Читать книгу One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 202

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the wolf heard the fox’s words he bit his forehand for repentance. Then he gave the fox fair words, but this availed naught and he was at his wits’ end for what to do; so he said to him in soft, low accents, “Verily, you tribe of foxes are the most pleasant people in point of tongue and the subtlest in jest, and this is but a joke of thine; but all times are not good for funning and jesting.” The fox replied, “O ignoramus, in good sooth jesting hath a limit which the jester must not overpass; and deem not that Allah will again give thee possession of me after having once delivered me from thy hand.” Quoth the wolf, “It behoveth thee to compass my release, by reason of our brotherhood and good fellowship; and, if thou release me, I will assuredly make fair thy recompense.” Quoth the fox, “Wise men say, ‘Take not to brother the wicked fool, for he will disgrace thee in lieu of gracing thee; nor take to brother the liar for, if thou do good, he will conceal it; and if thou do ill he will reveal it.’ And again, the sages have said, ‘There is help for everything but death: all may be warded off, except Fate.’ As for the reward thou declarest to be my due from thee, I compare thee herein with the serpent which fled from the charmer.1397 A man saw her affrighted and said to her, ‘What aileth thee, O thou serpent?’ Replied she, ‘I am fleeing from the snake-charmer, for he seeketh to trap me and, if thou wilt save me and hide me with thee, I will make fair thy reward and do thee all manner of kindness.’ So he took her, incited thereto by lust for the recompense and eager to find favour with Heaven, and set her in his breastpocket. Now when the charmer had passed and had wended his way and the serpent had no longer any cause to fear, he said to her, ‘Where is the reward thou didst promise me? Behold, I have saved thee from that thou fearedest and soughtest to fly.’ Replied she, ‘Tell me in what limb or in what place shall I strike thee with my fangs, for thou knowest we exceed not that recompense.’ So saying, she gave him a bite whereof he died. And I liken thee, O dullard, to the serpent in her dealings with that man. Hast thou not heard what the poet saith?

‘Trust not to man when thou hast raised his spleen

And wrath, nor that ’twill cool do thou misween:

Smooth feels the viper to the touch and glides

With grace, yet hides she deadliest venene.’”

Quoth the wolf, “O thou glib of gab and fair of face, ignore not my case and men’s fear of me; and well thou weetest how I assault the strongly walled place and uproot the vines from base. Wherefore, do as I bid thee, and stand before me even as the thrall standeth before his lord.” Quoth the fox, “O stupid dullard who seekest a vain thing, I marvel at thy folly and thy front of brass in that thou biddest me serve thee and stand up before thee as I were a slave bought with thy silver; but soon shalt thou see what is in store for thee, in the way of cracking thy sconce with stones and knocking out thy traitorous dog-teeth.” So saying the fox clomb a hill overlooking the vineyard and standing there, shouted out to the vintagers; nor did he give over shouting till he woke them and they, seeing him, all came up to him in haste. He stood his ground till they drew near him and close to the pit wherein was the wolf; and then he turned and fled. So the folk looked into the cleft and, spying the wolf, set to pelting him with heavy stones, and they stinted not smiting him with stones and sticks, and stabbing him with spears, till they killed him and went away. Thereupon the fox returned to that cleft and, standing over the spot where his foe had been slain, saw the wolf dead: so he wagged his head for very joyance and began to recite these couplets,

“Fate the Wolf’s soul snatched up from wordly stead;

Far be from bliss his soul that perished!

Abu Sirhan!1398 how sore thou sought’st my death; Thou, burnt this day in fire of sorrow dread: Thou’rt fallen into pit, where all who fall Are blown by Death-blast down among the dead.”

Thenceforward the aforesaid fox abode alone in the vineyard unto the hour of his death secure and fearing no hurt. And such are the adventures of the wolf and the fox. But men also tell a