have come before 

 thee, and stand here iu thy presence that thou majest regard us 

 as thoa regardest the rest of thy subjects, and mete out full justice 

 to us, commending us to each other's care, and directing that no 

 bird, either in the heavens or on the earth, should oppress an- 

 other ; for we are now complaitiing to thee about four species of 

 birds, well known to us all. The first is the Hawk,^ who has 

 succeeded in gaining the affection of man, and has risen in station 

 to the highest degree, having no other footstool for his^ feet than 

 the hand of kings, so that he now speaks not to us from pride, nor 



■rande 



We 



him what the cause of this silence is : to what is it due? The 

 second bird ia that hated bird known to men by the name of ' Owl/ 

 He dwells secluded in ruins and avoids habitations, nor does he 

 repair to branched trees ; and when we ask him the reason for tliis 

 he says no more to us than ' Yd hu ya Jiu.^^ We entz'cat thee to ask 

 him what is the meaning of this expression, and to whom he 

 alludes iu these words. The third bird is the Raven ; he has no 

 garb but black, and no cry but mourning for those separated ; and 

 he is familiar only with ruined habitations and mourning over 

 relatives and friends. So we entreat thee to ask him what this 

 lamentation is, and the cause of this lone wandering. The fourth 

 bird is the BulbtdJ* Now we wonder at him and object to his 

 doings, for he keeps quiet the whole winter, looking dully on the 

 world ; but the moment he sees the vine bear, he is seized with joy 

 and passion. Now this is the way of libertines, and we cannot 

 approve of this ; vSo we entreat thee to ask him why he sings not, 

 except in the season of fruits and flowers and warbling of birds/* 



1 See also Jl. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. Ill, No. 1, 1907. 



2 Solomon understood the speech of birds and animals. 



3 Bfiz liere a general term, bnt by falconers applied specially to the 

 goshawk. In Arabic hdz is raaacttline, bat in India the word denotea the 



female goshawk, 



♦ Yd Hu (Jehovah) '' O Thoa who art existent " i.e.» God. 

 5 Bulhulf {.e,, the balbul of India and not the hazdr'ddstdn or night- 

 ingale of Persia, -which ie also called hulhul, . ' 



r 



