Moorish Literature

by René Basset

  "He took his money and went to the city where his wife lived. He stopped at the gates. To the first passer-by he gave five francs, to the second five more.

  "'What do you want, O stranger?' they asked. 'If you want to see the Sultan we will take you to him,' They presented him to the Sultan.

  "'Render justice to this man,' 'What does he want?' 'My lord,' answered Sidi El-Ahcen, 'the woman you married is my wife,' 'Kill him!' cried the Sultan. 'No,' said the witnesses, 'let him have justice,'

  "'Let him tell me if she carries an object,' Si El-Ahcen answered: 'This woman was betrothed to me before her birth. An amulet is hidden in her hair,' He took away his wife, returned to the village, and gave a feast.

  "If you open the door," continued the bird, "you will have the same fate as Fatima-ou-Lmelh. Hamed-ou-Lmelh married her. Fatima said to her father-in-law, 'Take me to my uncle's house,' Arriving there she married another husband. Hamed-ou-Lmelh was told of this, and ran to find her. At the moment he arrived he found the wedding over and the bride about to depart for the house of her new husband. Then Hamed burst into the room and cast himself out of the window. Fatima did the same, and they were both killed.

  "The intended father-in-law and his family returned to their house, and were asked the cause of the misfortune. 'The woman was the cause,' they answered.

  "Nevertheless, the father of Hamed-ou-Lmelh went to the parents of Fatima and said: 'Pay us for the loss of our son. Pay us for the loss of Fatima.'

  "They could not agree, and went before the justice. Passing by the village where the two spouses had died they met an old man, and said, 'Settle our dispute,' 'I cannot,' answered the old man. Farther on they met a sheep, which was butting a rock. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to the sheep. 'I cannot,' answered the sheep. Farther on they met a serpent. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to him. 'I cannot,' answered the serpent. They met a river. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to it. 'I cannot,' answered the river. They met a jackal. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to him. 'Go to the village where your children died,' answered the jackal. They went back to the village, and applied to the Sultan, who had them all killed."

  The bird stopped speaking, the pilgrims returned. The old woman saw them and fled. The robber prepared a feast for the pilgrims.

  THE LITTLE CHILD

  "Come, little child, eat your dinner."

  "I won't eat it."

  "Come, stick, beat the child."

  "I won't beat him."

  "Come, fire, burn the stick."

  "I won't burn it."

  "Come, water, quench the fire."

  "I won't quench it."

  "Come, ox, drink the water."

  "I won't drink it."

  "Come, knife, kill the ox."

  "I won't kill him."

  "Come, blacksmith, break the knife."

  "I won't break it."

  "Come, strap, bind the blacksmith."

  "I won't bind him."

  "Come, rat, gnaw the strap."

  "I won't gnaw it."

  "Come, cat, eat the rat."

  "Bring it here."

  "Why eat me?" said the rat; "bring the strap and I'll gnaw it."

  "Why gnaw me?" said the strap; "bring the blacksmith and I'll bind him."

  "Why bind me?" said the blacksmith; "bring the knife and I'll break it."

  "Why break me?" said the knife; "bring the ox and I'll kill him."

  "Why kill me?" said the ox; "bring the water and I'll drink it."

  "Why drink me?" said the water; "bring the fire and I'll quench it."

  "Why quench me?" said the fire; "bring the stick and I'll burn it."

  "Why burn me?" said the stick; "bring the child and I'll strike him."

  "Why strike me?" said the child; "bring me my dinner and I'll eat it."

  THE WREN

  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."

  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.

  THE MULE, THE JACKAL, AND THE LION

  The mule, the jackal, and the lion went in company. "We will eat the one whose race is bad," they said to each other.

  "Lion, who is your father?"

  "My father is a lion and my mother is a lioness."

  "And you, jackal, what is your father?"

  "My father is a jackal and my mother, too."

  "And you, mule, what is your father?"

  "My father is an ass, and my mother is a mare."

  "Your race is bad; we will eat you."

  He answered them: "I will consult an old man. If he says that my race is bad, you may devour me."

  He went to a farrier, and said to him, "Shoe my hind feet, and make the nails stick out well."

  He went back home. He called the camel and showed him his feet, saying: "See what is written on this tablet."

  "The writing is difficult to decipher," answered the camel. "I do not understand it, for I only know three words--outini, ouzatini, ouazakin." He called a lion, and said to him: "I do not understand these letters; I only know three words--outini, ouzatini, ouazakin"

  "Show it to me," said the lion. He approached. The mule struck him between the eyes and stretched him out stiff.

  He who goes with a knave is betrayed by him.

  THADHELLALA

  A woman had seven daughters and no son. She went to the city, and there saw a rich shop. A little farther on she perceived at the door of a house a young girl of great beauty. She called her parents, and said:

  "I have my son to marry; let me have your daughter for him."

  They let her take the girl away. She came back to the shop and said to the man in charge of it:

  "I will gladly give you my daughter; but go first and consult your father."

  The young man left a servant in his place and departed. Thadhellala (that was her name) sent the servant to buy some bread in another part of the city. Along came a caravan of mules. Thadhellala packed all the contents of the shop on their backs and said to the muleteer:

  "I will go on ahead; my son will come in a moment. Wait for him--he will pay you."

  She went off with the mules and the treasures which she had packed upon them. The servant came back soon.

  "Where is your mother?" cried the muleteer; "hurry and, pay me."

  "You tell me where she is and I will make her give me back what she has stolen." And they went before the justice.

  Thadhellala pursued her way, and met seven young students. She said to one of them, "A hundred francs and I will marry you." The student gave them to her. She made the same offer to the others, and each one took her word.

  Arriving at a fork in the road, the first one said, "I will take you," the second one said, "I will take you," and so on to the last.

  Thadhellala answered: "You shall have a race as far as that ridge over there, and the one that gets there first shall marry me."

  The young men started. Just then a horseman came passing by. "Lend me your horse," she said to him. The horseman jumped off. Thadhellala mounted the horse and said:

/>   "You see that ridge? I will rejoin you there."

  The scholars perceived the man. "Have you not seen a woman?" they asked him. "She has stolen 700 francs from us."

  "Haven't you others seen her? She has stolen my horse?"

  They went to complain to the Sultan, who gave the command to arrest Thadhellala. A man promised to seize her. He secured a comrade, and they both pursued Thadhellala, who had taken flight. Nearly overtaken by the man, she met a negro who pulled teeth, and said to him:

  "You see my son coming down there; pull out his teeth." When the other passed the negro pulled out his teeth. The poor toothless one seized the negro and led him before the Sultan to have him punished. The negro said to the Sultan: "It was his mother that told me to pull them out for him."

  "Sidi," said the accuser, "I was pursuing Thadhellala."

  The Sultan then sent soldiers in pursuit of the woman, who seized her and hung her up at the gates of the city. Seeing herself arrested, she sent a messenger to her relatives.

  Then there came by a man who led a mule. Seeing her he said, "How has this woman deserved to be hanged in this way?"

  "Take pity on me," said Thadhellala; "give me your mule and I will show you a treasure." She sent him to a certain place where the pretended treasure was supposed to be hidden. At this the brother-in-law of Thadhellala had arrived.

  "Take away this mule," she said to him. The searcher for treasures dug in the earth at many places and found nothing. He came back to Thadhellala and demanded his mule.

  She began to weep and cry. The sentinel ran up, and Thadhellala brought complaint against this man. She was released, and he was hanged in her place.

  She fled to a far city, of which the Sultan had just then died. Now, according to the custom of that country, they took as king the person who happened to be at the gates of the city when the King died. Fate took Thadhellala there at the right time. They conducted her to the palace, and she was proclaimed Queen.

  THE GOOD MAN AND THE BAD ONE

  Two men, one good and the other bad, started out together to do business, and took provisions with them. Soon the bad one said to the good one: "I am hungry; give me some of your food." He gave him some, and they both ate.

  They went on again till they were hungry. "Give me some of your food," said the bad one. He gave him some of it, and they ate.

  They went on until they were hungry. "Give me some of your food," said the bad one. He gave him some, and they ate.

  They went on until they were hungry. The good man said to his companion: "Give me some of your food."

  "Oh, no, my dear," said the bad one.

  "I beg you to give me some of your food," said the good one.

  "Let me pluck out one of your eyes," answered the bad one. He consented. The bad one took his pincers and took out one of his eyes.

  They went on until they came to a certain place. Hunger pressed them. "Give me some of your food," said the good man.

  "Let me pluck out your other eye," answered his companion.

  "O my dear," replied the good man, "leave it to me, I beg of you."

  "No!" responded the bad one; "no eye, no food."

  But finally he said, "Pluck it out."

  They proceeded until they came to a certain place. When hunger pressed them anew the bad one abandoned his companion.

  A bird came passing by, and said to him: "Take a leaf of this tree and apply it to your eyes." He took a leaf of the tree, applied it to his eyes, and was healed. He arose, continued on his way, and arrived at a city where he found the one who had plucked out his eyes.

  "Who cured you?"

  "A bird passed near me," said the good man. "He said to me, 'Take a leaf of this tree.' I took it, applied it to my eyes, and was cured."

  The good man found the King of the city blind.

  "Give me back my sight and I will give you my daughter."

  He restored his sight to him, and the King gave him his daughter. The good man took his wife to his house. Every morning he went to present his respects to the King, and kissed his head. One day he fell ill. He met the bad one, who said to him:

  "Eat an onion and you will be cured; but when you kiss the King's head, turn your head aside or the King will notice your breath and will kill you."

  After these words he ran to the King and said: "O King, your son-in-law disdains you."

  "O my dear," answered the King, "my son-in-law does not disdain me."

  "Watch him," answered the bad one; "when he comes to kiss your head he will turn away from you."

  The King remarked that his son-in-law did turn away on kissing his head.

  "Wait a moment," he said to him. Immediately he wrote a letter to the Sultan, and gave it to his son-in-law, commanding him to carry it to the Sultan. Going out of the house he met the bad one, who wanted to carry the letter himself. The good man gave it to him. The Sultan read the letter, and had the bad one's head cut off. The good man returned to the King.

  "What did he say?" asked the King.

  "Ah, Sidi, I met a man who wanted to carry the letter. I intrusted it to him and he took it to the Sultan, who condemned him to death in the city."

  THE CROW AND THE CHILD

  A man had two wives. He was a rich merchant. One of them had a son whose forehead was curved with a forelock. Her husband said to her:

  "Don't work any more, but only take care of the child. The other wife will do all the work."

  One day he went to market. The childless wife said to the other, "Go, get some water."

  "No," she answered, "our husband does not want me to work."

  "Go, get some water, I tell you." And the woman went to the fountain. On the way she met a crow half dead with fatigue. A merchant who was passing took it up and carried it away. He arrived before the house of the woman who had gone to the fountain, and there found the second woman.

  "Give something to this crow," demanded the merchant.

  "Give it to me," she answered, "and I will make you rich."

  "What will you give me?" asked the merchant.

  "A child," replied the woman.

  The merchant refused, and said to her, "Where did you steal it?"

  "From whom did I steal it?" she cried. "It is my own son."