A Visit from Harun ar-Rashid

kha-yuma Harun ar-Rashid kemle bekhdara gu-mdita kat-khaze nashe, mu etten mu letten, dakhi bekhkhayena. kheshle bekhdara bekhdara raba ina kha-salet khurme, mutta al-ruyshu, sala gura. bekhdareva, bekhzayeva avva, bekhzayeva avva, bekhzayeva aha, kulle bekhzayeva.

One day Harun ar-Rashid set off to go around the town to see the people, (to see) what their situation is and how they are living. He went off walking around, walking around a lot, having put a basket of dates on his shoulder, a big basket. He wandered around and saw that one, saw that one, saw this one, he saw everybody.

bar dan berasheva, tile, kat azel betu, khzil kha-dukkana tarra ptikha. verre gavay ina aha nasha raba atkha pshima, narahat. merre ka-mu atkha khori? kam atkha pshimet? merre ah aten basura etvalukh tilukh? tilukh lakhkha kat-kha-dars yavvet? mu pt-odet kati?

After evening came, he went back to go to his home and saw a shop with the door open. He went inside (and saw) a certain man who was very sad and upset. He said ‘Why (are you) like this, my friend? Why are you so sad?’ He said ‘Ah, did you not have anything better to do than to come? Have you come to give me a lesson? What will you do for me?’

merre ha balket huyyerri katukh-khina. ina avun lele-bedda aha Harun ar-Rashidile. Harun ar-Rashid yane gur kulle mdita. merre la, la-avilukh shula b-diyyi. ana narahatuytet gani ka-gani bassa. merre la huyyerri katukh, a PsabadP khurme b-yavvenna katukh. a-tani khazen muila.

He said ‘Ah, well perhaps I might help you.’ He does not know that he is Harun ar-Rashid. Harun ar-Rashid, that is the head of all the town. He said ‘No, do not bother about me. My own trouble is enough for me.’ He said ‘No, (if) I do not help you, I shall give this basket of dates to you. Tell me so I can see what the matter is.’

raba ketle biyyu. bart raba ketle biyyu o-yala, mar dukkana, merre men-alaha lela tshita mennukh mut tshitela? le-tashen mennukh. atkha tila b-rishi. tla ganayet tilun kesli yuvvennun tlamma-dane dave, yuvvellun kati. ana shuli ahele men-nashe shaklen zuyze ka-nashe yavven zuyze, men-nashe shaklen dave ka-nashe yavven dave. PtujjaratP vaden b-da-mendi.

He pressed him a lot. After he had pressed him a lot, the lad, the owner of the shop, said ‘It is not hidden from God, why should it be hidden from you? I shall not hide things from you. This is what happened to me. Three people who came to me gave me three hundred gold coins. They gave to me. My job is this, to take money from people, to give money to people, to take gold from people, to give gold to people. I do business in this.

bas-anne tla-nashe tilun kesli kati yuvvellun tlamma dave. merrun khamilun kati. anada khumyeli. anne emza vedlun kat hech-nasha hak letle ate shakel anne dave. gari tulvuntan m-uydale atakh. kha-nasha letle ate shakellun. emza vedlun, kheshlun.

But these three people came to me and gave three hundred gold coins. They said “Look after them for me.” So I looked after them. They signed (an agreement) that nobody has a right to come to take these gold coins. “The three of us must come together. There is nobody who should come to take them.” They signed and went.

emza vedlun kheshlun, mara khachcha la-verra khzili kha-menne derre tile. kha men-khore derre tile. kati merre kat makhleta akhnan bekhshavekh khachcha yuvvekh katukh dave. lena tlamma, ina tremma. mara merri la lela mumkun. la merre, akhnan adi hamzumekhva m-uydale khuyravay. kha-menne merre khzi, khzi, avva hushu letva b-rishu, ana yuvvelli tremma, khshivel tlammena. ta-me banennun.

They signed and went.’ He said ‘Not long passed and I saw that one of them came back. One of the friends came back. He said to me “Excuse me, we think we have given you too few gold coins, not three hundred, but two hundred.” I said “No, it is not possible.” “No” he said “We friends were just now talking together. One of them said: Look, look, this one’s mind was not composed, I gave two hundred and he thought they were three hundred. Come, bring them so I can count them.”’

mara ana yuvvelli banilun avun. av bnayeva, gu-de-danta tarra mkhilun. kheshli tarra patkhen khzili an-tre-khuravay-khine tile. merri ha mu bayyitun? merrun tilan khazakh tanakh katukh kat-khoran tile verre gavay la yavvetle zuyze katu, dave. merri o-vele bnaye.

He said ‘I gave them for him to count. (When) he was counting them, at that time there was a knock at the door. I went to open the door and saw that those two other friends had come. I said “Ah, what do you want?” They said “We have come to check and tell you that (if) our friend has come and entered, do not give him the money, the gold coins.” I said “He is counting them!”

tilan verran khazakh ka-mu bnayele ina letten. la dave etten, la o-nasha etten, shkila men-panjara, rika. anne tre merrun kati kat ana gari anne tlamma dave yavvennun. adi m-ika yavvennun?! mujjur yavvennun?! bart lublele gnivele, mujjur yavvennun?

We went in to see why he was counting them, but he was not there. Neither were the gold coins there, nor was the man there. He had taken them through the window and run off. The two said to me that I must give them the three hundred gold coins. Now where can I give them?! How can I give them?! After he has taken and stolen them, how can I give them?!’

Harun Rashid marel katu kudme mara grishina al-PdadgahP PdadgahP ila Ekourt.E mara kudme kati grishena al-EkourtE, gari azen kudme Ekourt. en-la b-darili dussak. merre at avet tama anada p-khazennukh tama. kedamta berrekhshele a-nasha al-Ekourt,E grishuna al-Ekourt.E bekhzayele ina a-Harun ar-Rashid vele tiva ile kazi.

He says to Harun ar-Rashid ‘Tomorrow they have summoned me to court’—the word dɑ̄dgɑ̄h means court. He says ‘They have summoned me to court, I have togotomorrow tothe court. Ifnot, they will put me in jail.’He said ‘You be there and I shall see you there.’ In the morning that man goes to the court, they have summoned him to court. He sees that Harun ar-Rashid is sitting there. He is the judge.

men-bar-hada anne tre-dane nashe verrun tilun, maret dave verrun tilun gavay. u-kazi merre kate khob, akhtun etlokhun kvalta men-da nasha. muttetun tlamma dave keslu emza videtun kat-la yavvel ka-hech-nasha tulvuntokhun m-uydale avitun, tulvuntokhun m-uydale muttetun, tulvuntokhunda m-uydale shaklitunle. merrun hi duzila. merre Eokey.E khushun memunle o-khorokhun davokhun hazerna temun shkulunle.

Afterwards those two people came in, the owners of the gold coins came in. The judge said to them ‘Well, you have a complaint concerning this man. You have deposited three hundred gold coins with him and have signed (an agreement) that he would not give (them) to anybody, that the three of you must be present. The three of you deposited them together and the three of you will take it (the deposit).’ They said ‘Yes, that is true.’ He said ‘ok, go and bring that friend of yours, your money is ready, come and take it.’

merrun lekh-bedda ikele. merre la, akhtun yattitun ikele. emza videtun lakhkha kat tulvuntokhun m-uydale gari shaklitunle. simun machkhun memunle, ana b-yavvennun tlamma davokhun.

They said ‘We do not know where he is.’ He said ‘No, you know where he is. You signed (an agreement) here that the three of you must take it together. Go and find him and bring him, then I’ll give (you) the three hundred gold coins.’

anne bedrayel gu-dussak ka-do-yala murakhkhas vadele berrekhshele al-dukkanu u ganu beslayele men gu-otakh men duket kazi. beslayele kat-azel kulle nashe risha makkupena, risha makkupena atkha. o-yala mara avva maniva? merrun Harun ar-Rashidile bavam. avva gur-kulle Baghdadle. dakh let diyyu?! e-danta dile kat-Harun ar-Rashid tyava gu-dukkanu.

They put them in jail. They grant the lad permission to leave and he goes to his shop. He himself descends from the room, from the place of the judge. He descends in order to go, while all the people lower their heads, they lower their heads like this. The lad says ‘Who was that?’ They said ‘It is Harun ar-Rashid, my dear. He is the greatest man in the whole of Baghdad. How did you not know him?’ Then he knew that it was Harun ar-Rashid who had been sitting in his shop.