"O Abu 'l-Hosayn," replied the wolf, "twit me not with my past sins; for forgiveness is expected of the generous and doing kind deeds is the truest of treasures. How well saith the poet:—
Haste to do kindness while thou hast much power, ✿ For at all seasons thou hast not such power."
And he ceased not to humble himself before the fox and say, "Haply, thou canst do somewhat to deliver me from destruction." Replied the fox, "O thou wolf, thou witless, deluded, deceitful trickster! hope not for deliverance, for this is but the just reward of thy foul dealing and its due retaliation." Then he laughed with chops wide open and repeated these two couplets:—
No longer beguile me, ✿ Thou'lt fail of thy will!
What can't be thou seekest; ✿ Thou hast sown so reap Ill!
Quoth the wolf, "O gentlest of ravenous beasts, I fain hold thee too faithful to leave me in this pit." Then he wept and complained and, with tears streaming from his eyes, recited these two couplets:—
O thou whose favours have been out of compt, ✿ Whose gifts are more than may be numberèd!
Never mischance befel me yet from time ✿ But that I found thy hand right fain to aid.
"O thou ninny foe," quoth the fox, "how art thou reduced to humiliation and prostration and abjection and submission, after insolence and pride and tyranny and arrogance! Verily, I kept company with thee only for fear of thy fury and I cajoled thee without one hope of fair treatment from thee: but now trembling is come upon thee and vengeance hath overtaken thee." And he repeated these two couplets:—
O thou who seekest innocence to 'guile, ✿ Thou'rt caught in trap of thine intentions vile: