Folk-lore from Cairo.—Last year I communicated to the Folk-Lore Journal some Cairene stories which had been told me by my servant, Mustafa ’Ali, and promised that I would collect some more. During the past winter, accordingly, I obtained some fresh stories from Mustafa; who seems to have an inexhaustible supply of them. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented me from writing down more than one of them, and that the shortest. Such as it is, however, I give it here:—
“Wâhhid yôm es-Sultân kallim l’Âbu-Nowâs: Qâlet es-sitt’, bil-lêl yitla’ minnâh râhhah. Âbu-Nowâs kallim l’es-Sultân: na’mil wâhhid shai hîya tekûn tâni ilia rîhhah, wenhotteh barra. Bâdên Abu-Nowâs gab mâsûra, wĕrâhh el-askár el’lâzim tigu bil-lêl ‘and’ es-serayeh betâ’ ’s-Sultân: lamma tisma’u el-rhafîr min fôq, lâzim ta’milu teshrîfeh. Ubâdên bil-lêl es-Sultân nâim; es-sitt’ qâlet: yitla’ minnî rîhhah; ûbâdên el-askár ’amal teshrîfeh, u’s-Sultân qâl: khabar ê? El-askár qâl: Abu-Nowâs ’amal kideh. Fîs-subh’ es-Sultân Kallim lil-wezir: mûsh a’iz ashûf Abu-Nowâs ebeden. El-wezîr qâl lis-Sultân: izakan mûsh a’iz tashûf Abu-Nowâs, nirmîh fîl-bîr elli fîh el-qird yakûloh. Lamma yîgy Abu-Nowâs fîs-sûbh’, el-wezîr kallim l’Abu-Nowâs: es-Sultân yîrmik fîl-bîr en-nehardeh. Abu-Nowâs kallim bâ’d etnên telâteh sâ’ah yîgy. Bâdên râhh ishtéri wâhhid kharûf; ishtéri wâhhid darabûkkah, ishtéri wâhhid zommâra; hatto fîl-khorg werâhh ‘and’ es-Sultân. Bâdên el-wezîr qâl: khabar é, yabu-Nowâs? Qalloh: akl, ’alashân en-nâs elli mât makalsh. Abu-Nowâs el-akl betâ’o wayyâh, ûbâdên misikûh ‘and’ el-îir. Bâdên Abu-Nowâs kallim el-qird yimauwwetsh lamma yenzil fîl-bîr shwoyeh-shwoyeh. Ubâdên en-nâs yekallim: tayyib. Lamma nazal fîl-bîr shwoyeh-shwoyeh, bâdên howa shâf el-qird fîl-bîr. Abu-Nowâs yiddîloh hhettet el-lahhm, ûbâdên yiddîloh hhettĕtâh wâhhid wâhhid, wel-qird yîgy shab’ân. Ubâdên en-nâs yekallim: khalás! Abu-Nowâs nazal fîl-bîr wel-qird akaloh. Lâkin Abu-Nowâs misik el-darabûkkah, wekullimâ el-qird yîgy gy’ân Abu-Nowâs yiddîloh hhettet el-lahhm. En-nâs yîgy yeshûf Abu-Nowâs; bâdên yeshûfoh fîz-zétah fîl-bîr. Bâdên en-nâs yekallim lis-Sultân: daiman lamma tîrmi wâhhid râgil fîl-bîr el-qird yak’loh qawâm; lâkin dilwaqti Abu-Nowâs beyidrob fî-tablo’ wey’zommer fîl-bîr: ’s-Sultân râhh ‘and’ el-bîr wekallim: Abu-Nowâs! Abu-Nowâs yekallim: a’iz ê? Yekallim: ta’âla. Abu-Nowâs yekallim: lâ, mûsh a’iz; ana mabsût. Bâdên en-nâs yenazzil hhabl wetalla’ Abu-Nowâs min el-bîr; wekallim: ana kontĕ mabsût fîl-bîr; ’alashân ê tîgy ’andi?”
“One day the Sultan said to Abu-Nowâs, ‘My wife has declared that during the night a smell rises from her.’ Abu-Nowâs replied to the Sultan: ‘We will contrive a plan by means of which she shall
