The Poet and the Kings
Once upon a time, a talented poet named Simonides lived in an ancient coastal city where winds that smelled of the sea blew. His verses spread from ear to ear and breathed a fine peace into the souls of those who listened. One day the proud king of the city invited the poet to his palace to write a magnificent poem of praise in his own honour. In the great hall lit by golden lanterns, the poet touched his pen to the paper and wrote a unique work. But in this deep poem he had praised with lofty words not only the king but also the protecting twin gods. When the day of the great feast came, the poet read his poem out loud before the people of the palace. This work, completed with enchanting melodies, filled everyone in the hall with admiration.
But when the greedy king saw that half of the praise was given to the gods, he frowned. He held out only half of the gold he had promised the poet and spoke with a cold voice. “You have devoted half of your poem to me and half to the twin gods,” he said with pride. “For this reason take half of the gold from me, and go and ask for the rest from the gods you praised.” Before this disrespectful behaviour the poet kept his silence and bowed his head with a humble manner. While the feast went on with laughter, a servant came near the poet with excitement. He brought the news that two young strangers waiting on horseback at the door were calling for him urgently.
Full of curiosity, the poet left the magnificent hall and went out into the cool garden of the palace. As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed with great surprise that there was nobody around. Just at that moment a terrible noise broke out behind him and the ceiling of the huge palace fell in with a great crash. While the proud king and his merciless guests remained under the ruins, the poet was saved in a miraculous way. The poet understood that those mysterious young men who called him outside were the twin gods whose praise he had written. True labour and humility are always more valuable than the crown of proud kings. The bird that flies too high builds its nest low.