A wren’s vanity blinds him to reality when his offspring describe a camel’s size. Dismissing their claims, he insists no creature surpasses him in stature. When the camel reappears, the wren’s arrogance falters as the massive beast briefly seizes him. Though unharmed, the wren acknowledges its grandeur. The tale warns of vanity’s futility, as pride inevitably leads to downfall.
Source
Moorish Literature
romantic ballads, tales of the Berbers,
stories of the Kabyles, folk-lore,
and national traditions
The Colonial Press,
London, New York, 1901
► Themes of the story
Cunning and Deception: The wren’s initial arrogance leads him to underestimate the camel’s size, but he later acknowledges the truth after a humbling encounter.
Conflict with Nature: The wren’s encounter with the camel represents a confrontation with the natural world’s realities, challenging his misconceptions.
Illusion vs. Reality: The wren’s belief in his own grandeur is shattered when faced with the camel’s true size, highlighting the disparity between perception and reality.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Berber peoples
Translated by J. Rivière
and Chauncey C. Starkweather
A wren had built its nest on the side of a road. When the eggs were hatched, a camel passed that way. The little wrens saw it, and said to their father when he returned from the fields:
“O papa, a gigantic animal passed by.”
The wren stretched out his foot. “As big as this, my children?”
“O papa, much bigger.”
He stretched out his foot and his wing. “As big as this?”
“O papa, much bigger.”
► Continue reading…
Finally he stretched out fully his feet and legs. “As big as this, then?”
“Much bigger.”
“That is a lie; there is no animal bigger than I am.”
“Well, wait,” said the little ones, “and you will see.” The camel came back while browsing the grass of the roadside. The wren stretched himself out near the nest. The camel seized the bird, which passed through its teeth safe and sound.
“Truly,” he said to them, “the camel is a gigantic animal, but I am not ashamed of myself.”
On the earth it generally happens that the vain are as if they did not exist. But sooner or later a rock falls and crushes them.
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Dreamtime Whispers 