The Piece of Liver

Once upon a time there was an old woman who felt she would very much

like to have a piece of liver, so she gave a girl two or three pence,

and bade her buy the liver in the market-place, wash it clean in the

pond, and then bring it home. So the girl went to the market-place,

bought the liver, and took it to the pond to wash it; and while she was

washing it a stork popped down, snatched the liver out of her hand, and

flew away with it. Then the girl cried: “Stork, stork! give me back my

liver, that I may take it to my mammy, lest my mammy beat me!”--“If thou

wilt fetch me a barley-ear instead of it, I’ll give thee back thy

liver,” said the stork. So the girl went to the straw-stalk, and said:

“Straw-stalk, straw-stalk! give me a barley-ear, that I may give the

barley-ear to the stork, that the stork may give me back my liver, that

I may give the liver to my mammy.”--“If thou wilt pray Allah for rain,

thou shalt have a little barley-ear,” said the straw-stalk. But while

she was beginning her prayer, saying: “Oh, Allah, give me rain, that I

may give the rain to the straw-stalk, that the straw-stalk may give me a

barley-ear, that I may give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork

may give me back my liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy,” while

she was praying thus, up came a man to her and said that without a

censer no prayers could ever get to heaven, so she must go to the

bazaar-keeper for a censer.

So she went to the bazaar-keeper, and cried: “Bazaar-keeper,

bazaar-keeper! give me a censer, that I may burn incense before Allah,

that Allah may give me rain, that I may give rain to the straw-stalk,

that the straw-stalk may give me a barley-ear, that I may give the

barley-ear to the stork, that the stork may give me back my liver, that

I may give my liver to my mammy!”

“I’ll give it thee,” said the bazaar-keeper, “if thou wilt bring me a

boot from the cobbler.”

So the girl went to the cobbler, and said to him: “Cobbler, cobbler!

give me a boot, that I may give the boot to the bazaar-keeper, that the

bazaar-keeper may give me a censer, that I may burn incense before

Allah, that Allah may give me rain, that I may give rain to the

straw-stalk, that the straw-stalk may give me a barley-ear, that I may

give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork may give me back the

liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy.”

But the cobbler said: “If thou fetch me a hide thou shalt have a boot

for it.”

So the girl went to the tanner, and said: “Tanner, tanner! give me a

hide, that I may give the hide to the cobbler, that the cobbler may give

me a boot, that I may give the boot to the bazaar-keeper, that the

bazaar-keeper may give me a censer, that I may burn incense before

Allah, that Allah may give me rain, that I may give the rain to the

straw-stalk, that the straw-stalk may give me a barley-ear, that I may

give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork may give me back my

liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy.”

“If thou gettest a hide from the ox, thou wilt get a hide fit for making

a boot,” said the tanner.

So the girl went to the ox, and said to it: “Ox, ox! give me a hide,

that I may give the hide to the tanner, that the tanner may give me

boot-leather, that I may give the boot-leather to the cobbler, that the

cobbler may give me a boot, that I may give the boot to the

bazaar-keeper, that the bazaar-keeper may give me a censer, that I may

burn incense before Allah, that Allah may give me rain, that I may give

the rain to the straw-stalk, that the straw-stalk may give me a

barley-ear, that I may give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork

may give me back my liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy.”

The ox said: “If thou get me straw I’ll give thee a hide for it!”

So the girl went to the farmer, and said to him: “Farmer, farmer! give

me straw, that I may give the straw to the ox, that the ox may give me a

hide, that I may give the hide to the tanner, that the tanner may give

me shoe-leather, that I may give the shoe-leather to the cobbler, that

the cobbler may give me a shoe, that I may give the shoe to the

bazaar-keeper, that the bazaar-keeper may give me a censer, that I may

burn incense before Allah, that Allah may give me rain, that I may give

rain to the straw-stalk, that the straw-stalk may give me a barley-ear,

that I may give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork may give me

back my liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy.”

The farmer said to the girl: “I’ll give thee the straw if thou give me a

kiss.”

“Well,” thought the girl to herself, “a kiss is but a little matter if

it free me from all this bother.” So she went up to the farmer and

kissed him, and the farmer gave her straw for the kiss. She took the

straw to the ox, and the ox gave her a hide for the straw. She took the

hide to the tanner, and the tanner gave her shoe-leather. She took the

shoe-leather to the cobbler, and the cobbler gave her a shoe for it. She

took the shoe to the bazaar-keeper, and the bazaar-keeper gave her a

censer. She lit the censer and cried: “Oh, Allah! give me rain, that I

may give the rain to the straw-stalk, that the straw-stalk may give me a

barley-ear, that I may give the barley-ear to the stork, that the stork

may give me back my liver, that I may give the liver to my mammy.” Then

Allah gave her rain, and she gave the rain to the straw-stalk, and the

straw-stalk gave her a barley-ear, and she gave the barley-ear to the

stork, and the stork gave her back her liver, and she gave the liver to

her mammy, and her mammy cooked the liver and ate it.