This Swahili tale implies that a man should always listen to female advice. The hero's wisdom comes from listening to women's tales, and his success is due to the golden bird, which is really an enchanted princess.

The second story may look like a simple fairy tale but teaches many lessons.  There are subtle messages about misplaced loyalties.  The vizier is loyal to his sovereign (a noble trait), but to the tree demon, or djinn, he is a nuisance and for Ali he is as dangerous as any enemy.  One point of the story is warning of the consequence of excessive wishes and desires.  But why should Ali be rewarded?  The malleable boy rises to high office because he is obedient: He looks after his mother, agrees not to disturb the djinn, and obeys (however fearfully) the sultan.  He thus eventually finds favor in the sight of the demon princess.

The great dijinn presents Ali with two wonderful birds.

The prince and the golden bird

Long ago there lived a sultan, Majinuni, who had seven sons.  The most prized possession in Majinuni’s palace garden was a date palm.  One morning the sultan found, to his dismay, that the first dates of the season had been stolen.  The sultan told a man to guard the tree the next evening, but the man could not stay awake and, again, many fruits were stolen.  So, the sultan placed his eldest son on watch, but he, too, was overcome by sleep.  The second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sons all did no better.  Finally, Zebuluni, the youngest son, volunteered to spend the night under the date tree.  Everybody laughed: Zebuluni always sat with the women, listening to their tales, and the sultan considered him silly for this habit.  Nevertheless, the sultan gave him his chance.

The clever Zebuluni put a thorn under his chin.  Whenever his chin dropped, the thorn pierced his skin and kept him awake.  At night he saw a beautiful golden bird in the moonshine.  But when he stretched out his hand to catch it, the bird flew away. Zebuluni held only one of its tail feathers in his hand.  This he showed to the sultan the next morning.

The sultan was delighted to have fresh dates for breakfast, and, when he saw the golden feather, he wanted to have the whole bird. Zebuluni told him that the bird had flown off in the direction of the rising moon.  So the sultan gave him a ship and an experienced crew and sent him out to try his luck.