Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/396

 2)7^ Cairene Folklore.

afrit rose up and sported before them, but did not depart. The man remembered his wife. He said to the afrit : ' Have you not heard the news ? ' The afrit replied : 'No.' He answered: ' Bakhtiya is looking for you!' When the afrit heard of Bakhtiya he vanished. (And) the girl became as well as she was before." ^

Comparatively few of the stories are aetiological, attempt- ing to give explanations of names, words, and customs.

' Fi wahid ragil mitgawwiz wahida ; lakin er-ragil za'alan min m'rato ketir. Kullima 'auz yeruh fi mutrah tekallim : " aruh wayyak : " er-ragil min ez-za'l beta'o kallimha : "ana raih el-Higaz." Qalet : "aruh wajyak kaman." Mishu fis-sikka fil-Higaz le'ande wahid bir. Qallaha : "ana raih agib umoiya; " qaletlo : "aruh wajyak kaman." Rahet wa}yahlehadd el-bir : er-ragil shirib, nizil awwalan, umala wahida qirba ; hiya nizilet ba'dih 'alashan tishrob; er- 'ragil yezuqqeha, yermaha fil-bir : fil-bir kan fi wahid 'afrit : lamma nizilet em- mara fil-bir el- 'afrit za'l minha watafash min el-bir ; mashi fi wahida sikka itqabil way' 'aguz er-ragil ; kallimmo : " ya shekh, enta ginsak e ? " qallo : an" 'afrit ; " qallo : "raih fen?" qallo: "ana tafshan min wahida mara ismaha iiakhtiya; nizilt 'aleha fil-bir; fatet el-bir um'shit ; lakin ta'ala wajyaya, nekun ashab; neruh fil-medina wanehosh fil-gism bint es-sultan winta ta'mil hakim ; lamma tigi fis-seraya wetuqod fis-seraya ana aruhe min el-gism ; hiya tigi tayyiba ze el-awwal, uba'den yiddulak bakshish ; lakin fi akhir iyyam ariih ba'den fig- gism beta' bint el-wezir ; izakan tigi ana metla'shi ; lazim matgish, ahsan yemawwetuk." Lamma wasalu el-medina el- 'afrit dakhal fig-gism beta' bint es-sultan ; er-ragil mishi fis-sikka; yekallim : "tabib adawi, ana medawi ! " Lamma s'ma'u fis-seraya nadahum 'aleh, qalulu " enta tabib shater ? " qallu- um: "aiwa, shater;" qalu : "el-binte-di 'ajyana ketir; izakan tetib, addilak bakshish ketir;" qalluhum : "taij'yib;" qalluhum : "ana 'auz astanna fi wahid oda ana wel-bint, w' 'auz wahid kharuf shawirma : " istanna telat iyyam fis-seraya, yakul, yishrob mabsut, ba'de ma kan gi'an. El- 'afrit rah min el- bint, wul-bint gat ta>yiba ze el-awwal : uddidu bakshish, uddiilu hudum. El- 'afrit rah fil-bint beta' '1-wezir : el-wezir ba't khabar lis-sultan 'alashan et- tabib : et-tawbib rah 'and el-wezir : el-wezir kallimmo : "izakan el-bint mush tayyiba aqta' rasak." Kallimmo : " taijyib." Kallimmo : " lazim wahid oda ana wel-bint": qa'd fil-oda huwa wel-bint etnen telatayom; el-'afrit makanshi yetla' min el-bint; er-ragil kallimmo: " Yakhi, ruh!" El-'afrit yekalHm : " la, ana marohshi; " er-ragil talab min el-wezir yeruhu fil-genena howa wel- bint ; lamma rahu fil-genena westannu fil-genena el-'afrit kan yetla' pl'ab qoddamhum, lakin makanshi yeruh. Er-ragil ifteker m'rato; qal HI- 'afrit: "Enta m'andakshi khabar?" qallu : "la:" qallu : "Bakhtiya bedawwar 'alek ! " El-'afrit lamma s'ma' Bakhtiya tafash. El-bint gat taiyyiba ze min qabla.