Story of the person who was seeking after his stray camel and inquiring about it.

(If) you have lost a camel and sought it busily, how should you not know,when you find it, that it is yours?

What is the stray? You have lost a she-camel: (she has) fled from your herd into a veil (of concealment).

The caravaneers have begun to load, (but) your camel is lost (and has disappeared) from the midst (of the caravan).

You are running to and fro with parched lips; the caravan is (now) far away, and night is near.

Your baggage is left on the ground, (lying) on the road of peril, (whilst) you are running about in search of the camel,

Crying, “O Moslems, who has seen a camel which this morning escaped from a stable?

Whoever will tell (me) a clue to my camel, I will give so many dirhems as a reward (for the information).”

You are requesting clues from every one: every rascal is making a mock of you on this account,

Saying, “We saw a camel going in this direction, a reddish camel (going) towards yonder pasturage.”

One (of them) says, “It was crop-eared,” and another says, “Its saddlecloth was embroidered.”

One says, “The camel had (only) one eye,” and another says, “It (was suffering) from mange (and) had no hair.”

For the sake of the reward every rascal, (speaking) at random, sets forth a hundred clues.