Once upon a time there was a poor farmer who had leased some land from his rich neighbor. To prevent the rich man's cows from entering his cornfield, he dug a ditch around his small field. But as bad luck would have it, a cow fell into it and broke its leg. So the rich man dragged the poor farmer before the judge. The judge said: "This is a difficult matter, so I will give you a riddle. Whoever can solve it, I will give him justice. Listen carefully: Who is the richest of all? Who runs the fastest of all? What is sweeter than all the others?"

When the poor farmer came home with a sad face, his daughter asked: "Father, what's wrong with you?" The farmer told him everything and also told him about the riddle. "Don't worry, father, I can tell you the answers."

The next day, the rich and the poor farmer met again at the judge's house. "What is your answer to my riddle?" the judge wanted to know.

The rich man said, "Dear judge, you are the richest; my horse is the fastest and my honey is sweeter than anything else."

But the poor farmer said: "Nature is the richest, thought is the quickest and there is nothing sweeter than sleep."

"Your answer is correct and you shall be proved right!" said the judge. "Tell me, where did you get this wisdom?"

"Oh, my daughter told me the answers," replied the poor farmer.

"If your daughter is so clever, she should come to me tomorrow, but listen carefully: she must not be dressed, but she must not be naked either. She must not come on horseback, but she must not come on foot either. She must not walk on the road, but she must not walk beside the road. However, she must tether her mount between summer and winter. She must not meet me on the road, but not in the house either." The poor farmer was very upset when he heard the conditions and went home with a sad face. "Father, what is your grief?" asked his daughter. He told her everything and she said: "Don't worry, father, I already know what I have to do."

The next day, the daughter wrapped herself in a fishing net so that she was neither naked nor clothed. Then she sat on a goat so that her feet touched the ground, so she didn't ride, but she wasn't naked either. She led the goat half on the path and half beside the path, thus fulfilling the next condition. There was a sleigh in front of the judge's house and a wagon next to it, where she tied the goat between the winter vehicle and the summer vehicle and fulfilled the next task. Then she waited on the doorstep for the judge, so she never met him on the street or in the house.

The judge saw how clever the farmer's daughter was and wanted to marry her. She agreed and soon there was a beautiful wedding.

Not long afterwards, the judge had to go on a long journey. Before he left, he said to his wife: "Don't hold court until I get back." In his absence, however, many people came to her and demanded that someone should dispense justice. So she pronounced wise judgment on all of them until her husband returned.

When the judge returned, he was very angry. "Didn't I ask you not to dispense justice? Since you have not obeyed me, I must part with you. Take what is dearest to you from my house and go back to your father."

"Very well, then I would like us to have a party and celebrate with everyone we know before we part," said his wife. The judge agreed and so a magnificent feast was celebrated. He drank a lot, indeed a great deal, and did not notice how his wife had him put on a cart during the night and taken home to her father. The next morning he woke up in the simple farmer's hut and asked: "Where am I, where am I?"

"You are in my father's house. You allowed me to take your loved one with me and that's why I brought you here." Then the judge stood up and said, "You are so clever, I cannot part with you," and so they went back to his house and lived there happily for many more years.

Fassung Djamila Jaenike, nach: O. Spies, Türkische Märchen, Düsseldorf 1967, englische Fassung Lysander Jaenike ©Mutabor Märchenstiftung