A Thousand Dinars

kha-yuma malla Nasraden tivevagu-beta sluta saluyeva ka-alaha, mara b-alaha halli alpa dinare zuyze, alpa dinare. akhchi la-avi echchammo echchi echcha. alpa dinare byayeven mennukh. atkha sluta saluyeva. sluta saluyeva kut-yum.

One day mullah Nasradin was sitting at home and saying a prayer to God, saying ‘God, give me a thousand dinars of money, a thousand dinars. Only do not let it be nine hundred and ninety-nine. I want one thousand dinars from you.’ He said a prayer thus. He prayed every day.

etvale kha-dana shvava, yala jiliva, yala, esri-shenne atkha. bile mattiva risha b-risha men-malla. avva merre kemen ana-jarbenne aha. a-yalada raba ki-bayyiva zuyze. bile kat ajjezva ka-malla. berrekhshele beta. mattuyele echchammo echchi echcha-dane dinare gu-kha torba, kesta. echchammo echchi echcha dinare mattuyel gu-torba u-yavele shadurele men-bezzet bukhari. men-tama shadurele bitayena.

He had a neighbour. He was a young lad, a lad, twenty years old or so. He wanted to outsmart the mullah. He said ‘I shall test him.’ This lad also likes money a lot. He wanted to annoy the mullah. He puts nine hundred and ninety-nine dinars in a bag, a bag. He puts nine hundred and ninety-nine dinars in a bag and gives them and sends them through a hole of a fireplace. He sends them from there and they arrive.

malla vayeva sluta saluye, khzile torba tila, ba-avva shkilale. avva yala bil akhchi jareb ka-malla chun-malla mareva en-vilun echchammo echchi echcha, le-bayyennun, le shaklennun. ana dun-mennukh mara, ka-diyyukh maren akhchi alpa-dinare. kha-dinar oya basurta, le-bayyennun. a yala bil khaze duz marel malla, yan-la.

(While) the mullah was praying, he saw the bag arrive. Then he took it. The lad wanted only to test the mullah, because the mullah was saying ‘If they are nine hundred and ninety-nine, I do not want them, I shall not take them. I am telling this to you, I say to you, only one thousand dinars. (If) one dinar is missing, I do not want them.’ The lad wanted to see whether the mullah was speaking the truth or not.

torba pushtale echchammo echchi echcha dinare mutteva gavo. torba ptikhale khzile ina kha-dinar basura. o-nashet ullul gashshukel khaze mu pt-aved malla. gashshukele mara khob, raba spay. mu pt-ave. a-sapar p-khamennun kesli anne zuyze halt o-dinar khina shadretle.

He offered (to him) the bag, in which he had put nine hundred and ninety-nine dinars. He opened the bag and saw that one dinar was missing. The man who is above is watching to see what the mullah will do. He looks at them and says ‘Well, very good, it does not matter. This once I shall keep this money with me until you send the other dinar.’

a beshkalele anne zuyze tashuyele gu-sanduyka. avva nasha men-gare beslayele berkhatel kes-malla. mara malla, e-torbet kat adi katukh shudrali, aten miretva echchammo echchi echcha, ana mutten echchammo echchi echcha. at kol videt men-alaha akhchi alpa, alpa dinare. bas-anne echchammo echchi echcha ana mutten kat PemtehanP odenva katukh, jarbenvalukh. et-diyyina hallun.

He takes the coins and hides them in a box. That man comes down from the roof and runs to the mullah. He says ‘Mullah, the bag that I sent you now—you had said nine hundred and ninety-nine and I put (in it) nine hundred and ninety-nine. You have made a promise to God (that you would accept) only a thousand, a thousand dinars. But I have put these nine hundred and ninety-nine (in the bag) in order to give you a test, to test you. They are mine. Give them (to me).’

merre PboroP baba, alaha katukh yavvel men-kha-dukta khita. mu tiyyet lakhkha at but-zuyze? mut zuyze mut mendi? merre aven khlapukh har-adiyya ana torba shudrali katukh. et-diyyina, hallun! le-yavvenne.

He said ‘Go away, mate, God will give you from another place. Why have you come here about money? What money? What thing?’ He said ‘With respect, just now I have sent you the bag. They are mine. Give them (to me)!’ ‘I will not give them.’

di shurilun plashaze charchure. merre b-lablennukh al Ekourt kes-kazi. merre pt-aten kes-kazi. tile kat-labelvale. merre ana la-amsen yatven atkha atkha atena. malla makh-diyyi ate pyada? ana gari avili-kha-khmarta yatven allo aten.

Now they started fighting and shouting. He said ‘I shall take you to court, to the judge.’ He said ‘I shall come to the judge.’ He came so he would take him. He said ‘I cannot sit like this—come like this. Can a mullah like me come on foot? I must have a jenny for me to sit on and come (to the judge).’

aha nasha yala berkhatel mayel kha-khmarta katu kat-yatu. mara la ana bayyen julle shapire. malla marele bayyen julle shapire loshen kat-yatven allo. mujjur aten atkha kes-kazi?! berrekhshele a-yala e-dasta bush shaperta mayol ka-malla. malvushole, mattuyel al-khmara. berrekhshena kes kazi.

The young man runs and brings a jenny for him so that he can sit (on it). He says ‘No, I want fine clothes.’ The mullah says ‘I want to wear fine clothes and sit on it. How can I come like this to the judge?’ The lad brings the most beautiful suit to the mullah. He dresses him in it and puts him on the donkey. They go to the judge.

varena kes-kazi marena kat kazi, kessat atkhela. a-nasha malla kut-danta saluyeva sluta kat-ana bayyen alpa dinare, alpa dinare men alaha. en echchammo echchi echcha avi, le kablennun. ana mu vedli? merri jarbenne aha.

They come into the presence of the judge and say ‘Judge, the story is like this. This man, the mullah, was all the time praying (saying) “I want a thousand dinars, a thousand dinars from God. If they are nine hundred and ninety-nine, I shall not accept them.” What did I do? I said “I shall test him.”

adiyya men urkhet bukhari shudrali katu ina a-mara la, mara et-diyyina mara le yavvennun. ka-malla mara duz marele aha? marel la. kha-akhcha mendi lele viyya. merre en-adiyya bakretle, tanet anne jullet malla m-ika, p-tane et-diyyina. dilukh mu vila? tanet jul-let malla m-ika, p-tane et-diyyina.

Now by way of the fireplace I sent it to him but he says “No.” He says “They are mine.” He says “I shall not give them (to you).”’ He (the judge) says to the mullah ‘Is this man speaking the truth?’ He says ‘No. Such a thing has not happened.’ He said ‘If you ask him now and say “Where are the clothes of the mullah from?” he will say “They are mine.”’—You understand what happened?—‘(If) you say “Where are the clothes of the mullah from?,” he will say “They are mine.”’

khob, o-yala mara et-diyyina! mara khzilukh? khzilukh kazi?! merre en-azet raba pata yavvetle, u-p-tane khmarada diyyile. merre khmarada et-diyyile! merre khzilukh la merri? la merri ka-diyyukh? khmara et-davvele. julle et-davvena. zuyze et-davvena. bas-ana mu-etli? hech-mendi?

Well, the fellow says ‘They are mine!’ ‘Do you see, do you see judge?!’ He said ‘If you go and indulge him further, he will say “Also the donkey is mine.”’ He said ‘The donkey is mine!’ He said ‘You see, did not I say? Did I not tell you? The donkey is his. The clothes are his. The money is his. But what do I have, nothing?’

avva yala raba narahat vayele. bitayele kat-makhe ka-malla u-kazi lele beshvaka shadurel polise, shurte dokile a-yala. a-yala bedvakuna, bedrayuna gu-dussak. kazi beshkalele kha-dana dinar men-gu-jibu yavel ka-malla.

The lad becomes very upset. He gets up in order to hit the mullah. The judge does not allow this and sends police to arrest the lad. They arrest the lad and put him in prison. The judge takes a dinar from his pocket to give to the mullah.

mara shkul a-kha dinar ka-diyyukh. avet basima kat atkha nashe khrive men-gu-mdita machukhet mayet kati. malla mara avet basima alaha kat-jalde denukh yuvvellukh, dinar yuvvellukh.

He says ‘Take this one dinar for yourself. I am grateful that you find such bad people in the town.’ The mullah says ‘Thank you God for paying your debt so quickly, for giving a dinar.’