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• The Bird of Time has but a little way to fly ... and the bird is on the wing. -- Omar Khayyam
• Bother! said Pooh, as he shot that bird in the wing.
• The snake has now devoured your bird.
• There is a little bird in the cage.
• Heav'n but the Vision of fulfill'd Desire, And Hell the Shadow of a Soul on fire.
  -- Omar Khayyam (died c.1133) -- Rubaiyat, Stanza lxvii...
• Once upon a time, there was a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter.
  However, soon after the weather turned cold, the sparrow changed his mind and reluctantly started to fly south....
• Well, you see, it's such a transitional creature. It's a piss-poor reptile and not very much of a bird.
• A faithful and good servant is a real godsend; but truly 't is a rare bird in the land.
  Omar Khayyám (Translated by Edward Fitzgerald.)...