saraqa liṣṣaani ḥimaaran waakhtalafaa ʿalayhiTwo thieves stole a donkey and quarrelled over it.
qaala al-awwalu al-ḥimaaru lii waqaala ath-thaanii bal liiThe first said, "The donkey is mine!" and the second said, "No, mine!"
taḍaarabaa bil-aydii wal-ʿiṣiyyiThey fought with fists and sticks.
marra liṣṣun thaalithun fara’aahumaaA third thief passed by and saw them.
rakiba al-ḥimaara bihuduu’in waharabaHe quietly rode the donkey and ran away.
tawaqqafaa baʿda qaliilin falam yajidaa al-ḥimaaraThey stopped after a while and did not find the donkey.
naẓara kullun minhumaa ilaa al-’aakhari waqaala khasirnaa bisababi khilaafinaaEach looked at the other and said, "We lost because of our quarrel."
al-khilaafu yuḍayyiʿu al-ḥaqqaQuarrelling makes the prize slip away.