Story! Palestinian Folktale: The Lentil

[sonia]

Palestinian Folktale: The Lentil by Sonia Sulaiman, soniasulaiman. This started in a folk tale pattern that was familiar to me, and veered to an unexpected ending.

There was and there was not a poor couple who had between them only three lentils to eat. As the wife was cooking them a beggar came by and asked for alms. She looked at the lentils and fished one out and gave it to him. He thanked her and went on his way.

When her husband came home he was furious. “How could you give away what little we had?!” She reminded him that the beggar was even worse off than they were. “Still, if only we had the lentil!” he groused.

Sonia Sulaiman's website has lots more Palestinian folktales.