“ ‘So now, Mr. Shark,’ the monkey said, ‘do you understand why I do not wish to have dinner with you tonight?  It has become clear to me that I was going to be the dinner, and I would rather live than die as a shark’s meal.  I am sorry to have lost a friend, of course, but then, you never were one, really.  I should not have expected a shark to become a true friend; you just ate my fruit and then decided you would rather have my flesh.  Of course, you will never get any more fruit now; you forfeited that.  Good day to you.’ ”

After some reflection the king said, “If the donkey acted stupidly, we can hardly be surprised.   But a wise man would not be fooled, nor would a shrewd woman.”  Replied the storyteller, “Alas, oh king, even such people can be deceived by fate, as is shown by the lesson in this fable.”

The woman and the lion. “A woman lived with her old husband in a village of poor people.  One day the young wife said, ‘I am tired of this place for paupers.  Let’s go to the city and find a better life.’ ‘What if you see a handsome young man there and run away with him?’ asked her husband, but she reassured him.  ‘How can you think that of me?’ she asked. ‘I have sworn to be faithful to you, and I will swear that again.  Now let’s go.’

A griffin, a horse, a camel, a bull, and a shark are illustrated in this detail from Mu'nis al-Ahrar (Scientific anthology), painted by Muhammed bin Badr Jajarni, Shiraz, 1341.

“They left the village and walked in the direction of the big city.  By midday, they had arrived at a well shaded by some trees.  They sat down and drank some water, and soon the old man, overcome by fatigue, fell asleep.  Suddenly, a man appeared on horseback.  His fine clothes showed that he was rich.  He was also tall, strong, and handsome.

“Upon seeing the woman, he coveted her and spoke luring words, saying that he would show her the big city and all its pleasures.  The young woman accepted his offer and jumped up behind him on the horse.  Away they galloped just as the old husband awoke.  He scrambled to this feet and called to his wife, saying, ‘Don’t you remember that you swore?’ The wife, however, ignored him.

“After riding half an hour they came to a wood with soft grass under the trees.  The man dismounted and helped her off his horse.  Then they lay down and satisfied their lust while the man whispered, ‘Oh, I swear I will stay with you forever!’ Afterward, the woman got up and wandered in the woods.  She found a fruit tree and picked some juicy fruit.