A Lost Donkey

kha-yuma malla Nasraden berrekhshele gu … bazar khmaru talukule. khmara betlaka let-khmara. bedrayele kale ay-havar! khmari tlikele. kut-machekhle kha-dana dinar b-yavvenne. khmara betlaka berrekhshele. mallada mara Pkhoda shukrP Pkhoda shukrP, tezhbukhta al-alaha, tezhbukhta al-alaha. Pkhoda shukrP yane … khkira shemmet alaha khkira shemmet alaha tezhbukhta al-alaha.

One day the mullah is walking in the market and he loses his donkey. His donkey disappears. There is no donkey. He shouts ‘Oh woe! My donkey has disappeared. I shall give a dinar to whoever finds it.’ The donkey disappears and he goes along. The mullah says ‘Thanks be to God, thanks be to God, praise be to God, praise be to God—thanks be to God [xōdɑ̄ šucr],’ that is may the name of God be glorified, may the name of God be glorified, praise be to God.

nashe mara ka-mudi khmarukh tlikele, ina at tezhbukhta massuket al-alaha? mara tezhbukhta massuken kat-gani lenva al-khmara. en-avenva ganida al-khmara, kayda b-labliva.

The people say ‘Why is it that your donkey has disappeared but you send up praise to God?’ He says ‘I send up praise that I myself was not on the donkey. If I myself had been on the donkey, they would have taken me also.’