The Cleverness of Abu Al-Husayn

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a forest, and in it there were lions. One day, the lion was walking through the forest. Now, usually when the lion is out walking and Abu al-Husayn¹ sees him from thirty meters off, he changes his direction because it’s not in his nature that if the lion is out walking, he should stick to his path. Rather, that would be a dishonor to the king of the forest.

So one day, the father of lions himself was out walking and it just so happened that Abu al-Husayn was on his way. He would not budge from the lion’s path. The lion said to him, “Don’t you know the rules of the forest, oh Abu al-Husayn?” He replied, “Old times have changed, and such rules no longer mean anything to me. Each person is now free to do as he pleases.” The lion exclaimed, “What are you saying!?” “Just what you’re hearing,” said Abu al-Husayn. The lion went to hit Abu al-Husayn when the animal said to him, “No, no, no…put your hand down, oh father of lions. There’s no more hitting and beating anymore.” The lion said, “What is there no more of?” Abu al-Husayn replied, “See now, if I hit you with my hand, I’ll send you flying.” Said the lion, “How could you make me fly with your hand!? Come, let me see you hit me.” Abu al-Husayn said, “Oh, I’d hit you alright, but I don’t have my strength with me.” The lion asked him, “And where is your strength?” Abu al-Husayn said, “It’s at home.” So the lion told him, “Fine, hurry along home and get your strength.” To which Abu al-Husayn said, “Yeah, and what would guarantee me that you’ll stay here?” The lion roared, “I, the father of lions, the king of the whole forest, would I want to run away from a weakling like you!? Alright, what’s your condition so that you know I’ll stay?” Abu al-Husayn said, “I want to tie you up to this tree and as soon as I get back I’ll let you go, just as soon as I get my strength.”

Well, Abu al-Husayn got a rope and tied the lion up. Then he sat showing his muscles off next to the lion. One day, two days, three without food and the lion got weaker and weaker. His lips dried and started peeling, and he was dying of thirst. Three or four more days like this and the lion would die. On one day Abu al-Husayn might throw him a piece of hide, on another day some intestines, another day, nothing at all.

One day, the mouse came out — from where? From underneath the lion, from under the tree he came up to the lion. The lion said to the mouse, “Please, free me and whatever you wish for I shall give you.” The mouse replied, “I have one condition, if you want me to free you, I have one condition.” Said the lion “Name it.” The mouse told him, “I want you to kiss my hand and my foot.” The lion asked, “What do you mean, the lion should kiss the hand of a mouse and his foot, too? That’s a hard condition that is.” The mouse said, “So stay tied up!” The lion said, “Fine, I’ll kiss them for you.” The mouse, of course, is known for being good at gnawing ropes. The lion went ahead and kissed his hand and his foot, and so the mouse gnawed the rope apart and then returned to his hole.

The lion came to, looking about himself, and shook himself off a bit, just so, and then after looking around the forest, he set about running through it. The lion was running and running, and the other animals were all amazed because normally the lion doesn’t run. So there he was running about and who should see him but the tiger. The tiger saw him and said to him, “What’s up, oh father of lions? I see you running about and you don’t normally do so. It’s not right by the rules of the forest that the lion should run about in it. The lion always walks a royal walk through the forest!”

The lion replied, “Oh father of tigers, the forest is no longer livable.” “My goodness! What’s the matter?” asked the tiger. The lion explained to him,

“The fox is tying things up and the mouse is undoing them²
…the forest is no longer livable.”

Narrator: Asa`ad Abu Dahish
Provenance: Ya`bed
Current Residence: Rashidiyyeh Camp, Tyre

Recorded by: Jaber Abu Hawash
Date of Recording: April 3, 1997
Translator: Kirsten Scheid Idriss