Cairene Folklore. 371
down to eat (the Syrian) said : ' My brother, you know you have not shown me your spinning.' He replied : ' My brother, while walking I found a woman drawing water from the well ; I pulled the rope (and) it continued de- scending and then descending, descending and then de- scending.' When the food was finished he got up. Seven days passed, every day it was ' descending and then descending ' (till) the spinner of Syria said : ' Get up, O spinner, out of my house ; you have sat seven days de- scending and then descending; in the place you go to, you sit ten years.' " ^
VIII.
" There was a Turk who was the governor of the village. He went to the market to buy a cow. He found a peasant who had a very fine cow, so he said : ' Will you sell the cow ? ' He replied : ' What will you give for it? * He said : ' Forty afarim (bravoes) ? ' The peasant answered : ' Im-
' Kan fi wahid ragil rhazil beta' Masr, ufi wahid rhazil beta' 'sh-Sham ; ba't wahid gawab lil-rhazil beta' Masr : 'alio : " ana gai 'andak, 'alashan awwarrik el-rhazala beta' ti." Lamma gai istannah fim-niahatta : ba'den sellim 'aleh : 'alio: " maf ish hina 'a'ul ? " 'Alio: " fi." Rahum 'ala sh6k ketir wejoirbut fig-gism lamma mala 'g-gism kuUo : 'allu : " warrini en-nas ulad el-beled elli fil-Hamzawi ;" lamma rah henak 'anduhum yu'a' 'aleh : "emshi ya rhazil !" yeruh 'ala dokkan tani, yu'a' tani 'aleh: "emshi, ya rhazil ! " lamma khalas ed-dakakin. 'Alio: "akhi, ana awretik el-rhazala beta'ti." 'Alio: "Tayyib! yalla ! " 'Khadu fil-bet, akalu sawa, u'allu " ana mesafir." 'Alio '1-rhazil beta, Masr: "ana 'auz nigi fish-Sham 'alashan awrilak el-rhazala beta'ti. 'Alio: "Tayyib ! lamma 'nta 'auz tigi ba'tli gawab ; astannak fim-mahatta." 'Alio '• ' Tayyib ! " Ba'd shwoyyet iyyam ba'tlo wahid gawab: 'alio : " ana gai ; " wel- rhazil beta' esh-Sham istannah fim-mahatta. Lamma huwa wasal henak, sellim 'aleh, umishyu sawa, el-rhazil beta' Masr wehoma mashin. El-rhazil beta' Masr shaf wahid(a) mara 'aguza betimla min el-bir ; shadd el-habl rama el-gerdal fil-bir. Lamma rahum fil-bet beta' '1-rhazil beta' 'sh-Sham u'a'adin beaklum, 'alio: "akhi yani warretnish el-rhazala beta'tak." 'Alio: "akhi wana mashi le'et mara betimla min el-bir ; shiddet el-habl, fadl nazil summa nazil, nazil summa nazil." Lamma khalas el-akl ba'den 'am. Get sebaht iyyam, kul yom "nazil, summa nazil." El-rhazil beta' esh-Sham 'alio : "'om, ya rhazil, min beti : 'a'adt seba't iyyam nazil, summa nazil ; mahallet teluh (=Eteruh) tu'od 'ashera sinin."
2 B 2
