When Shall I Die?

kha-yuma malla Nasraden vayele tiva al-kesa. kha men-nashe vareva, merre malla aten o-kesa pramut, bet-naplet. merre PboroP baba atenda shula letlukh tiyyet b-diyyi kitet. shuk si-bar-shulukh. ana shul-ganile. naplen naplen.

One day mullah Nasradin is sitting on a branch of wood. A person was entering and said ‘Mullah, you are cutting that wood, you will fall.’ He said ‘Go away, mate, it is not your business to come and harass me. Leave me alone and go about your own business. This is my business. If I fall, I fall.’

hala o-nasha leva khisha kha esra pasulyay, malla bitayele drum al-arra. bekyamele berkhatele baru. mara makhleta, aten dilukh ana bet-naplenva m-al-ilana. bas-tanili khazen ana iman bet-meten. o-nasha khzile kat-a malla honu khachcha … basurele merre katu makhleta, medre, raba makhleta. merre kat-iman khmartukh tla gahe artala, o-yuma metet. o-yumet khmartukh tla gahe artala, o-yuma metet.

Before the man had gone a (distance) of ten steps, the mullah falls bump—on the ground. He gets up and runs after him. He says ‘Excuse me; you knew that I would fall from the tree. But tell me so that I know when I shall die.’ The man saw that the mullah’s brain was rather lacking. He said to him—excuse me, excuse me—he said ‘When your jenny farts three times, on that day you will die. On the day that your jenny farts three times, on that day you will die.’

malla mutteva … tana yakuyra al-khmarta. tana mendi raba mutteva al-khmarta u-khmarta bayyava askava ullul. u-bas-pokha pletle menno. ter, ritala. malla merre aha, ana dun karbune ka-myata.

The mullah had put a heavy load on the jenny. He had put a load, many things, on the jenny and the jenny wanted to climb upwards, and then wind came out of her, brrr, she farted. The mullah said ‘That is it, I am approaching death.’

khachchada sekla kha-khita. ganu mudmekhkhale al-arra. merre khina dan motila. et-d-tla malla metle. nashe, khuyravatu kheshlun tilun merrun a mu-vadet? ka-muivet tamma? merre khob-ana miten. la bekhzayetun kat-miten! la merrun at-khaya! hamzumevet. beshvakuna tama mara khmarele, lele parmuye.

She went up a little more (and farted) another (fart). He lay himself down on the ground. He said ‘Well, it is the time of my death.’ At the third (fart), the mullah died. Some people, his friends, came and said ‘Oh, what are you doing? Why are you there?’ He said ‘Well, I am dead. Surely you see that I am dead!’ ‘No’ they said ‘You are alive! You are speaking.’ They leave him there and say ‘He is an ass, he does not understand.’