16 HIKAYAT ABU NAWAS. 



'So, from the Singapore recension of the Hikayat Abu Nawas 

 there will remain only a few unimportant tales (Xos. 1, 2, 4 and 8) 

 lit for publication, that will not be accessible in Eomanized Malay. 



iSnouck Hurgronje's description of the Achinese recension of 

 the Hikayat leaves no doubt that it is more or less identical with 

 the Malay version. " This Malay work consists not so much of 

 anecdotes from the life of the Arab poet Aim Xawas as a collection 

 of popular tales respecting an imaginary court-fool who has much 

 in common with the German Eulenspiegel and to whom the name 

 of this poet has been given. Compare also the Conies Kabyles of 

 A. Moulieras, Introduction : les Fourberies de Si Jeli'a, p. 12 (Bou 

 Na'as) and M. Hartmann's Schiuanke una 7 , Schnurren, S. 55 and 

 61 (Zeitschrift fur Volkskunde, 1895")— "The Achinese," vol. 

 II p. 157. 



Abu Nawas, (obiit A.D. 806-813) one of the greatest Arabian 

 poets was half Persian by birth. His discreditable adventures, 

 quick wit and resource are recorded also in the " Arabian Nights." 

 (Vide Abu Nawas, p, 102 " Encyclopaedia of Islam ") . 



My summary gives the pages of the Singapore MS. in Baffles' 

 Library : — 



(1) Page 1. A Kathi the father of Abu Xawas, lay dying. 



He bade his son kiss him. Abu Xawas 

 noticed that one of his father's ears smelt 

 foul, the other sweet. His father related 

 how once he had inclined his ear to one 

 party in a suit but not to the other. 



(2) p. 2. Abu Xawas pretends to be mad to avoid suc- 



ceeding his father as Kathi under Sultan 

 Harun a'r-Eashid. 



(3) p. 4. An Egyptian merchant, a sojourner in Bagh- 



dad, dreams he has married the new Kathi's 

 daughter, paying a huge dowry. Hearing 

 of the dream the Kathi demands the dowry 

 and seizes the merchant's goods in payment 

 for a marriage existing only in a dream. 

 An old woman advises that Abu Xawas be 

 consulted. Abu Xawas orders his pupils 

 to break into the Kathi's house at night. 

 The Kathi complains to Sultan Harun a'r- 

 Eashid. Abu Xawas declares he dreamt it 

 was done and so he had it done; following 

 the example of the Kathi who had exacted 

 the dowry only dreamt of by the merchant ! 

 The Kathi is punished and his goods res- 

 tored to the Egyptian. 



A Malay Mouse-deer story with a similar plot 

 is printed in Journal Xo. 46, 1906, pp. 

 85-88. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



