Three princes

In a land there were three princes jockeying for a kingdom.
The first prince went to his servant and said:
‘Build me a palace with gold domes and minarets studded with jade.’
‘Your will is my will’, said the servant, and began his work.
When the prince returned he found the servant digging in the mud.
‘What are you doing?’, said the prince.
‘I am doing what you asked’, replied the servant.
‘I asked you to build me a palace of gold and jade’, said the prince, ‘You have spent your time digging in the mud. This is the last thing I asked you to do!’, And servant was dismissed on the spot.
The second prince went to his servant.
‘Build me a castle with stone spires and a marble flag-tower’, he said
‘Your will is my will’, said the servant, and began without delay.
But when the prince returned he found his servant laying stones in a line along the ground.
‘What are you doing!’, demanded the prince.
‘I am doing what you asked’, replied the servant.
‘I asked you to build high, not wide’, cried the prince, ‘You have done the exact opposite of what I wanted!’ And he discharged the servant on the spot.
A third prince went to his servant.
‘Build me a temple’, he said, ‘With rainbows for arches and staircases the colour of the sky. What’s mine is yours. Take as much as you need, and use as many men as you require.’
Now the prince went away, and when he returned he saw that his servant had built a temple with rainbows for arches and staircases the colour of the sky. He was truly amazed and looked in wonder at the spectacle.
‘Behold!’, he said, ‘As love made life, the best gift of all is observation!’
And by these words he inherited the kingdom, and in that place he saw that it was he who wore the servant’s clothes, and his servant who carried a crown.