The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night/The Crows and the Hawk

by Unknown

THE CROWS AND THE HAWK.

There was once, in a certain desert, a spacious valley, full of streams and trees and fruits and birds singing the praises of God, the One, the All-powerful, Creator of day and night; and among them was a troop of crows, which led the goodliest of lives under the governance of one of their number, who ruled them with mildness and benignity, so that they were with him in peace and security; and by reason of their wise ordinance of their affairs, none of the other birds could avail against them. In course of time there befell their chief that which is irrevocably appointed to all creatures and he died; whereupon the others mourned sore for him, and what added to their grief was that there was not amongst them one like unto him, who should fill his place. So they all assembled and took counsel together of whom it befitted to set over them: and some of them chose one crow, saying, “It beseemeth that this one be king over us;” whilst others objected to him and would none of him; and thus there arose division and dissension among them and the strife waxed hot between them.

At last they agreed to sleep the night upon it and that none should go forth at peep of dawn next morning to seek his living, [as of wont], but that all should wait till daybreak, when they should meet all in one place. “Then,” said they, “we will all take flight at once and whichsoever soars above the rest in his flying, we will make king over us.” So they did as they had agreed and took flight all, but each of them deemed himself higher than his fellow; wherefore quoth this one, “I am highest,” and that, “Nay; that am I.” Then said the lowest of them, “Look up, all of you, and whomsoever ye find the highest of you, let him be your chief.” So they raised their eyes and seeing the hawk soaring over them, said to each other, “We agreed that which bird soever should be the highest of us should be king over us, and behold, the hawk is the highest of us: what say ye to him?” And they all cried out, saying, “We accept of him.”

So they called the hawk and said to him, “O father of good, we have chosen thee governor over us, that thou mayst look into our affair.” The hawk consented, saying, “God willing, ye shall have of me great good.” But, after awhile, he fell to taking a company of them and betaking himself with them afar off to one of the caves, where he struck them down and eating their eyes and brains, threw their bodies into the river. Thus he did every day, it being his intent to destroy them all, [one after another], till, seeing that their number diminished daily, the crows flocked to him and said, “O our king, we complain to thee for that, since the day we made thee king and ruler over us, we are in the sorriest case and every day a company of us is missing and we know not the cause of this, more by token that the most part thereof are of those in attendance on thee.”

Thereupon the hawk waxed wroth with them and said to them, “Verily it is ye who have slain them, and ye forestall me [with accusation].” So saying, he pounced upon them and tearing half a score of their chiefs [in pieces] before the rest, threatened them and drove them out from before him with blows and buffets. So they repented them of that which they had done and said, “We have known no good since the death of our first king, especially in the deed of this stranger in kind; but we deserve [all we suffer], even had he destroyed us to the last of us, and there is exemplified in us the saying of Him who saith, ‘He who submitteth not himself to the rule of his own people, the enemy hath dominion over him, of his ignorance.’ And now there is nothing for it but to flee for our lives, else shall we perish.” So they took flight and dispersed to various places.

Return to King Jelyaad of Hind and His Vizier Shimas.

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