The Nazarene broker told his story that he is born from Egypt. His father died and replaced him as the succeeding broker. A rich man riding a donkey approached him and requested a hundred gold for the sesame seeds on the handkerchief he handed to the broker, he also requested to take porters and measured to the Khan of El Jaweli by the Gate of Victory tomorrow; he later traded to the willing buyers a hundred gold for the sesame seeds. By the next day, the broker took four gaugers and carried them to the Khan. After meeting the rich man, the broker measured the fifty ardebbs of sesame from a container which is worth five thousand gold. The rich man requested the broker to sell his merchandise for a four thousand five hundred gold. A month later, the broker only got a thousand gold for selling it and the rich man requested to sell it and returns after a month; another passed, the broker sold more of the merchandise and later requested to eat along with the rich man which he refused and wants the gold after selling all of the merchandise to willing buyers; another passed, the rich man is seen with a mule and more luxurious clothing. The broker quoted the poet about the blessing of Allah and the wonders. He later approached the rich man and asked if he wants to take the gold he requested and he said if the broker is in a hurry and rich man will redeem the gold after an end of the business. The broker wants to pressure the rich man to eat along with him after selling all of his merchandise. Later, the rich man accepted to eat along with the broker. The rich man recited the verse after being questioned about eating with the left-hand which he hides his pain about his lost right hand.
The rich man later showed to the broker that his right hand is cut off, he said that he is from Baghdad and the son of the officials of the said city, he also heard the pilgrims, travellers, and merchants talk about the Egypt, he traded merchandise for the large sum of gold around Baghdad and Mosul. He recited the verses about struggles of the righteous and the enjoyment of the impure heart. He later showed to the broker that his right hand is cut off, he said that he is from Baghdad and the son of the officials of the said city, he also heard the pilgrims, travelers, and merchants talk about the Egypt, he traded merchandise for the large sum of gold around Baghdad and Mosul. He recited the verses about struggles of the righteous and the enjoyment of the impure heart. The rich man stated that he entered Cairo of Egypt and used the title of Khan of Mesrour where he stored his goods at the containers. He woke up being at the streets of Bein el Kesrein and took a night at the Khan; he later set up his own shop in the market with one servant to carry the merchandise and gone to the Jergis bazaar and he was interacted by other brokers but refused their deals, the chief broker convinced him to have his merchandise to be sold at fixed profits to the bazaar; while he goes to the Khan, he ate along with him every morning till the business are due. He stated that he used to be around the bazaar every Monday to Thursday; he later redeemed the gold and gave the receipts to the brokers and then returned to the Khan. Later, the rich man goes to a fellow merchant named Bedreddin el Bustani; then the lade approached the two in the shop which the rich man fell in love with. The lady got upset at the two due to the expensive golden clothes, the rich man convinced the lady; the rich man asked Bedreddin how much the golden clothes and he said it is about eleven hundred gold, Bedreddin gave the rich man the paper to write the discharge for the gold clothing and gave it to the lad; the rich man asked the lady to see her full face and he felt extremely in love with her before she covered her face and left. Later at night, the rich man asked the merchant of who she is and he replied that she is the daughter of Amir, a rich man in which he gave her his fortune. After what he heard from Bedreddin, he bid farewell and goes to the Khan but he can’t eat due to the beauty that he gazed upon her and lead him to just to lie down in which he cannot sleep until morning. He rose up and changed his clothes and goes for a breakfast and visited Bedreddin and sat along with him. Later, the same lady showed up with more elegant dress and a slave girl accompanying her; she request to have the golden clothes for twelve hundred gold. Both have a pleasant conversation in which the rich man felt closer to the daughter of Amir. When the rich man followed the lady, he was interrupted by the accompanying slave and they have a casual conversation that Amir’s daughter is a loyal customer to Bedreddin in which the rich man followed the lady to the money-changer where he found her; afterwards, he stated his uncontrolled love to her. The rich man wants to accompany Amir’s daughter. Amir’s daughter stated that he should mount the donkey and enquire to the house of Berekat the Syndic who is known as Abou Shameh at the Hebbaniyeh quarter which she lives in; the rich man followed the advice and goes to the Khan for the departure. Day later, the rich man goes to the location of Amir’s daughter; there, he gave the rider of the wagon-mounted donkey some gold in which he requested to return to him tomorrow at daybreak. The rich man entered the luxury home of Berekat which the two maids expects his visit, he was astonished at the luxurious interior of the luxury home. He later sat down to the room where the lady appears with a luxurious dress. They both have a conversation and ate there, both were on the room until night which they enjoy the banquet and later slept until morning. Later, the rich man has to depart but the lady worried that he might be seen again in which he will come back at night; afterwards, he late is in the Khan of Mesrour and requested the same rider of the wagon-mounted donkey to return at night with a gold given to him which he has to check for his sales of merchandise and paid a porter to send the food and sweets at the lady on Berekat’s home and then later returned there with the luxury home being swept clean and the food is prepared, he is confronted by the lady who is now impatient of his arrival which she hugged him; they later eat together until they're satisfied and later prepared for the night drinking until midnight. Later, the rich man left and gave his new lover another fifty gold just as before and returned to the Khan to sleep there for a moment. Afterwards, he goes to prepare the night meal and sent it to his lover and repeated the same action. The rich man later realized that he was charmed and recited the verse of being "magically" manipulated.
The rich man goes away from the Khan and goes on a travel along with Bein el Kesrein until they reached the Zuweyleh Gate. The crowd along with him and his fellow struggled to pass through the gate, his hand felt the presence of the moneybag of the guard with a green string attached to his hand. During the struggles on the gate the camel loaded with wagon tackled the guard that made the rich man attempt to pickpocket the guard and end up concussed by him for theft. The crowd was alerted of the action of the guard and he stated that the rich man is a pick-pocket; the rich man later got arrested and bought to the chief of guards for stealing up to twenty gold. The rich man has to admit that he stole the gold from the gate guard and eventually his right hand got cut off as the punishment as well as cutting the left foot, the gate guard took pity on him due to the struggles of passing through the gates as well as one of the city folks gave him a cup of wine. The guard knew that he’s no thief but a traveler and he recited the verses that he is a traveling merchant. He treated the wound and covered it with rags and hide it around his chest and goes to his lover’s home being depressed which the lover wants to know and they had a sorrowful conversation. The rich man recited the verse where he begs mercy for Allah, Amir’s daughter still has no idea what happened to him until it revealed that his right hand got cut off. Morning later, she prepared a dish for the rich man; he ate and drank with her and has to leave but the she doesn’t allow it due to the right hand but he said that he was charmed by her in which she refuses and wants to marry him by drawing up a marriage contract. The rich man received the dowry from his now wife later on with full of riches from her father and have the slaves as the servants. The rich man thanked his lover for and they became married couples but Amir’s daughter fell ill and died later in fifty days which he gave her a proper burial. Later, the rich man sold most of his lover’s properties especially the sesame seeds in which is how the rich man explained his story to the Nazarene Broker. Both later set out to the Baghdad in which this the Broker’s story explained his life experience to the King.
Parent Tale[]
Trivia[]
- In some translations, it is called "The Christian Broker's Story"