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THE TALE OF THE LEOPARD (HEMMADÄY SON OF AMER) AND THE FOX.
The leopard and the fox were together. Now the leopard saw (some) goats, but he was afraid of the sin of killing any of them. Thereupon he asked the fox: 'For what reason do people fear sin, fox?" The fox replied: "They fear it on account of their posterity." The leopard said: "My posterity is a matter by itself," and ran after the goats.
And while he was jumping upon a goat, he fell on a ragged stump, and it cut him. And when the leopard was cut,he said to the fox: 'Didst thou not tell me, that they fear sin on account of'[their] posterity? Why have I now been killed by it?" The fox answered and said to him: 'Thy father has eaten for thee." After that the leopard died. And from this tale two proverbs have risen. They say: 'The sin is for posterity, said the fox." And, they say also: 'Thy father has eaten for thee."
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THE TALE OF THE HYAENA AND A MOSLEM PROPHET.
A Moslem prophet said to the hyaena: 'Pronounce the creed and make a vow to eat only what thou hast killed thyself!" And the hyaena made a vow [to refrain] from all carrion. And the prophet set out to go away and mounted his camel, and he let the hyaena ride behind him on the camel. And while they were travelling, everybody that saw him being with the prophet, was very much astonished, because he had taken the vow and become a pupil of the prophet. And while they were thus travelling with each other, they met a carcass on the road. And the hyaena sniffed the smell of the carcass.
Said the prophet to him: 'Daughter of Moses, do not sniff at this now after thou hast taken the vow [to refrain] from it!" But he sniffed again at the carcass and said to the prophet: 'May we not even sniff at it?" He replied: 'No!".
And after a little while the hyaena got off from his place behind [the prophetl and saying:"[This is] the food of my mother and my father!", he jumped at the carcass. And the prophet was sorry because the hyaena had broken his vow, and (then) went his way. And now they say, as a proverb, to people who do not keep their oath or their vöw: 'Thy vow has become like that of the hyaena."
'Daughter of Moses" is a name of the hyaena; the word hyaena,is used as a feminine in Tigré. The belief that the hyaena is a hermaphrodite is also found among the Tigre speaking people. It is known that the hyaena, especially the hyaena striata, is an unusually cowardly animal (cf. the tale bove p. 29), and that during the day-time he generally hides himself sleeping (cf. the same tale). Sometimes little children are killed and carried away, and single persons, - especially women, or persons sleeping are attacked by the hyaenas, more by the h. crotuta,than by the h. striata. Both are found in Northern Abyssinia; the h. crocuta is called the chief (ba'al gas(ts) or Sulul) of the hyaenas.
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A TALE OF ABUNAWAS. (1)
Abunawas had a well and also a young goat. And around his well he had stuck goat's horns in the ground; but the points of the horns were above ground. Now there was a man travelling who was leading a loaded camel, and he turned aside to the well of Abunawas to drink water. When Abunawas saw the man coming to him with his camel, he put the goat in the well. And when the camel-driver arrived, he and Abunawas greeted each other. Thereupon said the stranger to Abunawas: 'Let me drink!" Abunawas said: 'Very well," and went down into the well to draw water. And first he pulled up the goat and brought it out; after that he let the stranger drink. When the stranger had drunk, he asked Abunawas: 'This goat which thou hast brought out of the well, where hast thou found it?"
Abunawas replied: 'These horns which thou seest around the well, are goats all of them. And every day, if I pull out two of them, a goat comes out of this well." And the man was very much astonished, and he entreated Abunawas saying: 'Give me this thy well, and thou take this my camel with his load." Abunawas answered him:
'This is my place which is of great profit to me; but for thy sake, - what shall I do? Take it then!" And the man said to Abunawas: 'What is thy name?" And Abunawas answered: 'My name is Nargusfen (2) Thereupon said Abunawas to the man: 'Now then, of these horns pull out two every day, and at once a goat will come out to thee. To-day, however, do not pull out any of them; [for] I have pulled out [two] of them before and brought out this goat." And the man said: 'All right." Abunawas taking the loaded camel went to his village. And the next morning
the man pulled out two of the horns, but the horns came out (to him) by themselves. Nor looking into the well did he find anything. And saying: 'What is this?" he pondered a great deal. And every day he said: "To-day, even to-day I shall find [it],"' and he pulled out all the horns. Thereupon he thought in his heart: 'Nargusfén has cheated me. And now it would be better to go and seek him." So he set out to seek Nargus-fén., And when he came to a village he asked [the people]: "Do you know Nargus-fén (where we shall dance)?" And the people of the village replied: 'Dance here!" And gathering around,him they clapped their hands for him. But the man was very much afraid and
terrified, because they made fun of him. And again, when he went into another village and inquired, these other people also did the same to him as the first; and the man was about to go crazy. But afterwards the chief of the village asked him by himself saying: 'What kind of a man art thou? And
what doest thou wish to say?" And the man told him of all that had happened to him. The chief sent word and asked: ' 'Who is it that cheated this man?" But all, the people said: 'We do not know." Thereupon the chief took an oath saying: 'I shall give some money to him who has done thus, if he says to me : 'It is, l'." And Abunawas said to him: 'It is I who have done thus! So the chief gave him money, but the camel with his load he turned over from him to his owner. And all the people were astonished at the doings of Abunawas.
[This Is whatl they say.
(1) I. e. the Arabic Abu Nuwas. He was a famous poet in the second half of the 8th century A. D. In later Arabic popular literature he plays the role of a jester and buffoon.
(2) The words are Arabie and mean: Where shall we dance?. This meaning is also given in Tigre in the text.
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THE TALE OF THE MEN WHO MADE A BET.
Two men betted in this way. The one said to his companion: 'If thou passest one night in the midst of the sea, I shall give thee these my cattle. But if thou doest not do it, thou shalt give me thy cattle." And his companion said to him: 'All right," and they agreed to this. But afterwards he who had said he would pass the night in the midst of the water was afraid he would die; and he did not wish to give up passing the night in the water in order not to pay what they had agreed upon. Thereupon he asked an old hag: "What seems [best] to thee that I shall do?
I have made such and such a bet." And the hag said to the man: "On the shore of the sea in which thou art to pass the night, one of thy relatives shall kindle a fire and he shall keep it burning all night without letting it burn low. And do thou look always into the flame of the fire; then thou wilt not die, but be warm all night." The man said: 'Very well," and in the night for which they had betted, he went down into the sea But his mother made a fire on the shore opposite him, and she kept it burning all the night long. And her son having his head above the water passed the night
looking at the fire. And in order that he should not come out of the water,there were watchmen standing near him on the land all night.
And when it grew morning, the man came out of the water living. And he said to him with whom he had made the bet: 'Now then, give me thy cattle! 'I have been in the midst of the sea all night until the morning." But the other man answered: 'I shall not give thee my cattle Thou hast looked at the fire all night; för this reason thou hast come out of it safe." But he who had passed the night in the water said: 'When did I warm myself at the fire? Its heat was too far from me to reach me., I have fulfilled our bet." The other replied: "l shall not give thee [anything], because
thou hast passed the night looking at the fire." And also the people around them said all of them: 'That is true. After thou hast seen the fire he need not give thee [anything]."
And even when they brought their cause before the judge, he said the same to them. So the man who had passed the night in the water went home sad. But afterwards he went to Abunawas, and saying: 'Such happened to me," he told him all.
Abunawas said to him: "Go on, for this thing I have remedy for thee, thou shalt find it!" Now Abunawas sent a message (1) into all the land of his tribe, saying; "On such and such a day I shall have a feast, I invite you to it." And on the day which he had named, he had cattle and goats killed and also rice boiled. And to the servants at table he said: 'Without niy giving orders to
you, do not pass even a gland! And all that you have boiled hang up before the eyes of the people." Thereupon all the people gathered and seated themselves around the house of Abunawas. But Abunawas sat in his house, keeping silent. And the servants hung up the meats that were cooked in front of the people; and the people were glad and said: 'Abunawas has good
meats prepared for us." But when it was dinner time, they did not brink [it] near them. So all the people became hungry, but they waited saying: 'Now, even now Abunawas will come out and have the meal given to us." When the day waned and all the people complained of hunger, they said to a friend of Abunawas, who was with them: 'Go in for us to thy friend and tell him:
They speak unto thee: ,What have we done unto thee? Why hast thou done this to us'?" The friend went in to him and spoke thus to him. And Abunawas answered and said to him: "Tell them: 'He speaks unto you: Are ye not satisfied by all these meats that ye have smelled while they were cooked and that are now hanging in front of you'?" The 'friend of Abunawas returned to his company and reported to them what Abunawas was telling therm. And they all said: 'How do pgople become satisfied by sight? And what they have not eaten in what way does it reach than?" Then Abunawas came out to them and said to them: "If ye know that men do not become satisfied by sight only, why have ye kept back (2) from the man who passed the night in the water the cattle of his bet, saying: 'Thou hast seen the fire'?" And all the people said. 'That is right. There is
nobody that becomes satisfled by sight, nor warm;", and they had the cattle given to the man who had passed the night in the sea. Thereupon Abunawas had the meal given to them. And after they had eaten, they went each to his family. [ in this way] Abunawas, by means of cleverness, made justice to be done to the man. [This is what] they say.
(1) The messenger usually plays the flute or blows the trumpet before giving his message.
(2 ) Literally 4made to be kept back."
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