THE OWLS AND THE CROWS

THE OWLS AND THE CROWS.

"The danger of putting confidence in one's enemy"

There was on a certain mountain a tree of
the kind called Dauah, in which was a nest,
which was the habitation of a thousand crows,
living under the authority of one who was their
chief; and not far off was a cave occupied by a
thousand owls, who were also the subjects of a
monarchical government.

Now there had existed for some time between
the two kings a secret enmity and dislike; and
one night the king of the owls, accompanied by
a great many of his people, made an attack upon
the crows in their nest, and killed several of
them, and took a number of prisoners ; and in the
morning the crows went to their king, to complain
of what had happened, some with their
wings broken, and others having lost most
of their feathers ; but the greatest misfortune,
said one of them, addressing the king, is the
discovery, which by means of their audacity
the owls have made of our abode, so they
can return and renew their attack whenever
they please, unless your majesty takes
measures to prevent it.

And there were amongst the crows five, who
were remarkable for their judgment, and had
a share in the administration of affairs, and
were always consulted by the king in matters of
importance.

So the king said to the first of the five. What is
your opinion on this occasion? and he answered,
The wise men have anticipated my advice by
declaring that it is most prudent to fly from
an angry enemy: the second coincided with
this opinion. Then the king said to them,
I cannot approve of the advice which you have
given, that we should quit our homes, and
abandon them to the enemy, on account of the
first disaster which we have experienced from
him ; on the contrary, we ought to take mea-
sures of precaution against his future hostilities,
that we may not be fallen upon by surprise;
and if he renews his attack, we will boldly
advance to meet him, without however unnecessarily
provoking or pusillanimously avoiding the combat ;
and as our country is opposite
to that of the enemy, it will be desirable to
repair our fortifications, that we may adopt
according to circumstances an offensive or
defensive system of warfare.

Then the king desired the third to declare his
opinion, who said, I do not consider the plan of
my two companions at all adviseable, but I think
it would be more prudent to send out spies into
the country, who will be able to inform us of
the proceedings of the enemy ; whether he is
making preparations to rekindle the flame of
war, or appears desirous of peace ; and if we
learn that he is disposed to grant us favourable
terms, on condition of our paying him an annual
tribute, I strongly recommend that we should
accede to his propositions; for it is; an old
maxim, that a sovereign who is unable to contend
by force of arms with an enemy more powerful than
himself, ought to make his riches a shield for his
country and subjects.

The king then asked the fourth crow, what he
thought of a peace to be obtained in such a
manner; and the crow answered, I see many
objections to it, and think it preferable to
abandon our homes, and suffer every species
of hardship, rather than tarnish our reputation
by submitting to an enemy, who in every other
respect but that of power is so much our inferior ;
besides, it is not certain that the owls will be
satisfied with the tribute which we offer them ;
or at best they will make a treaty with us, of
which the articles will be so obscure, that they
will never be at a loss for a pretext to break
it, whenever it suits either their convenience
or their interest. It is an old rule, that you
should make advances to your enemy to a certain
extent, with a view to the accomplishment of any
secret purpose; but by no means expose your
intentions, and incur the risk of failure, by
a gratuitous and rash display of confidence and
frankness ; for the pretensions of an enemy will
rise or fall, in proportion to the reluctance or
readiness which he observes to satisfy them;
as a piece of wood placed in the sun, gives a
great or a small shadow according to the inclined
direction which it receives ; and as I foresee that
the owls will not be satisfied with reasonable terms,
it would perhaps be better to decide at once upon open war.

The king then called upon the fifth, to declare
what course he thought best to be pursued under
the present circumstances; whether peace on the terms
which had been suggested, would afford security
for the future ; and if this did not appear likely
to be the case, whether it would be better to
quit their habitations, or oppose force to force.
The crow replied. Success is not to be expected
from resistance, when the person to whom it is
offered is superior in power: and a sensible
man will never so far undervalue the strength
of his enemy, as knowingly to risk his safety in
an unequal contest; add to which, I still entertain
the same fears as formerly of what the owls may do,
though they do not declare war against us.

The prudent man will upon every
occasion be upon his guard against an enemy
whose means of injuring him do not depend on
the greater or less distance by which he is removed ;
and who can supply the want of large
resources by stratagem and cunning ; therefore
besides the personal danger with which we
should at least be threatened, an open rupture
would certainly entail upon us a great expence,
and in the end possibly engage us in the labyrinth
of negociations of which the issue is uncertain.

When a king is distinguished for the secrecy with
which he guards confidential communications,
and for the prudence with which he chooses his
ministers, and is moreover honoured in the eyes
of men, it is fit that he should reap the firuits
of his virtues.

Now there are secrets which are only communicated
to a few people ; others which become a subject
of greater notoriety ; but some there are, which
can only be safely entrusted to the discretion of
two persons ; and of this latter description is
the affair of state, about which your majesty
has done me the honour to consult me; and my
opinion therefore, though regarding a matter of
public interest, must be considered as of a
private nature.

Upon this the king rose up and retired with
the crow, and the first question which he asked
him was, if he knew how the quarrel began between
them and the owls ?

It originated, answered the crow, in a speech which
a certain crow made to an assembly of cranes,
who had met together in order to choose the
king' of the owls for their sovereign. Whilst
they were deliberating, a crow flew over their
heads, so they determined, if he settled amongst
them, that they would consult him on the propriety
of the choice which they werie about to make.

They had scarcely agreed upon this,
before the crow appeared in the midst of them,
and being asked his opinion, spoke as follows :
If the peacocks, the geese, the ostriches, and
the doves, were destroyed from the face of the
earth, and the race of birds was almost entirely
extinct, still what motive could possibly induce
you to make an owl your king, who is not only
the ugliest bird to look at, but remarkable at
the same time for his bad character and profound
ignorance, united to a violent temper,
and a want of all generous feeling ; besides this,
his partial blindness, for he is at least unable to
support the broad light of day, and natural
stupidity render him totally unfit for so
distinguished a post; unless you have secretly in
view to declare him nominally your sovereign,
reserving to yourselves the whole direction and
administration of affairs, as the hare did, when
she said that the moon was her sovereign.

The cranes being desirous of hearing the story, the
crow continued : There was a certain country,
where the elephants, after a length of time, began
to suffer very much from hunger and thirst, for
the springs had failed, the ground was parched
up, and all vegetation was destroyed; and
when they were no longer able to support the
great drought which prevailed, they made a
complaint to their king, who sent out persons
in every direction in search of water; one of
whom soon returned with the information, that
he had discovered a fountain, called the fountain
of the moon, where there was a very abundant
source of water. The king of the elephants
therefore, attended by his companions,
repaired without delay to the fountain, which
happened to be situated in the country belonging
to the hares, a great many of which they
trod under foot and killed. So the hares begged
an audience of their sovereign, and informed
him of the conduct of the elephants; and the
king said. Let every one who has any advice to
give, at once declare it. Then one of the hares,
named Firouz, who was known to the king for
the soundness of her judgment, and the extent
of her information, proposed to the king to send
her to the elephants, accompanied by some
trusty person, who might report all the proceedings
of her mission. The king said to her,
You are worthy of being trusted, and I approve
of your proposal, therefore equip yourself for
your journey, and go to the elephants; but
recollect that it is by discretion and good sense,
united to moderation, and grafted upon real
worth, that an ambassador justifies the choice
of his master, and that affability and conciliating
manners alone can win the heart ; whereas
an unbending spirit and uncourteous behavior
will only exasperate the feelings.

Then the hare set out on her journey one moon-light
night, and came to the place where the elephants
were ; but was afraid of going very near
them, lest one of them should tread upon her
without perhaps intending it ; but she went up
on a hill, and called aloud to the king of the
elephants, and said, The moon has sent me to
you ; and if my language in obedience to my
instructions should appear objectionable, I must
trust for my justification to the character in
which I appear. The king of the elephants
desiring to be further acquainted with the object
of her mission, she continued : He who, owing
to a successful effort against a weak enemy, is
led to believe that his strength is irresistible,
often pays dearly for his presumption, in a contest
with a more powerful opponent ; and you,
O king, relying on your superiority over the
other beasts, overlook the consequences of your
temerity in drinking at and polluting the fountain
of the moon, who has directed me to caution
you against a repetition of this insult, threatening,
in case of your disobedience, not only
to withdraw the light which she so graciously
dispenses, but to effect your destruction ; and
if you have any doubts about my mission, I
will accompany you to the fountain, and convince
you of the truth of it. The king of the
elephants was surprised at the speech of the
hare, and went with her to the fountain, and
looking down saw the shadow of the moon in it :
then Firouz said to him, Take up a little water
with your trunk and wash your face, and humble
yourself before the moon. Then the elephant
put his trunk into the fountain and disturbed
the water, and seeing that the moon appeared
to be in motion, he exclaimed, What is
the reason that the moon trembles? she is
surely angry at my having touched the water
with my lips. Firouz by her answer confirmed
him in the persuasion ; upon which he bowed a
second time to the moon as a sign of his
repentance for what he had done, and promised
that neither he nor his companions would ever
again be guilty of the same fault.

Then the crow, after enlarging for some time
on the deceitful and treacherous disposition of
the owls, said. The worst qualities in a sovereign
are falsehood and perfidy, and whoever places
confidence in one of this character, will experience
the fate of the hare and the nightingale,
when they referred their quarrel to the cat.
It happened that I had a nightingale for my
neighbor at the root of the tree in which I had
made my nest, and we passed a great deal of
our time together ; at length one day I missed
my friend, without being at all apprised of his
intended departure ; and during his absence a
hare came and took possession of the place
which he had left ; as I did not think it
necessary to interfere, she remained there some
time ; till the nightingale returning and finding
the hare there, desired her to remove. The
hare disputed the claims of the nightingale, and
challenged him to make good his pretensions ;
upon which the nightingale replied, that there
was some one not far off who would settle their
dispute, and mentioned a cat who lived on the
bank of a neighboring river, and who was at
peace with all the world, and so abstemious,
that he was contented with the grass of the
field and the water of the river. The cat being
thus appointed the arbiter between the hare and
the nightingale, I was anxious to see the issue of
the quarrel, and therefore followed the parties
to the place of meeting, to be present at the
decision of this abstemious judge. As soon as
the cat saw the hare and the nightingale coming
towards him, he stood up, and prayed with
great humility and devotion ; upon which they
approached him with all the marks of reverence
and respect, and entreated him to settle the
point of difference which had arisen between
them. Then he desired them to state their
case; and they had scarcely begun, when he
said to them, Old age, which every day presses
more heavily upon me, has rendered me nearly
deaf; I therefore beg of you to come nearer,
that I may hear distinctly what you have to
say : upon this they went up close to him, and
related every thing which it was necessary for
him to know, in order to give his opinion.

The cat being thus informed of the origin as
well as of all the particulars of their quarrel,
addressed them in the following terms : I call
upon you both, in the name of the most sacred
obligations, to demand nothing but what is
just and right, for rectitude of intention is
always accompanied by a self-approval, which
awaits and can support with unbending fortitude
the injustice of fortune ; whilst unauthorized
desires, though crowned for the moment
with success, are in the end pernicious. The
greatest treasure which the man of the world
can possess, is a productive store of right
conduct, which is more profitable than mines of
wealth, and more permanent than even the
constancy of Mends ; and a person of understanding
will fix his views on this imperishable
good, whilst he is taught to despise every less
substantial gift. The value of riches in the
opinion of a sensible man, is no greater than
that of the earth on which he treads ; the society
of a woman, when displaying the captivating
allurements of her charms, as dangerous
as the approach of a venomous serpent;
but man, as an object of our benevolence, is
esteemed a second self. The cat continuing
to speak in this strain, the hare and the
nightingale insensibly lost all fear, and by degrees
approached nearer and nearer to him, till at
last, watching his opportunity, he suddenly
sprang upon them, and killed them. The crow
in continuation said, that in addition to all the
bad qualities enumerated, there were many
others which made the choice of the owl for a
king unadvisable. So the cranes were convinced
by the speech of the crow, and immediately
desisted from their purpose.

Now it happened that an owl was accidentally
present, and had heard the whole of what
had passed ; and as soon as the determination
of the cranes was declared, he addressed the
crow, and said. Your language has filled me
with uneasiness and apprehension, and I am at
a loss to account for your conduct on this
occasion, not being aware of having offered you
any provocation.

The tree which has felt the 
stroke of the axe will sprout again, and the cut 
which a sword has given will close up and heal, 
but the wound which the tongue inflicts is
incurable ; the point of the spear may be drawn 
out from the flesh which it has pierced, but the 
weapon of speech remains fixed in the heart 
which it has reached. A flame may be smothered
by pouring water upon it, and the bane 
of poison subdued by its antidote ; sorrow can 
be lightened by patience, and an unfortunate
attachment cured by absence ; but the fire, which 
malevolence has kindled in the bosom defies 
all attempts to extinguish it; 

from henceforth ; there will be eternal enmity
and hatred between us and you.
The owl after this went away in a great passion to
inform his sovereign of what had passed.
Then the crow repented of what
he had done, and reasoning with himself, said.
It was the height of folly and madness in me to
make use of language, which will entail upon
me and my companions a long train of evil
consequences. I wish I had not been so unreserved
in my remarks upon the owls ; for though
there is perhaps scarcely any bird which does
not entertain the same opinion of them as myself,
and probably has more to allege against
them than I have ; yet a secret dread of the
consequences which I have overlooked, and a
knowledge of the punishment which awaits
unseemly and injudicious sallies of the tongue,
have imposed silence upon others ; whereas on
the other hand my judgment has been so far
led astray by a disregard to all the restraints of
prudence, that every word which I have uttered
was more irritating and sharper than a pointed
spear; and this behavior is at variance with
all sound maxims of conduct ;

 for the sensible man,
 however confident of his own strength and 
 of his high claims, should be as cautious of 
 creating himself enemies by an unreasonable 
 and presumptuous display of his superiority, as 
 a person would hesitate to swallow poison, 
 though he is in possession of its antidote. He 
 who is guided in his actions by just views, has 
 no occasion to talk beforehand of the glories 
 which await him, as if they could only owe their 
 existence to the prophetic language in which 
 they have been announced to the credulity of 
 the world ; for his excellence and merit standing
 the test of time, and rising superior to the 
 trials to which they are exposed, will shine forth
 at last, and procure for him the reputation 
 which he deserves; but claims to distinction 
 which have no other support than the parade of 
 words, with which they are fenced round, will 
 sooner or later discover the weakness of the 
 foundation on which they rest ; 

and I have certainly been guilty of very culpable
indiscretion in speaking on a subject of so much
delicacy and importance, without having previously
consulted any one of my friends, or reflected on
what I was about to do ;

 for whoever neglects 
 the experience of former times, and acts without
 due consideration according to the dictates 
 of his own unassisted judgment, is exposed to 
 difficulties and inconveniences, which he might 
 have avoided by a moderate share of reflection 
 and prudence. 

The crow having expostulated with himself
in this manner went away, and this was the
origin of the quarrel between us and the owls :
now with regard to the policy of open war, I
have already declared my disapproval of such a
measure, and am of opinion, that it would be possible
to contrive some expedient, without having
recourse to hostilities, to obtain what we wish,
and therefore beg leave to relate the story of the
monk who was robbed of his kid.

To Be continued >>>

Book: Kalila and Dimna
Author: Ibn al-Muqaffaʻ
Translation: Wyndham Knatchbull
Corrections to digitized script: Joseph Stuhlman
Copyrights: Public Domain including images.