Once upon a time, a Bedouin tribe lived in the desert. Their tribal leader had a beautiful daughter called Zina. When the time came for her to get married, the father called the daughter to him and said: "Soon you will get married, Zina. Tell me, what should your bridegroom be like?" The daughter thought for a moment and said: "I want a man who is poor but also rich." The father was surprised. "How is that possible?" he asked, "how can a man be poor and rich at the same time?"

"Well, that's my condition. I won't marry until you find me a man who is both poor and rich." What choice did the father have? He called the men in the tribe together and informed them of his daughter's wish. The young men shook their heads. But it wasn't long before one after the other went to Zina's tent. "I am rich," said the first and brought her jewelry and precious stones. "And if I give you all this, I'll be poor." But Zina shook her head and said, "You are not what I want you to be," and sent him out again. The next man brought a whole caravan laden with treasures to Zina's tent. "Look, I am rich," he said, "but if robbers attack me, I am poor." But Zina shook her head again and said, "You are not what I want you to be," and sent him out again. The third suitor was also rich. He said: "I am poor and rich at the same time, because if I distribute all my wealth to the poor, I will have nothing left." But Zina cast down her eyes and said, "You are not what I want you to be."

The fourth man stepped in front of Zina's tent. "Look, I am poor. But with my soldiers, I can raid any caravan and then I'll be rich." Zina turned pale at these words and said, "You are not the right one either, because you don't understand what I mean." The last to come to the tent was a man whose poverty could be seen from afar. All he had with him was a needle and a hammer. "I think I could make you happy," he said, "because although I am poor, I can sew the most beautiful clothes with this needle and build the most beautiful table with this hammer." Zina smiled and said, "You are just as I wish you were," she said, and so they were married and lived a happy life together.

Märchen aus Syrien, Fassung Djamila Jaenike, nach: U. Kuhr, Arabische Märchen aus Syrien, Frankfurt a. M/Leipzig 1993, englische Fassung Lysander Jaenike © Mutabor Märchenstiftung