# The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night/The Wolf and the Fox

First-level story, told by Shehrzad. Contains The Hawk and the Partridge
​“O Shehrzad,” said the Sultan, “verily, thou overwhelmest me with admonitions and salutary instances! Hast thou any stories of beasts?” “Yes,” answered she. “Know, O King, that
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.’ Night clxix.‘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?’ ‘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.
[story resumed]
​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 practises 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, Night cl.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.
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