Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 4 1886.djvu/289

 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FOLK-LORE. 281

(/>) QissA Jamja Badshah, the Story of King Jamja, by Shekh Ahmad 'Ali. It relates a miracle attributed to Christ in restoring to life King Jamja, who had been dead 100 years, and who became and died a Christian. It is in 11 pp. in elegant Urdu verse.

Once when Christ was in the desert there fell a heavy rain for seven days, and Christ espying a fox peeping out of its hole said : " Foxes have holes, but a prophet hath not where to lay his head." Near the spot was a skull lying, and the skull said : " I am the skull of King Jamja, a mighty monarch in my time, slain by God for my idolatry." Christ on this gave him life and he lived on a good Christian for 70 years.

(c) QissA Shekh Manst^tr, the Story of Shekh Mansur (founder of the Sufis), by Ahmad, first published in 18^1, in 10 pp. of elegant Urdu verse. It relates the well-worn tale of this ascetic's saying " aii'al haqq, I am true," but which may be read as meaning " I am God," and his being beheaded for it by the Khalifa (Al-Muqtadir Bi'llah). This story says that the sword which beheaded him cried out also " ari'al-haqqy

(d) Qissa Saudagar Bachcha, the Story of the Merchant's Son, by Shah Rahman, first published in 1881. It is in elegant Urdu verse in 9 pp. It is the same story as Qissa Siydh Posh. (See No. 1.)

(6^) QissA MAniGiR, the Story of the Fisherman, by Ghaffur, first published in 1881. It is in elegant Urdu verse in 10 pp. It relates that a king fell into (illicit) love with a young fisher- man, with whom his own daughter also fell in love. The princess has another lover, who dies for her, and finding at last a true lover she dies with him, and they are buried together in one grave.

A certain king fell in love with a young fisherman and ordered him to attend court. Here the king's daughter saw him and fell in love with him also. So the fisherman passed his days in the court and his nights with the princess. While this was going on another man saw the princess, and falling in love with her used to stand staring at her