The Chronicles of Solomon

Proverbs and parables,
Food for intellectual thought.
Exercises for the human mind,
Grows wisdom, like seed to stalk.

To understand a proverb,
And its interpretation,
Call upon all your knowledge,
And think what’s it saying.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Things we already have, worth more than we could.

Actions speak louder than words.
Talk is cheap but through labor we get returns.

Adversity and loss make a wise man.
Wisdom is gained quickly when difficulty spans.

Try your luck at proverbs,
Try to write just one.
I challenge you,
Just see what you can do.

Intelligence and knowledge,
Experience and understanding,
With these together, join information,
Wisdom is gained by summation.

Plato, Socrates and Aristotle,
Brilliant minds from prior years,
But the greatest intellect of all,
Our Lord did he fear.

Abraham begot Isaac, and thus was Jacob,
Judah to Amminadab, Jesse to David,
Then came Solomon.
O what fathers to follow!

Solomon prayed and asked for wisdom--
Not money or things for his kingdom.
So pleased was the Lord by this request,
Even more did he get.

How much better to get wisdom than gold.
To get insight rather than gifts bestowed.
For the merchandise of this is better,
Now use your intellect to get your measure.

The one who gets wisdom loves life.,
points his path and diverts strife.
Fools on the other hand,
Just don’t understand.

Solomon loved the Lord so dearly.
God gave him peace, bismillah.
All the countries around,
Friends abound.

Solomon understood beyond understanding.
The Lord gave him much more than he was asking.
So pleased was He, He gave it all to thee.
Worldly knowledge, intangible things not seen.

Two mothers, one of whom lost their child.
Later that evening the evil one stole the other’s child.
To Solomon they arrived, “This is my child!” the evil one beguiled.
With wisdom Solomon discovered who was defiled.

“Place the infant on the table,
With my sword I’ll split the cradle.
To each of you gets half,
Now the matter is set to pass.”

The first one said, “Go ahead! So be it.”
Then the other mother screamed and cried.
“Now we know who the forebearer is.
Give to that woman, the child alive.”

Solomon’s wisdom spread across the land.
The king of kings for he was grand.
Multitudes upon multitudes sought him.
Thousands joined in to sing his hymns.

Solomon understood beyond understanding.
The Lord gave him much more than he was asking.
Solomon prayed and was humble.
He gave thanks and never stumbled.

To whistle with birds,
Beautiful songs we’ve heard.
But to understand what they mean,
Conversations between?

Solomon understood beyond understanding.
The Lord gave him much more than he was asking.
To talk to birds and fowls and lions and cows,
Even the wind he would arouse.

One of Solomon’s most respected friends,
A bird named Hoopoe; his large wings extends.
With eyes in the air,
He informed Solomon, helped him prepare.

One day Hoopoe was late for a meeting.
He then showed and gave Solomon his normal greeting.
He told him of a land far away,
Who has a queen that has gone astray.

The Queen of Sheba’s land was great--
Beautiful buildings, stone cut and laid,
Gold and riches all around.
A wise, wise woman, like no other to be found.

Solomon was powerful,
And with the help of the Lord’s hand,
He could wipe those idolaters
Off the land.

He chose to be cunning,
A proverb with a plan.
Water beneath glass flooring,
Showed her the Sun she worshiped is really sent by God’s hand.

The mighty queen returned to Yemen,
All things the Lord forgiven.
Now happiness in the land,
She taught them God’s plan.

To Solomon she bestowed great gifts.
Wonderful thanks she gives
Gold and bountiful courses,
And a fleet of majestic horses.

O how Solomon loved horses!
A flowing tail and a flying mane,
That prancy dance when you lift up the reigns,
Their grace and beauty and spirit remains.

O how Solomon loved horses!
He stayed and played
So late in the day,
Time forgot him and he forgot to pray.

The most important thing to a Muslim,
Salvation through prayer does come.
Prayer and supplication,
Our meaningful dedication.

What! You thought he was a Christian?
How could he be? There’s been no crucifixion.
A thousand years prior to Christ,
He led a Muslim’s life.

Belief in only one God,
Associate none as high as him.
Save prayer and pay the poor rate,
To judgment day our fate.

When Solomon realized his mistake,
The covenant of his faith he forsakes.
He immediately fell to the ground,
Forgive me, my faith again found.

God loved Solomon so much,
Aside from wisdom, he gained trust.
He would give him anything he asked for,
This and even more.

Solomon dreamed of a house for the Lord.
More massive than anything he could afford.
Servants worked night and day,
Stones and marble, chipping away.

The chief of construction’s little boy,
A lad Solomon so enjoyed.
In spare time they laughed and played,
But something seemed wrong, dismayed.

Solomon summoned him to say,
“Do I not love thee more than all?
Do I not give you double rations, double pay?
Why then does thou get smaller every day?”

“I pray thee my King,
Listen to what has befallen me.
I am sworn to secrecy,
But I tell you, I have been taken evilly.”

“In the evening when my work is done,
The demon Ornias, takes my food, leaves me with none.
At night when I am asleep,
He sucks my thumb, to take my nutrients, I succumb.”

Rage, fury, indignation was in Solomon’s grip,
“This demon I’ll surely find and whip.
To take advantage of my fine lad.
I’ll torment him by Gods command.”

Off Solomon went to pray,
“Lord help me, help me this day.
There is a jinn maltreating my friend.
I need you, for him I must defend.”

Solomon prayed for days and days,
Supplicating, praying, showing praise.
“Deliver this demon unto my hands,
Give me authority to spoil his plans.”

Solomon understood beyond understanding.
The Lord gave him much more than he was asking.
God loved Solomon so much,
Not only wisdom he gained trust.

The Archangel Michael came, by the grace of God,
Through him a magical ring he got.
“Take, O son of David, God has sent to thee.
Use to command the demon, it’s His decree.”

Solomon began to council the lad,
“Listen to me closely, this demon we will have.
Put God’s ring in your pocket,
Follow my instructions and we will profit.”

“Spend tomorrow as usual.
Return to your quarter’s casual.
When the demon appears,
Do not fear.”

“Throw the ring at his chest,
Then command, do not request.
Follow me to my king,
Our God has commanded it.”

The following day,
He made the play.
He followed the instructions to a tee,
The demon, he could not plea.

The lad ran to Solomon and gave him the ring,
“The demon is out there as commanded, my king.”
Solomon rose and went to his vestibule,
“Put on the ring, ready and usable.”

“Tell me, O demon, what is thy name?
What zodiacal sign do you reign?”
“I am of the water-pourer, of those consumed.
My name is Ornias, from your Lord, I was removed.”

“Tell me Ornias, what is your form?
Who owns you, to whom do you report?”
“I am the lion, exiled from Zion
Archangel Uriel frustrates me by iron.”

Solomon hearing this glorified God,
In front of the demon he praised on.
Ornias called to Uriel, "Help me, set me free!
Contained by a human, I cannot be!”

Next, the demon tried some wit,
“Let me go, Solomon, and all the demons I’ll get.”
Solomon agreed and gave him the ring,
“Bring me the prince of demons. It’s him I want to see.”

So Ornias traveled to Beelzebub
To see the most evil one.
King Solomon requests a presence with thee,
“Follow me, we must go and see.”

“Who is this Solomon, only a man?
I am your prince, I give commands.”
Ornias threw the ring against his chest,
“Follow me now, it’s not a request.”

When Solomon saw Beelzebub
He glorified God.
Beelzebub saw Solomon pray.
He then knew from where the power came.

He commanded Beelzebub to bring all the demons.
He commanded the demons, God’s temple to construct on.
“You will hew stones and polish marble.
God’s temple will be one for all to marvel.”

As they near the end of construction,
Solomon dreamed of one last instruction.
A mighty, mighty cornerstone,
None of which has ever been known.

Again, Solomon summoned his jinn,
“Lift my cornerstone, the greatness of God shall be known.”
Beelzebub spoke and said, “I’m sorry,
The stones too large, it stays in the quarry.”

“Unacceptable, obey my command!
Lift my stone, use all your hands.”
The prince answered him, “Only one can lift it.
If I summon him, you may regret it.”

“Do it, I command you!
I have God’s ring you fool!”
Beelzebub closed his eyes,
Seconds later, what a surprise.

A huge mighty figure of a man.
Infinitely broad shoulders, iron hands.
Long free flowing hair,
A face with despair.

He thrusts his trident on the ground,
Expecting destruction all around.
Amazed when nothing happened,
He looked at Beelzebub impassioned.

“He has God’s ring,
With this he commanded me.
Imprisoned are we.
He will now command thee.”

Solomon asked the same as all the rest,
“What is your name? Your power I attest?”
“I am Poseidon, I come from the sea.
All the waters obey me.”

“I was given the power of lightning,
And great strength to hold Leviathan.
I hold him until God tells me,
‘It’s judgment day, set him free.’”

Solomon said, “I am building a temple,
You will help me assemble.
Place my stone as I ask.
Complete my task.”

Solomon threw the ring at his chest.
Poseidon had to follow as the rest.
He lifted the stone with one hand,
placed it exactly as Solomon planned.

“Now that my temple is complete,
I will release you, your obligation obsolete.
You may return to your old ways.
Remember, fear God and him you obey.”

One prophecy you must know.
You’re free to be on earth and to roam,
But when the Messiah is found,
Again, you will be bound.

God loved Solomon beyond recognition.
He elevated him to a lofty position.
Solomon understood beyond understanding.
God gave him much more than he was asking.

This ballad full of hidden meanings,
Myths and legends for you to reason.
A compilation from many books,
By your religion, you should look.

You see how wise Solomon was,
In everything for God, he does.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Books showing wisdom, in God he believes.

Songs of Solomon and the Quran,
A few more to attribute, he followed God’s plan.
Twenty-two chapters in First Kings,
And in one short paragraph, he lost his ring?

I’m asking you to stop and think,
He fell from grace in one short blink.
A thousand women?
And worshipped Molec?

Molec’s a jinn!
By God’s ring, Solomon commanded him.
Now think, be wise and...
The master now worships the servant.

The order of a thousand wives,
Now I ask you, again be wise.
Is this really possible?
Let’s look at the times and what’s probable.

At the beginning of the story,
My challenge:
Write a proverb,
Just one each.

Here’s my try -

Voice without expression, leads to misinterpretation.

Taken at face value,
Expressions change meanings sent to you.
But deeper still,
Settings change meanings, influences what’s real.

The framework is set,
The time of King David’s death.
His first-born son, Adonijah,
Was to walk the king’s way.

The Israelites loved and adorned,
Some followed the first born.
David and the prophet Nathan,
Anointed Solomon, and the nation was torn.

Those who followed the first,
Transgressed and became the worst.
Through jealousy, they changed 1st Kings,
And now that’s how we believe.

Solomon was a great and righteous man,
Who now lives at God’s right hand.
Never did he fall from grace,
In heaven he has his place.

The story as the Bible states,
A parable we can all relate.
Humans can’t have so much,
The temptation is just too much.