The Purchase of a Donkey

kha-yuma malla khmaru metle. kheshle bazar kat-zaven khmara. jummile zuyze, kheshle zvenne kha-dana khmara. nashe raba ginave khzilun khmaret malla, tilun bara baru kat … shaklile khmara. kha menne kha men-yala shkelle shishelta deryale b-kdalu kheshle bara bar-malla, men-gibet-khmara. o-khina khoru shkelle khmara, lubelle bazar ka-zabenne.

One day the donkey of the mullah died. He went to the market to buy a donkey. He gathered together money and went and bought a donkey. Thieving men saw the donkey of the mullah and came behind him to take the donkey. One of them, a kind of lad, took the chain, put it on his neck and went behind the mullah, instead of the donkey. The other one, his friend, took the donkey, took it to the market to sell it.

malla … aha … bara baru berrekhsha mtayele beta. ptalele gashshuke ina nasha. Pastakhfuralla, astakhfurallaP vadele. Pastakhfuralla, astakhfuralla,P yane o alaha! o alaha! aha muila? muila vita? ana khmara zvinen a-dule vile nasha! mara m-ika tilukh? aven khlapukh! mujjurra vila? ana khmara zvinen aten nasha! mu-vila?

The mullah with him going behind him arrives home. He turns round, looks and (sees) a man. He shouts ‘God help me! God help me! God help me! God help me!,’ that is ‘Oh God! Oh God! What is this? What has happened? I bought a donkey. It has become a man!’ He says ‘Where have you come from? If you please, how has this happened? I bought a donkey, you are a man! What has happened?’

merre ana raba kherbenva ka-yemmi. yemmi kati letla, ana vili khmara. gu-dan vili khmara kati zubennun. gu-da-danta at kay tiyyet zvinet. men-kuddurtet alaha, ana medre duven derri vili nasha.

He said ‘I was very wicked to my mother. My mother cursed me and I became a donkey. When I became a donkey, they sold me. At that moment, you came and bought me. By the decree of God I have again returned and become a man.’

malla Nasraden marele aven khlapukh la-bili ka-diyyukh ku-shuk-si! ina doket nata al-yemmukh ha avet spay ka-yemmukh ha. la makrebbetla medre letalukh. mara la aven khlapukh khina le-oden a-shula.

Mullah Nasradin says ‘If you please, I did not want you, go away! But pay attention to your mother heh, be good to your mother heh. Do not make her angry so that she curses you again.’ He says ‘No, Sir, I shall not do this again.’

bitayele kes-do-khoru khina t-ile khmaret malla zubnu avva bara bar-nasha kheshle, khmara lubellun. kheshle tama zuyze pulliyyelun.

He comes back to his other friend, who has sold the donkey of the mullah—he went behind the man and took away the donkey. He went there and they divided the money.

malla al-kedamta berrekhshele kat-khmara zaven. bekhzayel o-khmaret kudme zvinuva ina tamele. berrekhshele gu-natu pachpuchele marele medre viyyet kherba ka-yemmukh, khdiret khmara?

The next day the mullah goes to buy a donkey. He sees that the donkey which he had bought yesterday is there. He goes and whispers in its ear, saying ‘Have you again been wicked to your mother and become a donkey?’