counsel, O Aliboron? Indeed it was as good as good could be, and it

hath given me rest and repose, nor will I now depart from it one



tittle. So when they bring me my meat, I will refuse it and blow out

my belly and counterfeit crank." The ass shook his head and said,



"Beware of so doing, O Father of a Bull!" The buff asked, "Why?" and

the ass answered, "Know that I am about to give thee the best of



counsel, for verily I heard our owner say to the herd, 'If the bull

rise not from his place to do his work this morning and if he retire



from his fodder this day, make him over to the butcher that he may

slaughter him and give his flesh to the poor, and fashion a bit of



leather from his hide.' Now I fear for thee on account of this. So

take my advice ere a calamitybefall thee, and when they bring thee



thy fodder, eat it and rise up and bellow and paw the ground, or our

master will assuredly slay thee. And peace be with thee!"



Thereupon the bull arose and lowed aloud and thanked the ass, and

said, "Tomorrow I will readily go forth with them." And he at once ate



up all his meat and even licked the manger. (All this took place and

the owner was listening to their talk.) Next morning the trader and



his wife went to the bull's crib and sat down, and the driver came and

led forth the bull, who, seeing his owner, whisked his tail and



brake wind, and frisked about so lustily that the merchant laughed a

loud laugh and kept laughing till he fell on his back. His wife



asked him, "Whereat laughest thou with such loud laughter as this?"

and he answered her, "I laughed at a secret something which I have



heard and seen but cannot say lest I die my death." She returned,

"Perforce thou must discover it to me, and disclose the cause of thy



laughing even if thou come by thy death!" But he rejoined, "I cannot

reveal what beasts and birds say in their lingo for fear I die."



Then quoth she: "By Allah, thou liest! This is a mere pretext. Thou

laughest at none save me, and now thou wouldest hide somewhat from me.



But by the Lord of the Heaven, an thou disclose not the cause I will

no longer cohabit with thee, I will leave thee at once." And she sat



down and cried.

Whereupon quoth the merchant: "Woe betide thee! What means thy



weeping? Fear Allah, and leave these words and query me no more

questions." "Needs must thou tell me the cause of that laugh," said



she, and he replied: "Thou wettest that when I prayed Allah to

vouchsafe me understanding of the tongues of beasts and birds, I



made a vow never to disclose the secret to any under pain of dying

on the spot." "No matter!" cried she. "Tell me what secret passed



between the bull and the ass and die this very hour an thou be so

minded." And she ceased not to importune him till he was worn-out



and clean distraught. So at last he said, "Summon thy father and thy

mother and our kith and kin and sundry of our neighbors." Which she



did, and he sent for the kazi and his assessors, intending to make his

will and reveal to her his secret and die the death; for he loved



her with love exceeding because she was his cousin, the daughter of

his father's brother, and the mother of his children, and he had lived



with her a life of a hundred and twenty years.

Then, having assembled all the family and the folk of his



neighborhood, he said to them, "By me there hangeth a strange story,

and 'tis such that if I discover the secret to any, I am a dead



man." Therefore quoth every one of those present to the woman,

"Allah upon thee, leave this sinful obstinacy and recognize the



right of this matter, lest haply thy husband and the father of thy

children die." But she rejoined, "I will not turn from it till he tell



me, even though he come by his death." So they ceased to urge her, and

the trader rose from amongst them and repaired to an outhouse to



perform the wuzu ablution, and he purposed thereafter to return and to

tell them his secret and to die.



Now, Daughter Scheherazade, that merchant had in his outhouses

some fifty hens under one cock, and whilst making ready to farewell



his folk he heard one of his many farm dogs thus address in his own

tongue the cock, who was flapping his wings and crowing lustily and



jumping from one hen's back to another and treading all in turn,

saying: "O Chanticleer! How mean is thy wit and how shameless is thy



conduct! Be he disappointed who brought thee up. Art thou not

ashamed of thy doings on such a day as this?" "And what," asked the



rooster, "hath occurred this day?" when the dog answered; "Dost thou

not know that our master is this day making ready for his death? His



wife is resolved that he shall disclose the secret taught to him by

Allah, and the moment he so doeth he shall surely die. We dogs are all



a-mourning, but thou clappest thy wings and clarionest thy loudest and

treadest hen after hen. Is this an hour for pastime and pleasuring?



Art thou not ashamed of thyself?"

"Then by Allah," quoth the cock, "is our master a lackwit and a

• agriculture [´ægrikʌltʃə] n.农业；农事 (初中英语单词)


• hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• backward [´bækwəd] ad.向后 a.向后的 (初中英语单词)


• withdraw [wið´drɔ:] v.收回；撤销；撤退 (初中英语单词)


• peasant [´pezənt] n.农民；庄稼人 (初中英语单词)


• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)


• weakness [´wi:knis] n.虚弱；弱点，缺点 (初中英语单词)


• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• expose [ik´spəuz] vt.揭露，暴露；陈列 (初中英语单词)


• stress [stres] n.强调；压力 vt.强调 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• butcher [´butʃə] n.屠夫，刽子手 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• readily [´redili] ad.乐意地；容易地 (初中英语单词)


• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)


• doings [´du:iŋz] n.行动；所作的事 (初中英语单词)


• ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)


• barley [´bɑ:li] n.大麦 (高中英语单词)


• contempt [kən´tempt] n.轻蔑；受辱；不顾 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• theirs [ðeəz] pron.他们的 (高中英语单词)


• contented [kən´tentid] a.满足的；心满意足的 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• plight [plait] n.境况；困境；苦境 (高中英语单词)


• concerned [kən´sə:nd] a.有关的；担心的 (高中英语单词)


• rascal [´rɑ:skəl] n.流氓 (高中英语单词)


• donkey [´dɔŋki] n.驴子；蠢人；顽固的人 (高中英语单词)


• tidings [´taidiŋz] n.消息，音信 (高中英语单词)


• fatigue [fə´ti:g] n.&vt.(使)疲劳(劳累) (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)


• terrace [´terəs] n.梯田 vt.使成梯田 (高中英语单词)


• trader [´treidə] n.商人；商船 (高中英语单词)


• repose [ri´pəuz] v.&n.(使)休息；安息 (高中英语单词)


• befall [bi´fɔ:l] v.降临；发表(于) (高中英语单词)


• bellow [´beləu] v.吼叫；轰鸣 (高中英语单词)


• disclose [dis´kləuz] vt.揭露；透露；泄露 (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• thereafter [ðeə´rɑ:ftə] adv.此后，其后 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• experienced [ik´spiəriənst] a.有经验的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


• devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身…的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)


• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)


• hearken [´hɑ:kən] vi.听 (英语四级单词)


• manger [´meindʒə] n.槽；牛槽 (英语四级单词)


• whereat [weər´æt] ad.对于…；在这里 (英语四级单词)


• assuredly [ə´ʃuəridli] ad.确实地；确信地 (英语四级单词)


• grievous [´gri:vəs] a.痛苦的；严重的 (英语四级单词)


• gladness [´glædnis] n.愉快，高兴，喜悦 (英语四级单词)


• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)


• counterfeit [´kauntəfit] a.伪造的 v.&n.伪造 (英语四级单词)


• verily [´verili] ad.真实的；肯定地 (英语四级单词)


• calamity [kə´læmiti] n.灾害，大灾难 (英语四级单词)


• sundry [´sʌndri] a.各式各样的，各式的 (英语四级单词)


• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)


• resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• whiten [´waitn] v.(使)白，变白，漂白 (英语六级单词)


• sundown [´sʌndaun] n.日落 (英语六级单词)


• fodder [´fɔdə] n.饲料；创作素材 (英语六级单词)


• outstretched [,aut´stretʃt] a.扩张的；伸长的 (英语六级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)


• beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)


• repentance [ri´pentəns] n.悔悟，悔改；忏悔 (英语六级单词)


• moonlit [´mu:n,lit] a.月光普照的 (英语六级单词)


• obstinacy [´ɔbstinəsi] n.顽固；(病痛等)难治 (英语六级单词)