20 Preface وَتَفَقَّدَ الطَّيرَ فَقالَ ما لِيَ لا أَرَى الهُدهُدَ أَم كانَ مِنَ الغائِبينَYusuf AliAnd he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: “Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees?1Solomon was no idle or easy-going king. He kept all his organisation strictly up to the mark, both his armies literally and his forces (metaphorically). His most mobile arm was the Birds, who were light on the wing and flew and saw everything like efficient scouts. One day he missed the Hoopoe in his muster. The hoopoe is a light, graceful creature, with elegant plumage of many colours, and a beautiful yellow crest on his head, which entitles him to be called a royal bird.