"Dear hoopoe, welcome! You will be our guide; / It was on you King Solomon relied
"To carry secret messages between / His court and distant Sheba's lovely queen.
"He knew your language and you knew his heart— / As his close confidant you learnt the art
"Of holding demons captive underground, / And for these valiant exploits you were crowned." The Conference of the Birds, pg. 29.

"The hoopoe finished, and at once the birds / Effusively responded to his words.
"All praised the splendour of their distant king; All rose impatient to be on the wing;
"Each would renounce the Self and be the friend / Of his companions till the journey's end.
"But when they pondered on the journey's length / They hesitated; their ambitious strength
"Dissolved: each bird, according to his kind, / Felt flattered but reluctantly declined." The Conference of the Birds, pg. 35.

"He gave his heart into the Christian's hands...