從前有一個國王，名叫撒羅滿，他的智慧聞名於世。他能夠隨時把風和飛鳥呼喚到面前，他甚至懂得世上所有飛鳥和野獸的語言。
現在，撒羅滿王的一個妻子很快要過生日了。國王問她，想要國王送她什麼禮物。她大呼：我要世上任何王后都沒有過的東西。給我造一座全部用鳥的嘴建造起來的宮殿。有那麼多的鳥哩！出於對他妻子的愛，撒羅滿答應了，「會建立起來的，親愛的。一座完全用鳥的嘴造趙的宮殿將成為你的。」
於是，撒羅滿王呼來了全世界所有的鳥，命令牠們到他的宮殿，準備留下牠的嘴巴。還不到一天，成千上萬隻、滿天空的飛鳥，拍打著翅膀，都一個跟一個地朝他的宮殿飛撲下來。所有的鳥都來了，從強壯的鷹，到瘦小的蜂鳥、鮮豔的藍知更鳥、反舌鳥、斑鳩、鴿子，和鴨子－天底下所有的飛鳥都來了。飛鳥知道要丟棄他們的嘴，都心神慌亂，忿忿不平。這個王后的要求是多麼的荒唐。
她難道成天沒有事做就想出了這個主意？可是，牠們又有什麼沒辦法呢？很快，所有的鳥都到了宮殿裡集合，除了一隻－－戴勝鳥－－這是一隻有著美麗的羽毛，和一張漂亮尖嘴的小鳥。
時間過了許久，而戴勝鳥還是沒有找到，國王生氣了。「去找那隻戴勝鳥，把牠帶到這裡來見我！」他大聲向僕役們吼叫有著。「牠不服從國王，必須受到懲罰！」
戴勝鳥終於被帶到國王面前。「你到哪裏去了？」撒羅滿王問道
「為什麼要讓我等你？」
「陛下，請不要對我生氣」，戴勝鳥說，「我終於飛到了大地的盡頭，見到了許多花園、森林、大海，和沙漠。我從看到的東西中，學到了許多智慧，這樣就可以更好地侍奉您。如果你一定要懲罰，那就懲罰吧！但請先給我一個機會，好向您証明我並非只是到處閒逛。請允許我向您問三個謎語。如果有一個答不出來，就要請饒我一命。」
別的鳥都為牠倒抽一口冷氣。牠們震驚不已。怎麼一隻小鳥竟敢同國王做起交易！但還是撒羅滿王卻非常讚賞這隻大膽的小傢伙，接受了這份挑戰。「好吧」，他說，「說說看你的謎語吧！你的智慧怎能同國王的智慧相比！」
於是，戴勝鳥說了。「這是第一個謎語。請你告訴我，陛下，不生也不死的能是誰呢？」
國王不加思索。「是這個世界的主，願祂的名受讚美」，他立即回答。國王在講的時候，心裏想道，世界之主造了所有的生命，為的是讓牠們都得到自由。
戴勝鳥接著說，「第二個謎語是，請告訴我，陛下，什麼水從來不會從地面升起，以也不會從天上落下？」
撒羅滿王笑了，因為這個答案他也知道。「這是一滴眼淚」，他說，「眼淚只從悲傷的眼裏落下。」國王回答完後，朝四週看了一下，看到所有的鳥都伸開翅膀躺在他面前，難過地，絕望地，在那裡等著，許多鳥的眼中都含著眼淚，因為他們的嘴都要被割去了。國王也難過起來，眼睛裏也有了眼淚。
現在，奇怪的事發生了。雖然撒羅滿王對自己的智慧絕對有把握，但在一念閃過之間，忽然想起也許他做了一件傻事，不明智地竟同意用鳥嘴建宮殿。
這時，戴勝鳥又說了。他的聲音有點發抖，因為牠只有最後一次機會可以以救自己了。「陛下，什麼東西如此精巧，可以把食物送進幼兒的嘴，又是如此堅硬，可以以在最硬的木頭上鑽出孔來？」
撒落羅滿王用不了多少時間就回答了：「怎麼，那當然是鳥的嘴了！」國王說罷，又望了一下週圍這一大片聚在那裏的鳥，他認識到了這些生物是多麼奇特，牠們的嘴對牠們又是多麼寶貴。
這時，戴勝鳥垂下了頭，「照您的悥旨懲罰我吧！因為我的三個謎語您都答對了」。他默默地等待著國王下達嚴厲的命令。
但是，撒羅滿王卻笑了。「可愛的戴勝鳥」，他提高了嗓音，好讓所有的鳥都能夠聽見，「我以智慧聞名於世，然而，真正有智慧的是你。你向我指出了，一個國王絕不應該愚蠢到不承認自己犯了錯誤。你為我表明了，仁慈比智慧更為重要。我已經決定，不再建那個鳥嘴宮殿了。」
聽了這話，所有的鳥都喜歡得直想拍打翅膀大聲歌唱，但牠們不敢打斷國王的講話。「由於你的智慧，你應該受賞，而不是受罰」，他說。他召來了王宮的珠寶工匠，命他按照自己的王冠樣式，為這個小鳥打造一個小王冠。等到王冠完工，國王便把它戴在戴勝鳥的頭上。
所以，到今天，戴勝鳥的頭上仍戴著一個王冠，使所有看見牠的人，都能記起撒羅滿王的獎賞，和這種鳥的智慧曾拯救了所有的鳥嘴，同時也記起了，仁慈比智慧更為重要。
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