Sow the seed of good deeds even in a barren place;
Wherever this seed is sown, it will not bring disappointment.
It may take time, but none will reap the harvest of this good
Except the one who sowed it.’
‘You stupidest and most foolish of the beasts of the field, have you forgotten your tyranny, your arrogance and your pride? You did not respect the dues of companionship and did not take the advice of the poet:
Do not act unjustly when you have the power;
Wrongdoers live on the edge of punishment.
You may sleep, but the one you wronged
Is still awake and cursing you, while God’s eye never sleeps.’
The wolf said: ‘Abu’l-Husain, don’t hold my past faults against me; forgiveness is something that is sought from the noble and to do good is the best of treasures. How excellent are the poet’s lines:
Be quick to do good when you can;
You may not always have the power.’
The wolf continued to humble himself before the fox, saying: ‘Perhaps you can do something to free me from destruction?’ ‘You ignorant and deluded wolf,’ said the fox, ‘wily and treacherous as you are, don’t hope to escape, for this is the reward and requital for your evil deeds.’ He then smiled broadly, reciting these lines:
Don’t try so hard to deceive me,
For you will not achieve your goal.
What you want from me is impossible;
As you have sown, so reap an evil harvest.
‘Most gentle of beasts,’ said the wolf, ‘I think that you are too trustworthy a friend to leave me in this pit.’ Then he wept and complained, with tears streaming from his eyes, and he recited these lines:
You whose favours to me are many
And whose gifts cannot be counted,
No disaster of Time has ever struck me
Without my finding you there to hold my hand.
The fox replied: ‘My foolish enemy, how is it that you now implore me meekly, abasing and humbling yourself after having shown scornful pride and haughty oppression? I associated with you in fear of your enmity and I flattered you in the hope of your favour. Now you tremble for misfortune has overtaken you.’ He then recited these lines:
You who are trying to deceive me,
Your evil intentions brought you down.
Taste the evil of direst distress,
And be cut off from other wolves.
‘Gentle beast,’ cajoled the wolf, ‘do not use the language of enmity or cast hostile glances. Be true to the covenant of friendship before the time to put things right has gone. Come and find a way of getting me a rope, so that you can tie one end of it to a tree and lower the other down for me to hold on to, so that I may escape from my present plight, after which I shall give you all the treasures that I possess.’ ‘You are going on about what will not save you,’ said the fox. ‘Have no hopes of that, for you will get nothing from me that will save your life. Think over your past misdeeds, the treachery and guile that you had in your heart towards me and how near you are to death by stoning. Know that you are about to leave this world. You are on your way from it, going to destruction and an evil resting place.’ ‘Abu’l-Husain,’ said the wolf, ‘return quickly to your former friendship and don’t harbour malice. Know that whoever saves a soul from destruction has brought it to life, and if he brings it to life, it is as though he has given life to all mankind. Don’t follow the path of evil-doing, for this is forbidden by the wise, and there is no clearer example of evil than my being in this pit, suffering the pains of death and looking at destruction, when you are able to free me from this trap. Grant me the gift of freedom and do me a good deed.’ ‘You coarse boor,’ said the fox, ‘with the smoothness of your outward show and your words, together with evilness of your intention and your deeds, I find you like the hawk with the partridge.’ ‘How is that?’ asked the wolf. THE FOX REPLIED:
One day when I went into the vineyard to eat some grapes, I saw a hawk that had swooped down on a partridge. Although the hawk had seized it in its talons, the partridge slipped away and hid inside its nest. The hawk followed and called to it: ‘You fool, I saw that you were hungry out there in the open country. I was sorry for you and picked up grain for you, taking hold of you so that you could eat it. Then you fled away from me and I don’t know why, unless it was by mistake. So come out; take the grain that I brought you and eat it with pleasure and enjoyment.’ When the partridge heard what the hawk said, he believed it and came out. The hawk then sank his talons into it and held it fast. ‘Is this what you told me that you had brought from the field, telling me to eat it with pleasure and enjoyment?’ cried the partridge. ‘You lied to me and may God make my flesh, when you eat it, turn to deadly poison in your stomach.’ The hawk ate the partridge, after which its feathers fell out, it lost its strength and died on the spot.
‘Know, wolf, that whoever digs a pit for his brother will soon fall into it. It was you who started by acting treacherously towards me,’ added the fox. ‘Stop talking like this and quoting proverbs,’ said the wolf, ‘and don’t talk to me of my past misdeeds. The evil straits that I am in at the moment are enough for me. An enemy would be sorry for me in my present plight, let alone a friend. Do something to rescue me; help me. Even if you find that hard, a friend will put up with the severest of hardships for his friend, and risk his life to save him from destruction. It is said a sympathetic friend is better than a full brother. If I escape thanks to your help, I will gather together things that will serve you as equipment and I will teach you remarkable tricks that will allow you to open up fertile vineyards and pick what you want from fruit trees. So be happy and content.’
The fox laughed and said to him: ‘How well have wise men spoken of those who, like you, are full of ignorance.’ When the wolf asked what it was that they had said, the fox told him: ‘They have pointed out that those with thick bodies and coarse natures are far removed from intelligence and close to stupidity. As for what you said, you deluded creature, with your foolish scheming, it is true, as you say, that a friend may endure hardship to rescue his friend, but tell me, in your ignorance and folly, how am I to treat you as a friend when you have betrayed me? Do you think of me as a friend of yours, when I am an enemy who gloats at your misfortune? Had you any sense, you would see that these words are harder to bear than death or a flight of arrows. You say that you will equip me and teach me tricks to get me into fertile vineyards and allow me to take what I want from the fruit trees. Why is it then, you treacherous deceiver, that you don’t know of a trick to save yourself from destruction? How far removed are you from being able to help yourself and how far removed am I from accepting your advice! If you know any trick, then use it to rescue yourself from this situation, but I pray God to foil any chance of escape. Look at it then, fool; if you know any trick, save yourself from death, before you offer to teach others. You are like a man who fell ill and was approached by another man, suffering from the same disease, who wanted to treat him and said: “Shall I cure you?” The first man said: “Why not start with yourself?” at which the other left him and went away. It is the same with you, you ignorant wolf, so stay where you are and endure your misfortune.’
On hearing the fox’s words, the wolf realized that there was no good to be got from him. Shedding tears for himself, he said: ‘I have been heedless, but if God frees me from my distress, I shall repent of my haughty behaviour towards those who are weaker than me. I shall wear wool and go up to a mountain, reciting the Name of Almighty God in fear of His punishment. I shall keep away from all other beasts and bring food for the poor and for fighters in the Holy War.’ He wept and sobbed until the heart of the fox softened towards him, for, on hearing his entreaties and the way in which he repented of his haughty arrogance, he felt pity for him. Jumping up in joy, the fox went to the edge of the pit and sat down on his hind paws, letting his tail dangle down into the pit. The wolf got up and, stretching out his own paw to the
fox’s tail, he pulled it towards him. The fox ended up in the pit with him, and the wolf said: ‘Fox of little mercy, how was it that you jeered at my misfortune when you had been my companion and in my power? Now you have fallen into the pit with me and punishment will be quick to catch up with you. The wise men have said: “If one of you reproaches his brother for being suckled by a bitch, the same thing will happen to him.” How well expressed are the lines of the poet:
If Time deals harshly with some men,
It brings distress to other men as well.
Say to those who take pleasure in our sufferings:
“Wake up; scoffers will taste what we have suffered.”
To die in company is the best of things, and I shall certainly hurry to kill you before you see my own death.’
‘Woe, woe!’ said the fox to himself. ‘I have fallen down here with this tyrant and must now turn to guile and deception. It is said that a woman fashions her finery for the day when it can be displayed and the proverb says: “Tears, I have stored you up to use in time of misfortune.” If I don’t think of some trick to use against this evil beast, I’m bound to perish. How well expressed are the lines of the poet:
Live by deceit, for you are in an age
Whose children are like lions of Bisha.
Let water flow in the channels of guile
To turn the mills of livelihood.
Pluck fruits, but if you find these out of reach,
Content yourself with grass.’
The fox then said to the wolf: ‘Don’t be in such a hurry to kill me. That is not the proper way to repay me, and you would regret it, lord of the beasts, O powerful and mighty one. If you wait for a while and consider carefully what I am going to tell you, you will see what I had intended to do, whereas if you kill me in a hurry, you will get nothing from it and both of us will die here.’ ‘You wily deceiver,’ said the wolf. ‘Is it because you hope that you and I can be saved that you ask me to delay killing you? Tell me, then, what it was that you meant to do.’ ‘This was something for which you should reward me generously,’ replied the fox. ‘When I heard the promise that you made, your acknowledgement of your past misdeeds and your sorrow for having lost the opportunity to repent and do good, and when I heard you vow that if you escaped from your present plight, you would stop harming your companions or anyone else, you would give up eating grapes and all other fruits, you would act humbly, cut your claws, break your teeth, wear wool and offer sacrifices to Almighty God, I was moved by pity for you, for the best speech is the truest. Although I was eager for you to be killed, when I heard you talk of repentance and what you vowed to do if God delivered you, I thought that I had to save you and I hung down my tail so that you could hold on to it and so escape. But you would not give up your usual roughness and violence and you made no attempt to save yourself by gentleness. Rather, you tugged me so hard that I thought my last breath had gone, and as a result both you and I are now going to die. The only way in which we can escape is through something which, if you accept it, will save us both, but after that you must keep your vow and I shall be your companion.’ ‘What is it that I have to accept?’ asked the wolf. ‘Stand upright,’ said the fox, ‘and I shall then get on your head, which will bring me close to the surface. I can then jump up and so get out of the pit, after which I shall fetch you something to hold on to and you in your turn will then be free.’ ‘I don’t trust what you say,’ the wolf replied, and he went on: ‘The wise have told us: “Where there is hatred, it is a mistake to trust, and whoever trusts the untrustworthy is deluded; he who tries again what he has already tried will regret it and his days will be wasted; whoever cannot distinguish between cases, giving each its due, but treats them all the same, will have little fortune and many disasters.” How well has the poet expressed it:
Always think that the worst
Suspicion is the best intelligence.
The deadliest danger into which man can fall
Is to do good and to expect the best.
Another poet has said:
Be sure to be suspicious and you will be safe.
Whoever stays alert suffers few misfortunes.
Meet your enemy with an open, smiling face,
But raise an army in your heart to fight him.
Yet another has said:
Your fiercest foe is he in whom you place most trust:
Beware of people; use deceit with them.
It is weakness to put your hope in Time;
Think the worst of it and remain on your guard.’
‘It is not in every circumstance that suspicion is praiseworthy,’ said the fox, ‘while to think the best is part of a perfect character, which allows its possessor to escape from what is to be feared. You, wolf, have to think of some scheme to save you from your plight and it is better that we both escape than that we die. So abandon your suspicions and your hatred. If you take an optimistic view, one of two things can happen: either I shall bring you something to hold on to and you will make your escape; or I shall betray you, escape myself and abandon you. That, however, would be impossible, for I could not be sure that I would not fall into the same kind of misfortune that has overtaken you, as a punishment for treachery. As the proverb puts it, “Faithfulness is good and treachery is bad.” You should trust me, as I am not without knowledge of the disasters that Time brings, but do not delay in thinking of some device to free us, for things are too pressing to allow us to go on talking about this for long.’
The wolf replied: ‘I have no great faith in your loyalty, but I recognize what was in your mind that made you want to rescue me when you heard me talk of repentance. I said to myself: “If what he claims is true, then he will have put right what he did wrong; but if he is lying, then it is the Lord Who will repay him.” So I am going to accept your advice, knowing that if you betray me, your treachery will lead to your destruction.’ He then stood upright in the pit and lifted the fox on to his shoulders until he was level with the surface of the ground. The fox then jumped from his shoulders on to the ground and when he was out of the pit he fell down in a faint. ‘Don’t forget me, my friend,’ said the wolf, ‘and don’t delay in rescuing me.’ The fox burst into roars of laughter, saying: ‘You dupe, I only fell into your hands as a result of making fun of you and laughing at you. For when I heard you talk of repentance, I was so pleased and delighted that I jumped and danced for joy, with my tail hanging down into the pit. You then pulled me in, but Almighty God rescued me from you. Why, then, should I not help in your destruction, for you are one of the devil’s supporters. Yesterday I dreamt that I was dancing at your wedding and when I told this to an interpreter of dreams, he said that I was going to fall into great danger and then escape from it. I realize that my falling into your hands and then escaping is what the dream meant. You know, you foolish and deluded beast, that I am your enemy, so how can you hope in your stupidity and folly, having heard my harsh words, that I would rescue you and exert myself to save you? Wise men have said: “The death of the evil-doer brings relief to the people and purifies the land.” Were it not for my fear that, if I kept faith with you, I would have to endure what is worse than the painful punishment of treachery, I would contrive your escape.’
When the wolf heard what the fox had to say, he gnawed at his paw in regret.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and fiftieth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that when the wolf heard what the fox had to say, he gnawed at his paw in regret. Then he spoke softly, finding that there was nothing else to do, although it did him no good. ‘You foxes,’ he said in a low voice, ‘are the most pleasant-spoken and the wittiest jesters among the beasts. This is a joke of yours, but not every occasion is suitable for playful jests.’ ‘Fool,’ replied the fox, ‘jokes have a limit which the joker must not pass. You need not think that God will put me in your power again after having saved me from your hands.’ Th
e wolf went on: ‘You should be eager to save me because we used to live together as brothers and companions. If you free me, I shall certainly do my best to repay you.’ To this the fox replied: ‘Wise men have said: “Do not take a foolish and shameless man as a brother, since he will be a disgrace rather than an ornament to you, and do not take a liar as a brother, for if you do good, he will conceal it, and if you do wrong, he will spread it abroad.” The wise have said: “Everything can be circumvented except for death; anything can be put right except when its essence is rotten; it is only fate that cannot be warded off.” As for the repayment that you say I shall deserve at your hands, in this I think that you are like the snake that fled in alarm from the snake charmer. HE WENT ON:
*
A man saw it while it was in this state and asked what was wrong. ‘I am escaping from the charmer,’ said the snake. ‘He is pursuing me, and if you save me from him and hide me with you, I will reward you lavishly and do you every possible favour.’ The man, eager to seize the opportunity of winning a reward, took the snake and put it into his pocket. When the snake charmer had passed and had gone on his way, the snake’s fear left it. The man said to it: ‘I have saved you from what you feared, so where is the reward?’
To which the snake replied: ‘Tell me in what limb or part of the body to bite you, for you know that this is the only reward that we snakes give.’ It then bit the man, who died.
‘I think that you, you fool, are like that snake with that man. Haven’t you heard the words of the poet:
Do not feel safe with one whose heart you have filled with anger
And do not think to yourself this anger may have gone.
Snakes are smooth to touch, but what they show is a cloak,
While what they hide away is deadly poison.’
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 1 Page 84