Trickster

kha-yuma kha-nasha raba lipeva merre kati hech nasha le-ames alde. hech nasha gu-dunye letten kat-ka-diyyi alde. malla Nasraden mara iket ave a-nasha ana b-aldenne. bitayena kes-kazi. e-danta letva … malka letva … polise iva kazi akhchi kulle shulane gu-idet kaziva.

One day a man, who was very learned, said ‘Nobody can trick me. There is nobody in the world who could trick me.’ Mullah Nasradin says ‘Wherever this man is, I shall trick him.’ He comes to the judge. At that time there was no king, there was no police, but there was a judge. All matters were in the hand of the judge.

berrekhshele kes-kazi, mara ana kakh b-alden. mara mujjur b-aldetli? mara hi ana b-aldennukh ina b-shart, shart matti. alpa dinare mattuyele kes-kazi. mara alpa dinare en-ana kakh uldili, anne alpa dinare katina. en-la kam-aldennukh, et-diyyukhna. emza vadena. malla ka-do nasha marele aten tuy lakhkha, ana berrekhshen kat aten aldennukh. ana berrekhshen deren aten kat-aldennukh.

He goes to the judge and says ‘I shall trick you.’ He says ‘How will you trick me?’ He says ‘Yes, I shall trick you.’ ‘But on condition (of a deposit), put down a deposit.’ He puts down one thousand dinars with the judge. He says ‘The thousand dinars—if I trick you, these thousand dinars are mine. If I do not trick you, they are yours.’ They sign. The mullah says to that man ‘You sit here and I shall go and come back to trick you. I shall go and return to trick you.’

kazi betyavel tama, bespara al-da-nasha kat ate ka-malla, kat-ate aldile. kha saat let. tre saatte let. tla saatte let. khamsha saatte let. kazi ka-haji marele kat ana bekhshaven malla mukremmele ana krimen.

The judge sits there, waiting for the man to come back, for the mullah to come back and trick him. (After) one hour, he is not there. (After) two hours, he is not there. (After) three hours, he is not there. (After) five hours, he is not there. The judge says to the pilgrim ‘I think the mullah has lost and I have won.’

haji marele la makhleta at kheltet av krimele. anne arpa saatte ka-diyyukh mutti-val lakhkha kat-aldilukh ayya aldetela. ayya ka-diyyukh uldile. anne arpa-saatte, khamsha-saatte at-tivet lakhkha bespara allu avun krimele. beshkalele alpa dinare, yavele ka-malla.

The pilgrim says ‘No, pardon me, you are wrong. He has won. He has put you here these four hours in order to trick you. This is a trick. He has tricked you. For these four hours, five hours, you have sat here waiting for him. He has won.’ They take the thousand dinars and give them to the mullah.