A Sweater to Pay Off a Debt

kha-yuma malla denaneva, denaneva ka-kha-nasha. aha nasha kha-yuma tile kam-tarra. malla m-rekka khzile bitayele tarra chemle allu. merre, en-tile malla ka-bakhtu merre tanyat kat-malla lele lakhkha.

One day the mullah was in debt, he was in debt to a man. This man one day came to the door. The mullah saw him coming from a distance and closed the door against him. He said ‘If he comes,’ the mullah said to his wife ‘say that the mullah is not here.’

kheshla bakhta tarra patkhale merre kat-malla kay denanele. byayen zuyze shaklen mennu. merra malla lele beta ina kati mirele ana kalyan kam-tarra kmat etten anne erbe kat-berrekhshena meste kat-pella al-arra shaklanna jammanna, odanna geddale u-zakranna svetar u-zabnanna kat-mayyan zuyzet-diyyukh yavvanne. makhleta kat denanekhva ina ana jaruben kat yavvanne denukh. o-nasha berrekhshele.

The wife went to open the door. He (the creditor) said ‘The mullah is in debt. I want to take money from him.’ She said ‘The mullah is not at home, but he said to me that I should stand in front of the door and that I should take the hair that has fallen on the ground of as many sheep that pass by, gather it together, make it into threads and knit it into a sweater, then sell it in order to bring in your money to give it to you. I apologize that we are in debt, but I shall try to pay your debt.’ The man goes away.