shariba ḥamalun min jadwalin fii aʿlaa al-jabaliA lamb drank from a stream high up on the mountain.
jaa’a dhi’bun jaa’iʿun wawaqafa fii asfali al-jadwaliA hungry wolf came and stood lower down the stream.
qaala limaadhaa tuʿakkiru maa’iiHe said, "Why are you muddying my water?"
qaala al-ḥamalu kayfa uʿakkiruhu wa’anaa aʿlaa minkaThe lamb said, "How can I muddy it when I am above you?"
qaala adh-dhi’bu anta shatamtanii fii as-sanati al-maaḍiyatiThe wolf said, "You insulted me last year!"
qaala al-ḥamalu lam akun qad wulidtu baʿduThe lamb said, "I had not been born yet."
qaala adh-dhi’bu idhan akhuuka shatamaniiThe wolf said, "Then it was your brother who insulted me."
lam yantaẓir jawaaban wahajama ʿalaa al-ḥamaliHe did not wait for an answer and attacked the lamb.
aẓ-ẓaalimu yajidu daa’iman ḥujjatanThe unjust person always finds an excuse.