Mistaken Identity

kha-yuma malla … bekhdareva gu-khiyavand. kha-nasha raba … gura Herkul, Herkul tile kha-mushta ka-malla mkhile. malla npelle. kemle al-aklu. o-Herkul tile kat-kha-khina makhivale khzile la khelta mekhyule. lele o-nasha kat … bayye makhivale. a kha-nasha khinele.

One day the mullah was wandering around in the street. A very large man, a Hercules, a Herculescame and gavethe mullah apunch. The mullah fell. He got up onto his legs. The Hercules came to punch him again, but saw, no, he had hit him by mistake. He is not the man that he wants to hit. This was another man.

mara makhleta aven khlapukh, makhleta. ana la-dili. khshevli … o-nashetva. merre la mut-makhleta? t-azen lablennukh ka … kes-kazi. labulule kes-kazi. kazi marele khob kha-mushtada mkhile men gibu. mara la ana le makhenne mushta. mara bas-khachcha zuyze hal-katu.

He says ‘Forgive, please, forgive me. I did not know. I thought you were that (other) man.’ He said ‘No,what forgiveness?I shall goand take you tothe judge.’ He takes him to the judge. The judge says ‘Well, give him a punch for the one he gave you.’ He said ‘No, I shall not punch him.’ He says (to the Hercules) ‘But give him some money.’

mara zuyze gu-jibi liten. khamile lakhkha ana t-azen zuyze mayyen yavvennun katu ka-jarima. malla besparel, besparel a-nasha let hala. malla bekyamel kha-dana mushta ka-kazi mkhayele. mara ada men-gibet davun kat-kay mekhyele ana kakh mkhili. zuyze muyyele, at shkul. ana len byaye.

He says ‘There is no money in my pocket. Keep him here and I shall go to bring money to give to him for the fine.’ The mullah waits and waits, but the man is still not there. The mullah gets up and punches the judge. He says ‘There, instead of him, who has hit me, I have hit you. (If) he brings the money, you take it. I do not want it.’