THE WOLF AND THE FOX.

A fox and a wolf once dwelt in the same den, harbouring therein

together day and night; but the wolf was cruel and oppressive to

the fox. They abode thus awhile, till one day the fox exhorted

the wolf to use gentle dealing and leave evil-doing, saying, 'If

thou persist in thine arrogance, belike God will give the son of

Adam power over thee, for he is past master in guile and craft

and knavery. By his devices he brings down the birds from the air

and draws the fish forth of the waters and sunders mountains in

twain and transports them from place to place. All this is of his

craft and wiliness; wherefore do thou betake thyself to equity

and fair dealing and leave evil and tyranny; and thou shalt fare

the better for it.' But the wolf rejected his counsel and

answered him roughly, saying, 'Thou hast no call to speak of

matters of weight and stress.' And he dealt the fox a buffet that

laid him senseless; but, when he revived, he smiled in the wolf's

face and excused himself for his unseemly speech, repeating the

following verses:

If I have sinned in aught that's worthy of reproach Or if I've

made default against the love of you,

Lo, I repent my fault; so let thy clemency The sinner comprehend,

that doth for pardon sue.

The wolf accepted his excuse and held his hand from him, saying,

'Speak not of that which concerns thee not, or thou shalt hear

what will not please thee.' 'I hear and obey,' answered the fox;

'henceforth I will abstain from what pleaseth thee not; for the

sage says, "Speak thou not of that whereof thou art not asked;

answer not, when thou art not called upon; leave that which

concerns thee not for that which does concern thee and lavish not

good counsel on the wicked, for they will repay thee therefor

with evil."' And he smiled in the wolf's face, but in his heart

he meditated treachery against him and said in himself, 'Needs

must I compass the destruction of this wolf.' So he bore with his

ill usage, saying in himself, 'Verily arrogance and falsehood

lead to perdition and cast into confusion, and it is said, "He

who is arrogant suffers and he who is ignorant repents and he who

fears is safe: fair dealing is a characteristic of the noble, and

gentle manners are the noblest of gains." It behoves me to

dissemble with this tyrant, and needs must he be cast down.' Then

said he to the wolf, 'Verily, the Lord pardons his erring servant

and relents towards him, if he confess his sins; and I am a weak

slave and have sinned in presuming to counsel thee. If thou

knewest the pain that befell me by thy buffet, thou wouldst see

that an elephant could not stand against it nor endure it: but I

complain not of the pain of the blow, because of the contentment

that hath betided me through it; for though it was exceeding

grievous to me, yet its issue was gladness. As saith the sage,

"The blow of the teacher is at first exceeding grievous, but the

end of it is sweeter than clarified honey."' Quoth the wolf, 'I

pardon thine offence and pass over thy fault; but be thou ware of

my strength and avow thyself my slave; for thou knowest how

rigorously I deal with those that transgress against me.'

Thereupon the fox prostrated himself to the wolf, saying, 'May

God prolong thy life and mayst thou cease never to subdue thine

enemies!' And he abode in fear of the wolf and ceased not to

wheedle him and dissemble with him.

One day, the fox came to a vineyard and saw a breach in its wall;

but he mistrusted it and said in himself, 'Verily, there must be

some reason for this breach and the adage says, "He who sees a

cleft in the earth and doth not shun it or be wary in going up to

it, is self-deluded and exposes himself to destruction." Indeed,

it is well known that some folk make a semblant of a fox in their

vineyards, even to setting before it grapes in dishes, that foxes

may see it and come to it and fall into destruction. Meseems,

this breach is a snare and the proverb says, "Prudence is the

half of cleverness." Now prudence requires that I examine this

breach and see if there be ought therein that may lead to

perdition; and covetise shall not make me cast myself into

destruction.' So he went up to the breach and examining it

warily, discovered a deep pit, lightly covered (with boughs and

earth), which the owner of the vineyard had dug, thinking to trap

therein the wild beasts that laid waste his vines. Then he drew

back from it, saying in himself, 'I have found it as I expected.

Praised be God that I was wary of it! I hope that my enemy the

wolf, who makes my life miserable, will fall into it; so will the

vineyard be left to me and I shall enjoy it alone and dwell

therein in peace.' So saying, he shook his head and laughed

aloud, repeating the following verses:

Would God I might see, even now, A wolf fallen into yon pit,

That this long time hath tortured my heart And made me quaff

bitters, God wit!

God grant I may live and be spared And eke of the wolf be made

quit!

So the vineyard of him shall be rid And I find my purchase in it.

Then he returned in haste to the wolf and said to him, 'God hath

made plain the way for thee into the vineyard, without toil. This

is of thy good luck; so mayst thou enjoy the easy booty and the

plentiful provant that God hath opened up to thee without

trouble!' 'What proof hast thou of what thou sayest?' asked the

wolf; and the fox answered, 'I went up to the vineyard and found

that the owner was dead, having been devoured by wolves: so I

entered and saw the fruit shining on the trees.' The wolf

misdoubted not of the fox's report and gluttony got hold on him;

so he rose and repaired to the breach, blinded by greed; whilst

the fox stopped short and lay as one dead, applying to the case

the following verse:

Lustest after Leila's favours? Look thou rather bear in mind That

'tis covetise plays havoc with the necks of human kind.

Then said he to the wolf, 'Enter the vineyard: thou art spared

the trouble of climbing, for the wall is broken down, and with

God be the rest of the benefit.' So the wolf went on, thinking to

enter the vineyard; but when he came to the middle of the

covering (of the pit), he fell in; whereupon the fox shook for

delight and gladness; his care and concern left him and he sang

out for joy and recited the following verses:

Fortune hath taken ruth on my case; Yea, she hath pitied the

length of my pain,

Doing away from me that which I feared And granting me that

whereto I was fain.

So I will pardon her all the sins She sinned against me once and

again;

Since for the wolf there is no escape From certain ruin and

bitter bane,

And now the vineyard is all my own And no fool sharer in my

domain.

Then he looked into the pit, and seeing the wolf weeping for

sorrow and repentance over himself, wept with him; whereupon the

wolf raised his head to him and said, 'Is it of pity for me thou

weepest, O Aboulhussein?' [FN#4] 'Not so,' answered the fox, 'by

Him who cast thee into the pit! I weep for the length of thy past

life and for regret that thou didst not sooner fall into the pit;

for hadst thou done so before I met with thee, I had been at

peace: but thou wast spared till the fulfilment of thine allotted

term.' The wolf thought he was jesting and said, 'O sinner, go to

my mother and tell her what has befallen me, so haply she may

make shift for my release.' 'Verily,' answered the fox, 'the

excess of thy gluttony and thy much greed have brought thee to

destruction, since thou art fallen into a pit whence thou wilt

never escape. O witless wolf, knowest thou not the proverb, "He

who taketh no thought to results, Fate is no friend to him, nor

shall he be safe from perils?"' 'O Aboulhussein,' said the wolf,

'thou wast wont to show me affection and covet my friendship and

fear the greatness of my strength. Bear me not malice for that I

did with thee, for he who hath power and forgiveth, his reward is

with God; even as saith the poet:

Sow benefits aye, though in other than fitting soil. A benefit's

never lost, wherever it may be sown;

And though time tarry full long to bring it to harvest-tide, Yet

no man reapeth its fruit, save he who sowed it alone.'

'O most witless of beasts of prey and stupidest of the wildings

of the earth,' rejoined the fox, 'hast thou forgotten thine

arrogance and pride and tyranny and how thou disregardedst the

due of comradeship and wouldst not take counsel by what the poet

says:

Do no oppression, whilst the power thereto is in thine hand, For

still in danger of revenge the sad oppressor goes.

Thine eyes will sleep anon, what while the opprest, on wake, call

down Curses upon thee, and God's eye shuts never in repose.'

'O Aboulhussein,' replied the wolf, 'reproach me not for past

offences; for forgiveness is expected of the noble, and the

practice of kindness is the best of treasures. How well says the

poet:

Hasten to do good works, whenever thou hast the power, For thou

art not able thereto at every season and hour.'

And he went on to humble himself to the fox and say to him,

'Haply, thou canst do somewhat to deliver me from destruction.'

'O witless, deluded, perfidious, crafty wolf,' answered the fox,

'hope not for deliverance, for this is but the just reward of thy

foul dealing.' Then he laughed from ear to ear and repeated the

following verses:

A truce to thy strife to beguile me! For nothing of me shalt thou

gain. Thy prayers are but idle; thou sowedst Vexation; so

reap it amain.

'O gentlest of beasts of prey,' said the wolf, 'I deem thee too

faithful to leave me in this pit.' Then he wept and sighed and

recited the following verses, whilst the tears streamed from his

eyes:

O thou, whose kindnesses to me are more than one, I trow, Whose

bounties unto me vouchsafed are countless as the sand,

No shift of fortune in my time has ever fall'n on me, But I have

found thee ready still to take me by the hand.

'O stupid enemy,' said the fox, 'how art thou reduced to humility

and obsequiousness and abjection and submission, after disdain

and pride and tyranny and arrogance! Verily, I companied with

thee and cajoled thee but for fear of thy violence and not in

hope of fair treatment from thee: but now trembling is come upon

thee and vengeance hath overtaken thee.' And he repeated the

following verses:

O thou that for aye on beguiling art bent, Thou'rt fall'n in the

snare of thine evil intent.

So taste of the anguish that knows no relent And be with the rest

of the wolven forspent!

'O clement one,' replied the wolf, 'speak not with the tongue of

despite nor look with its eyes; but fulfil the covenant of

fellowship with me, ere the time for action pass away. Rise, make

shift to get me a rope and tie one end of it to a tree; then let

the other end down to me, that I may lay hold of it, so haply I

may escape from this my strait, and I will give thee all my hand

possesseth of treasures.' Quoth the fox, 'Thou persistest in talk

of that wherein thy deliverance is not. Hope not for this, for

thou shalt not get of me wherewithal to save thyself; but call to

mind thy past ill deeds and the craft and perfidy thou didst

imagine against me and bethink thee how near thou art to being

stoned to death. For know that thy soul is about to leave the

world and cease and depart from it; so shalt thou come to

destruction and evil is the abiding-place to which thou goest!'

'O Aboulhussein,' rejoined the wolf, 'hasten to return to

friendliness and persist not in this rancour. Know that he, who

saves a soul from perdition, is as if he had restored it to life,

and he, who saves a soul alive, is as if he had saved all

mankind. Do not ensue wickedness, for the wise forbid it: and it

were indeed the most manifest wickedness to leave me in this pit

to drink the agony of death and look upon destruction, whenas it

lies in thy power to deliver me from my strait. Wherefore go thou

about to release me and deal benevolently with me.' 'O thou

barbarous wretch,' answered the fox, 'I liken thee, because of

the fairness of thy professions and the foulness of thine intent

and thy practice, to the hawk with the partridge.' 'How so ?'

asked the wolf; and the fox said,

The Hawk and the Partridge.

'I entered a vineyard one day and saw a hawk stoop upon a

partridge and seize it: but the partridge escaped from him and

entering its nest, hid itself there. The hawk followed and called

out to it, saying, "O wittol, I saw thee in the desert, hungry,

and took pity on thee; so I gathered grain for thee and took hold

of thee that thou mightest eat; but thou fledst, wherefore I know

not, except it were to slight me. So come out and take the grain

I have brought thee to eat, and much good may it do thee!" The

partridge believed what he said and came out, whereupon the hawk

stuck his talons into him and seized him. "Is this that which

thou saidst thou hadst brought me from the desert," cried the

partridge, "and of which thou badest me eat, saying, 'Much good

may it do thee?' Thou hast lied to me and may God make what thou

eatest of my flesh to be a deadly poison in thy maw!" So when the

hawk had eaten the partridge, his feathers fell off and his

strength failed and he died on the spot. Know, then, O wolf, that

he, who digs a pit for his brother, soon falls into it himself,

and thou first dealtest perfidiously with me.' 'Spare me this

talk and these moral instances,' said the wolf, 'and remind me

not of my former ill deeds, for the sorry plight I am in suffices

me, seeing that I am fallen into a place, in which even my enemy

would pity me, to say nothing of my friend. So make thou some

shift to deliver me and be thou thereby my saviour. If this cause

thee aught of hardship, think that a true friend will endure the

sorest travail for his friend's sake and risk his life to deliver

him from perdition; and indeed it hath been said, "A tender

friend is better than an own brother." So if thou bestir thyself

and help me and deliver me, I will gather thee such store of

gear, as shall be a provision for thee against the time of want,

and teach thee rare tricks to gain access to fruitful vineyards

and strip the fruit-laden trees.' 'How excellent,' rejoined the

fox, laughing, 'is what the learned say of those who are past

measure ignorant, like unto thee!' 'What do they say?' asked the

wolf; and the fox answered, 'They say that the gross of body are

gross of nature, far from understanding and nigh unto ignorance.

As for thy saying, O perfidious, stupid self-deceiver, that a

friend should suffer hardship to succour his friend, it is true,

as thou sayest: but tell me, of thine ignorance and poverty of

wit, how can I be a true friend to thee, considering thy

treachery? Dost thou count me thy friend? Behold, I am thine

enemy, that exulteth in thy misfortune; and couldst thou

understand it, this word were sorer to thee than slaughter and

arrow-shot. As for thy promise to provide me a store against the

time of want and teach me tricks to enter vineyards and spoil

fruit-trees, how comes it, O crafty traitor, that thou knowest

not a trick to save thyself from destruction? How far art thou

from profiting thyself and how far am I from lending ear to thy

speech! If thou have any tricks, make shift for thyself to save

thee from this peril, wherefrom I pray God to make thine escape

distant! So look, O idiot, if there be any trick with thee and

save thyself from death therewith, before thou lavish instruction

on others. But thou art like a certain sick man, who went to

another, suffering from the same disease, and said to him, "Shall

I heal thee of thy disease?" "Why dost thou not begin by healing

thyself?" answered the other; so he left him and went his way.

And thou, O ignorant wolf, art like this; so stay where thou art

and be patient under what hath befallen thee.' When the wolf

heard what the fox said, he knew he had no hope from him; so he

wept for himself, saying, 'Verily, I have been heedless of mine

affair; but if God deliver me from this scrape, I will assuredly

repent of my arrogance towards those who are weaker than I and

will put on wool and go upon the mountains, celebrating the

praises of God the Most High and fearing His wrath. Yea, I will

sunder myself from all the other wild beasts and feed the poor

and those who fight for the Faith.' Then he wept and lamented,

till the heart of the fox was softened and he took pity on him,

whenas he heard his humble words and his professions of

repentance for his past arrogance and tyranny. So he sprang up

joyfully and going to the brink of the pit, sat down on his hind

quarters and let his tail fall therein; whereupon the wolf arose

and putting out his paw, pulled the fox's tail, so that he fell

down into the pit with him. Then said the wolf, 'O fox of little

ruth, why didst thou exult over me, thou that wast my companion

and under my dominion? Now thou art fallen into the pit with me

and retribution hath soon overtaken thee. Verily, the wise have

said, "If one of you reproach his brother with sucking the teats

of a bitch, he also shall suck her," and how well saith the poet:

When fortune's blows on some fall hard and heavily, With others

of our kind as friend encampeth she.

So say to those who joy in our distress, "Awake; For those who

mock our woes shall suffer even as we."

And death in company is the best of things; wherefore I will make

haste to kill thee, ere thou see me killed.' 'Alas! Alas!' said

the fox in himself. 'I am fallen in with this tyrant, and my case

calls for the use of craft and cunning; for indeed it is said

that a woman fashions her ornaments for the festival day, and

quoth the proverb, "I have kept thee, O my tear, against the time

of my distress!" Except I make shift to circumvent this

overbearing beast, I am lost without recourse; and how well says

the poet:

Provide thee by craft, for thou liv'st in a time Whose folk are

as lions that lurk in a wood,

And set thou the mill-stream of knavery abroach, That the mill of

subsistence may grind for thy food,

And pluck the fruits boldly; but if they escape From thy grasp,

then content thee with hay to thy food.'

Then said he to the wolf, 'Hasten not to slay me, for that is not

my desert and thou wouldst repent it, O valiant beast, lord of

might and exceeding prowess! If thou hold thy hand and consider

what I shall tell thee, thou wilt know that which I purpose; but

if thou hasten to kill me, it will profit thee nothing and we

shall both die here.' 'O wily deceiver,' answered the wolf, 'how

hopest thou to work my deliverance and thine own, that thou

wouldst have me grant thee time? Speak and let me know thy

purpose.' 'As for my purpose,' replied the fox, 'it was such as

deserves that thou reward me handsomely for it; for when I heard

thy promises and thy confession of thy past ill conduct and

regrets for not having earlier repented and done good and thy

vows, shouldst thou escape from this thy stress, to leave harming

thy fellows and others and forswear eating grapes and other

fruits and devote thyself to humility and cut thy claws and break

thy teeth and don wool and offer thyself as a sacrifice to God

the Most High,--when (I say), I heard thy repentance and vows of

amendment, compassion took me for thee, though before I was

anxious for thy destruction, and I felt bound to save thee from

this thy present plight. So I let down my tail, that thou

mightest grasp it and make thine escape. Yet wouldst thou not put

off thy wonted violence and brutality nor soughtest to save

thyself by fair means, but gavest me such a tug that I thought my

soul would depart my body, so that thou and I are become involved

in the same stead of ruin and death. There is but one thing can

deliver us, to which if thou agree, we shall both escape; and

after it behoves thee to keep the vows thou hast made, and I will

be thy friend.' 'What is it thou hast to propose?' asked the

wolf. 'It is,' answered the fox, 'that thou stand up, and I will

climb up on to thy head and so bring myself nigh on a level with

the surface of the earth. Then will I give a spring and as soon

as I reach the ground, I will fetch thee what thou mayst lay hold

of and make thine escape.' 'I have no faith in thy word,'

rejoined the wolf, 'for the wise have said, "He who practices

trust in the place of hate, errs," and "He who trusts in the

faithless is a dupe; he who tries those that have been [already]

tried (and found wanting) shall reap repentance and his days

shall pass away without profit; and he who cannot distinguish

between cases, giving each its due part, his good fortune will be

small and his afflictions many." How well saith the poet:

Be thy thought ever ill and of all men beware; Suspicion of good

parts the helpfullest was e'er.

For nothing brings a man to peril and distress As doth the doing

good (to men) and thinking fair.

And another:

Be constant ever in suspect; 'twill save thee aye anew; For he

who lives a wakeful life, his troubles are but few.

Meet thou the foeman in thy way with open, smiling face; But in

thy heart set up a host shall battle with him do.

And yet another:

Thy worst of foes is thy nearest friend, in whom thou puttest

trust; So look thou be on thy guard with men and use them

warily aye.

'Tis weakness to augur well of fate; think rather ill of it. And

be in fear of its shifts and tricks, lest it should thee

bewray.'

'Verily,' said the fox, 'distrust is not to be commended in

every case; on the contrary, a confiding disposition is the

characteristic of a noble nature and its issue is freedom from

terrors. Now it behoves thee, O wolf, to put in practice some

device for thy deliverance from this thou art in and the escape

of us both will be better than our death: so leave thy distrust

and rancour; for if thou trust in me, one of two things will

happen; either I shall bring thee whereof to lay hold and escape,

or I shall play thee false and save myself and leave thee; and

this latter may not be, for I am not safe from falling into

some such strait as this thou art in, which would be fitting

punishment of perfidy. Indeed the adage saith, "Faith is fair and

perfidy foul." It behoves thee, therefore, to trust in me, for I

am not ignorant of the vicissitudes of Fortune: so delay not to

contrive some device for our deliverance, for the case is too

urgent for further talk.' 'To tell thee the truth,' replied the

wolf, 'for all my want of confidence in thy fidelity, I knew what

was in thy mind and that thou wast minded to deliver me, whenas

thou heardest my repentance, and I said in myself, "If what he

asserts be true, he will have repaired the ill he did: and if

false, it rests with God to requite him." So, behold, I accept

thy proposal, and if thou betray me, may thy perfidy be the cause

of thy destruction!' Then he stood upright in the pit and taking

the fox upon his shoulders, raised him to the level of the

ground, whereupon the latter gave a spring and lighted on the

surface of the earth. When he found himself in safety, he fell

down senseless, and the wolf said to him, 'O my friend, neglect

not my case and delay not to deliver me.' The fox laughed

derisively and replied, 'O dupe, it was but my laughing at thee

and making mock of thee that threw me into thy hands: for when I

heard thee profess repentance, mirth and gladness seized me and I

frisked about and danced and made merry, so that my tail fell

down into the pit and thou caughtest hold of it and draggedst me

down with thee. Why should I be other than a helper in thy

destruction, seeing that thou art of the host of the devil! I

dreamt yesterday that I danced at thy wedding and related my

dream to an interpreter, who told me that I should fall into a

great danger and escape from it. So now I know that my falling

into thy hand and my escape are the fulfilment of my dream, and

thou, O ignorant dupe, knowest me for thine enemy; so how canst

thou, of thine ignorance and lack of wit, hope for deliverance at

my hands, after all thou hast heard of harsh words from me, and

wherefore should I endeavour for thy deliverance, whenas the wise

have said, "In the death of the wicked is peace for mankind and

purgation for the earth?" Yet, but that I fear to reap more

affliction by keeping faith with thee than could follow perfidy,

I would do my endeavour to save thee.' When the wolf heard this,

he bit his paws for despite and was at his wit's end what to do.

Then he gave the fox fair words, but this availed nought; so he

said to him softly, 'Verily, you foxes are the most pleasant

spoken of folk and the subtlest in jest, and this is but a jest

of thine; but all times are not good for sport and jesting.' 'O

dolt,' answered the fox, 'jesting hath a limit, that the jester

overpasses not, and deem not that God will again give thee power

over me, after having once delivered me from thee.' Quoth the

wolf, 'It behoves thee to endeavour for my release, by reason of

our brotherhood and fellowship, and if thou deliver me, I will

assuredly make fair thy reward.' 'The wise say,' rejoined the

fox,' "Fraternize not with the ignorant and wicked, for he will

shame thee and not adorn thee,--nor with the liar, for if thou do

good, he will hide it, and if evil, he will publish it;" and

again, "There is help for everything but death: all may be

mended, save natural depravity, and everything may be warded off,

except Fate." As for the reward thou promisest me, I liken thee

therein to the serpent that fled from the charmer. A man saw her

affrighted and said to her, "What ails thee, O serpent?" Quoth

she, "I am fleeing from the serpent-charmer, who is in chase of

me, and if thou wilt save me and hide me with thee, I will make

fair thy recompense and do thee all manner of kindness." So he

took her, moved both by desire of the promised recompense and a

wish to find favour with God, and hid her in his bosom. When the

charmer had passed and gone his way and the serpent had no longer

any reason to fear, he said to her, "Where is the recompense thou

didst promise me? Behold, I have saved thee from that thou

dreadest." "Tell me where I shall bite thee," replied she, "for

thou knowest we overpass not that recompense." So saying, she

gave him a bite, of which he died. And I liken thee, O dullard,

to the serpent in her dealings with the man. Hast thou not heard

what the poet says?

Trust not in one in whose heart thou hast made wrath to abide And

thinkest his anger at last is over and pacified.

Verily vipers, though smooth and soft to the feel and the eye And

graceful of movements they be, yet death-dealing venom they

hide.'

'O glib-tongue, lord of the fair face,' said the wolf, 'thou art

not ignorant of my case and of men's fear of me and knowest how I

assault the strong places and root up the vines. Wherefore, do as

I bid thee and bear thyself to me as a servant to his lord.' 'O

stupid dullard,' answered the fox, 'that seekest a vain thing, I

marvel at thy stupidity and effrontery, in that thou biddest me

serve thee and order myself towards thee as I were a slave bought

with thy money; but thou shalt see what is in store for thee, in

the way of breaking thy head with stones and knocking out thy

traitor's teeth.' So saying, he went up to a hill that gave upon

the vineyard and standing there, called out to the people of the

place, nor did he give over crying, till he woke them and they,

seeing him, came up to him in haste. He held his ground till they

drew near him and near the pit, when he turned and fled. So they

looked into the pit and spying the wolf, fell to pelting him with

heavy stones, nor did they leave smiting him with sticks and

stones and piercing him with lances, till they killed him and

went away; whereupon the fox returned to the pit and looking

down, saw the wolf dead: so he wagged his head for excess of joy

and chanted the following verses:

Fate took the soul o' the wolf and snatched it far away; Foul

fall it for a soul that's lost and perished aye!

How oft, O Gaffer Grim, my ruin hast thou sought! But unrelenting

bale is fallen on thee this day.

Thou fellst into a pit, wherein there's none may fall Except the

blasts of death blow on him for a prey.

Then he abode alone in the vineyard, secure and fearing no hurt.