Classical Arabic texts: Book chapter

بَابُ النَّاسِكِ وَابْنِ عِرْسٍ

The Ascetic and the Weasel

A chapter from Kalila wa Dimna, the 8th-century Arabic fable collection. A king asks for a parable about haste. An ascetic leaves his baby in the care of a tame weasel; when he returns and sees blood on its mouth, he acts before he looks. Inside is a second, lighter fable about a hermit who counts his goats before he has them.

• Advanced
• Classical Arabic
• 9 min