A sheikh once had a beautiful son and bequeathed him all his wealth and the honour of his name. But not long after his father's death, the son lost most of his possessions to false friends. What he really lacked was someone at his side who loved him for himself. However, another sheikh lived not far from his father's land. He had seven sons and a single, beautiful daughter. Many men wanted her as their wife, but her father rejected them all, as if he wanted to keep her with him forever. The young man also heard about this beautiful girl, so he travelled to her country to see her.  Like all the other girls, the girl went to the fountain every evening. There she met up with her friends to chat. But one evening, there was a handsome young man at the fountain. The two of them looked into each other's eyes and she was in love. The girl knew that she didn't want to spend another day without the young man, and the young man realised that the girl was the love of his life. But they both also knew that the girl's father did not want to give up his daughter. They looked at each other in silence, then smiled and without speaking a word, they knew they would find a way to get together.

The following day, the young man disguised himself as a beggar, stood in front of the sheikh's house and called out:

"Oh girl, poor am I,

go from door to door,

but I am burning with passion for you,

Open the gate for me!"

The young woman stepped onto the terrace of the house, looked down mischievously and called out:

"You there, at my gate,

if you just want to talk, then go away,

but if you want more, come in,

let yourself be seduced, we want to be together."

The sheikh and his sons heard what the girl sang. What a disgrace! "No one wants to marry her now!" they shouted, "The beggar must take her!" They called the beggar into the house and declared, "After these sayings, no one else will want our sister. You must take her!" The beggar agreed and promised to come back the next day.

The following morning, the young man appeared beautifully dressed, had himself taken to the sheikh and asked to marry the daughter. "That's no longer possible," the sheikh cried complainingly, "I had to promise her to a beggar."

"I was that beggar," said the young man, "and I love your daughter more than anything." Now the girl came forward and the sheikh, delighted at the happy turn of events, happily agreed to the marriage. A splendid feast was celebrated, the two moved to the young man's country and lived in happiness and prosperity for a long time. Their sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are still alive today.

Märchen aus dem Jemen, Fassung Djamila Jaenike, nach:  W. Daum, Märchen aus dem Jemen, Köln 1983, englische Fassung Lysander Jaenike ©Mutabor Märchenstiftung