第6章 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT(4)

Whereupon her father was wroth with her and said to her'Fool that thou artdost thou not know that the ignorant man who meddles in affairs falls into grievous periland that he who looks not to the issue of his actions finds no friend in time of evil fortune？ As says the byword'I was sitting at my easebut my officiousness would not let me rest.'And I fear lest there happen to thee what happened to the ox and the ass with the husbandman.'And what happened to them？'asked she. Quoth the Vizier'KnowO my daughterthat Story of the Ox and the Ass There was once a merchant who was rich in goods and cattleand he had a wife and children and dwelt in the country and was skilled in husbandry. Now God had gifted him to understand the speech of beasts and birds of every kindbut under pain of death if he divulged his gift to any one；so he kept it secret for fear of death. He had in his byre an ox and an asseach tied up in his stallhard by the other. One dayas the merchant was sitting near at handhe heard the ox say to the ass'I give thee joyO Father Wakeful！Thou enjoyest rest and attention and they keep thy stall always swept and sprinkledand thine eating is sifted barley and thy drink fresh waterwhilst I am always wearyfor they take me in the middle of the night and gird the yoke on my neck and set me to plough and I toil without ceasing from break of morn till sunset. I am forced to work more than my strength and suffer all kinds of indignitiessuch as blows and abusefrom the cruel ploughman；and I return home at the end of the dayand indeed my sides are torn and my neck is flayed. Then they shut me up in the cow-house and throw me beans and straw mixed with earth and husksand I lie all night in dung and stale. But thy place is always swept and sprinkled and thy manger clean and full of sweet hay and thou art always resting，except thatnow and thenour master hath occasion to ride thee and returns speedily with thee；and but for this thou art always resting and I toilingand thou sleeping and I waking；thou art full and I hungry and thou honoured and I despised.'O broadhead，'answered the ass，'he was in the right who dubbed thee ox for thou art stupid in the extremenor is there in thee thought or craft but thou showest zeal and cost thine utmost endeavour before thy master and fearest and killest thyself for the benefit of another. Thou goest forth at the time of morning prayer and returnest not till sundown and endurest all day all manner of afflictionsnow blows now fatigue and now abuse. When thou returnestthe ploughman ties thee to a stinking mangerand thou friskest and pawest the ground and buttest with thy horns and bellowest greatlyand they think thou art content.

No sooner have they thrown thee thy fodder than thou fallest on it greedily and hastenest to fill thy belly with it. But if thou wilt follow my counselit will be the better for thee and thou wilt get twice as much rest as I. When thou goest forth to the furrow and they lay the yoke on thy necklie downand do not riseeven if they beat theeor only rise and lie down again；

and when they bring thee homefall prostrate on thy back and refuse thy fodderwhen they throw it thee and feign to be sick.

Do this for a day or two and thou wilt have rest from toil and weariness.'The ox thanked the ass greatly for his advice and called down blessings on him；and the merchant heard all that passed between them.

Next day the ploughman took the ox and yoked him to the plough and set him to work as usual. The ox began to fall short in his workand the ploughman beat him till he broke the yoke and fled，following out the ass's precepts；but the man overtook him and beat him till he despaired of life. Yet for all thathe did nothing but stand still and fall down till the evening. Then the ploughman took him home and tied him in his stall；but he withdrew from the manger and neither frisked nor stamped nor bellowed as usualand the man wondered at this. Then he brought him the beans and strawbut he smelt at them and left them and lay down at a distance and passed the night without eating. Next morningthe ploughman came and found the straw and beans untouched and the ox lying on his backwith his stomach swollen and his legs in the air；so he was concerned for him and said to himself'He has certainly fallen illand this is why he would not work yesterday.'Then he went to his master and told him that the ox was ill and would not touch his fodder. Now the farmer knew what this meantfor that he had overheard the talk between the ox and the ass as before mentioned. So he said'Take that knave of an ass and bind the yoke on his neck and harness him to the plough and try and make him do the ox's work.'So the ploughman took the ass and made him work all day beyond his strength to accomplish the ox's task；and he beat him till his skin and ribs were sore and his neck flayed with the yoke. When the evening came and the ass resumed homehe could hardly drag himself along. But as for the oxhe had lain all dayresting，and had eaten his fodder cheerfully and with a good appetite；and all day long he had called down blessings on the ass for his good counselnot knowing what had befallen him on his account. So when the night came and the ass returned to the stablethe ox arose and said to him'Mayst thou be gladdened with good newsO Father Wakeful！Through theeI have rested today and have eaten my food in peace and comfort.'The ass made him no answerfor rage and vexation and fatigue and the beating he had undergone；

but he said to himself'All this comes of my folly in giving another good advice；as the saying goes'I was lying at full lengthbut my officiousness would not let me be.'But I will go about with him and return him to his placeelse I shall perish.'