The Owl as King

Once upon a time, the people who lived in the first
cycle of the world gathered together, and took for their
king a certain man, handsome, auspicious, commanding,
altogether perfect. The quadrupeds also gathered, and
chose for king the Lion ; and the fish in the ocean chose
them a fish called Ananda. Then all the birds in the
Himalayas assembled upon a flat rock, crying,

"Among men there is a king, and among the beasts, and
the fish have one too ; but amongst us birds king there is
none. We should not live in anarchy; we too should
choose a king. Fix on some one fit to be set in the king's
place ! "

They searched about for such a bird, and chose the
Owl ; " Here is the bird we like," said they. And a bird
made proclamation three times to all that there would be
a vote taken on this matter. After patiently hearing this
announcement twice, on the third time up rose a Crow,
and cried out,

" Stay now ! If that is what he looks like when he is
being consecrated king, what will he look like when he is
angry? If he only looks at us in anger, we shall be
scattered like sesame seeds thrown on a hot plate. I don't
want to make this fellow king ! " and enlarging upon this
he uttered the first stanza :

The owl is king-, you say, o'er all bird-kind:
With your permission, may I speak my mind?

The Birds repeated the second, granting him leave to
speak :

You have our leave, Sir, so it be good and right:
For other birds are young, and wise, and bright.

Thus permitted, he repeated the third :

I like not (with all deference be it said)
To have the Owl anointed as our Head.
Look at his face! if this good humour be,
What will he do when he looks angrily?

Then he flew up into the air, cawing out " I don't like
it ! I don't like it ! " The Owl rose and pursued him.

Thenceforward those two nursed enmity one towards
another. And the birds chose a golden Mallard for their
king, and dispersed.