The Story of the Ox and the Ass, Scott V.S Burton

Text: “Shall the beautiful hue of the Basil fail * Tho’ the beetle’s foot o’er the Basil crawl? And though spider and fly be its denizens * Shall disgrace attach to the royal hall? The cowrie, I ken, shall have currency * But the pearl’s clear drop, shall its value fall?” By Burton

These line only appear in Burton Version and that is really exceeded my English comprehension level. I have tried to search online to find out the way to understand what’s author(Burton) wants to express for. After i read a couple times of this story, I would try to say these lines come after the Ass gave Ox suggestion, then he starts to make a reflection of the result. In my way to understand these lines, it’s the author try to shows how the Ass regret to teach Ox escape from his work. Then the author putting these lines by using some metaphor such as the “fly and spider”, even though they are neighbor or friends, they have their own position. so the author(Burton) might try to show that Ass was thinking about that what’s a worst mistake that he gave out. “the currency” might be the another metaphor that tells people a fact: a Ox is a OX, no matter what situation in his life, Ox need to do what’s a Ox have to do. that’s also how the author(Burton) state, “shall its value fall?” He might want to express something would not be easily change. Therefore, these line was the obviously striking different in the text when we first sight look at it.

Text: The cock answered the dog’s reproof thus: “What, has our master so little sense? he has but one wife, and cannot govern her, and though I have fifty, I make them all do what I please. Let him use his reason, he will soon find a way to rid himself of his trouble.” “How?” demanded the dog; “what would you have him do?” “Let him go into the room where his wife is,” resumed the cock, “lock the door, and take a stick and thrash her well; and I will answer for it, that will bring her to her senses, and make her forbear to importune him to discover what he ought not to reveal.” The merchant had no sooner heard what the cock said, than he took up a stick, went to his wife, whom he found still crying, and shutting the door, belaboured her so soundly, that she cried out, “Enough, husband, enough, forbear, and I will never ask the question more.” Upon this, perceiving that she repented of her impertinent curiosity, he desisted; and opening the door, her friends came in, were glad to find her cured of her obstinacy, and complimented her husband upon this happy expedient to bring his wife to reason. By Scott

In Scott’s text, the different that I feel is not simply about husband use a stick to beat up wife, but also that I feel something after I read two different text at the ending parts. the author( Scott) was putting the dialog between dog and chicken, then they sound like teaching husband how to treat her wife to become “under control.” I don’t like this way, but in their traditional culture, this might be a way to treat women. nevertheless, after husband beat his wife, the author wrote the text about describing the how well of the result after a male did that way to his wife, and their friends come in to felicitate that he bring his wife back to reason?!! So, in Scott text, I feel a lot more about male chauvinism in this version than Burton’s one.

Furthermore, we look at Burton’s version,

Text: Then let him beat her once more and soundly, and when he shall have done this he shall sleep free from care and enjoy life. But this master of ours owns neither sense nor judgment.” “Now, daughter Shahrazad,” continued the Wazir, “I will do to thee as did that husband to that wife.” Said Shahrazad, “And what did he do?” He replied, “When the merchant heard the wise words spoken by his Cock to his Dog, he arose in haste and sought his wife’s chamber, after cutting for her some mulberry twigs and hiding them there; and then he called to her, “Come into the closet that I may tell thee the secret while no one seeth me and then die.” She entered with him and he locked the door and came down upon her with so sound a beating of back and shoulders, ribs, arms and legs, saying the while, “Wilt thou ever be asking questions about what concerneth thee not?” that she was well nigh senseless. Presently she cried out, “I am of the repentant! By Allah, I will ask thee no more questions, and indeed I repent sincerely and wholesomely.” Then she kissed his hand and feet and he led her out of the room submissive as a wife should be. Her parents and all the company rejoiced and sadness and mourn ing were changed into joy and gladness. Thus the merchant learnt family discipline from his Cock and he and his wife lived together the happiest of lives until death. By Burton

We can see the different that about some small detail like cutting some mulberry twigs and the author set up the different dialog between Wazir and daughter Sharhazad. I think a big difference that’s about how a father tell a story to her daughter. “I will do to thee as did that husband to that wife.” this part is different with Scott’s version and Burton put more words to describe a scenario to his daughter. “Thus the merchant learnt family discipline from his Cock and he and his wife lived together the happiest of lives until death.” and the last sentence was praising more about the story that how the dog and chicken let husband learn how to “discipline(dictator)” his family. In both text, and I was feeling more about two Authors Scott and Burton use their own way to re-annotation the story. the differences are not only the detail thing that how the characters do, but about the spreading idea.