I have heard that a sparrow was once flitting over a sheep-fold, when
he looked at it carefully and behold, he saw a great eagle swoop down
upon a newly weaned lamb and carry it off in his claws and fly away.
Thereupon the sparrow clapped his wings and said, "I will do even as
this one did;" and he waxed proud in his own conceit and mimicked a
greater than he. So he flew down forthright and lighted on the back of
a fat ram with a thick fleece that was become matted by his lying in
his dung and stale till it was like woollen felt. As soon as the
sparrow pounced upon the sheep's back he flapped his wings to fly away,
but his feet became tangled in the wool and, however hard he tried, he
could not set himself free. While all this was doing the shepherd was
looking on, having seen what happened first with the eagle and
afterwards with the sparrow; so he came up to the wee birdie in a rage
and seized him. Then he plucked out his wing- feathers and, tying his
feet with a twine, carried him to his children and threw him to them.
"What is this?" asked one of them; and he answered, "This is he that
aped a greater than himself and came to grief." "Now thou, O fox, art
like this and I would have thee beware of aping a greater than thou,
lest thou perish. This is all I have to say to thee; so fare from me
in peace!" When the fox despaired of the crow's friendship, he turned
away, groaning for sorrow and gnashing teeth upon teeth in his
disappointment; and the crow, hearing the sound of weeping and seeing
his grief and profound melancholy, said to him, "O fox, what dole and
dolour make thee gnash thy canines?" Answered the fox, "I gnash my
canines because I find thee a greater rascal than myself;" and so
saying he made off to his house and ceased not to fare until he reached
his home. Quoth the Sultan, "O Shahrazad, how excellent are these thy
stories, and how delightsome! Hast thou more of such edifying tales?"
Answered she:—They tell this legend concerning