Solomon and the Sparrow

Quite a very long time ago, before the first stones were set in China's Great Wall, at a time when the people of Britain worshipped tree spirits and painted themselves blue, there lived a great and splendid king named Solomon. Now, this Solomon was the wisest of men, and highly favored by the Lord, Who had given him the gift of an understanding heart. However, even though he was the wisest of men, he still had much to learn. Here is the story of one of his lessons.

To give glory to God (and to show the world his own greatness) Solomon decided to build a great Temple to the Lord. One day, as he was inspecting the progress of the builders, he chanced to see a tiny sparrow atop the wall of the Temple. This sparrow was lying on its back, with its feet straining upward. Such a curious sight naturally intrigued the great king. With his understanding heart, Solomon knew the languages of all the creatures of the earth, the sea and the sky, so he asked, "Little sparrow, why are you lying here in such an undignified position? A bird should fly free above the earth, not lie on its back." The sparrow replied, "I have heard, O wisest of men, that your mighty Temple will stand so tall as to crack the sky, and cause it to fall. I have determined to protect the earth by holding up the sky with my feet." Solomon laughed, saying, "Surely, little bird, you do not believe that you can hold up the entire sky by yourself!" The sparrow replied soberly, "One does what one can."