Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 2
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 2
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
Regarding the Norfolk tradition of the lucky and generous Pedlar,
Blomfield says that the north aisle of the church of Swaffam (or Sopham)
was certainly built by one John Chapman, who was churchwarden in 1462;
but he thinks that the figures of the pedlar etc. were only put “to set
forth the name of the founder: such rebuses are frequently met with on
old works.” The story is also told in Abraham de la Prynne’s Diary under
date Nov. 10, 1699, as “a constant tradition” concerning a pedlar in
Soffham.
Such is the close resemblance between the Turkish version of the Dream
and that in the tale of Zayn al-Asnam that I am disposed to consider
both as having been derived from the same source, which, however, could
hardly have been the story told by El-Ishákí. In Zayn al-Asnam a shaykh
appears to the prince in a dream and bids him hie to Egypt, where he
will find heaps of treasure; in the Turkish story the shaykh appears to
the poor water-carrier three times and bids him go to Damascus for the
like purpose. The prince arrives at Cairo and goes to sleep in a mosque,
when the shaykh again presents himself before him in a dream and tells
him that he has done well in obeying him—he had only made a trial of his
courage: “now return to thy capital and I will make thee wealthy”;—in
the Turkish story the water-carrier also goes into a mosque at Damascus
and receives a loaf of bread there from a baker. When the prince returns
home the shaykh appears to him once more and bids him take a pick-axe
and go to such a palace of his sire and dig in such a place, where he
should find riches;—in the Turkish story the water-carrier having
returned to his own house, the shaykh comes to him three times more and
bids him search near to where he is and he should find wealth. The
discovery by Zayn al-Asnam of his father’s hidden treasure, after he had
recklessly squandered all his means, bears some analogy to the
well-known ballad of the “Heir of Linne,” who, when reduced to utter
poverty, in obedience to his dying father’s injunction, should such be
his hap, went to hang himself in the “lonely lodge” and found there
concealed a store of gold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account