Much Ado About Nothing

kha-yuma malla Nasraden berrekhshele al bazar, mdita. ka-bakhtu marele mu bayyat mayyennakh? bakhta marela hech, hech, hech yane hech-mendi, hech marona, hech yane hech-mendi. malla Nasraden har-vile men-tarret beta plata vile mara hech, hech, hech, hech, kat-la manshivala.

One day mullah Nasradin goes to the market, the town. He says to his wife ‘What do you want me to bring you?’ The wife says ‘həč, həč, həč,’ meaning ‘nothing,’ they say həč, that is ‘nothing.’ Mullah Nasradin immediately he began to go out of the door of the house, started to say ‘həč, həč, həč, həč,’ so that he would not forget it.

kheshle mtile al-kha-dukta, khzil kha-nara raba gura ina nashe duna bedvaka nuyne. shmitena gdila, nuyne dvakena. ina malla m-kes-danne berrekhshele mara hech, hech, hech, hech, anne yale raba kribeva. shurshiyyeva, siyyeva. tilun al-gan malla mkhayu, benpasu.

He went and arrived at a place and saw a very large river and people catching fish. They have broken the ice and are fishing. They have broken the ice and are catching fish. The mullah passes by them saying ‘həč, həč, həč, həč’ and these lads are angry. They are tired and thirsty. They confronted the mullah, beating and shaking him.

merre ka-mu maret hech? men-kedamta akhnan a-gdila shmitukh zahmat begrashekh kat nuyne dokakh, at maret hech hech. merre bas-mu tanen? merre tani Azirilärdän khirdalardanAz, sure gure sure gure yane nuyne sure dukun, gure dokitun raba.

One said ‘Why are you saying həč? Since the morning we have broken this ice and are struggling to catch fish and you say həč, həč.’ He said ‘But what should I say?’ He said ‘Say: irilärdän xərdalardan, small, big, small, big. That is: catch small fish, catch large ones, lots of them.’

malla khshevle bakhtu tlebtela sure gure. shuril berrekhsha vile mara Azirilärdän khirdalardanAz, sure gure sure gure. gu-da-dana bekhzayele ina kha-dana motana palutuna, labuluna, tamrile. avvada vele bezmara, marele sure gure sure gure. anne bekhyena mkhayena gu-rishe. avva yala mitele avvada vele mara sure, gure. anne nashe mar-mita bitayena ka-daha benpasena, benpasena, ukhcha mkhayuna.

The mullah thought that his wife had asked for small and big. He began to go (on his way) and started to say ‘irilärdän xərdalardan, small, big, small, big.’ This time he sees a dead man whom people were taking out to bury, but he is singing and saying ‘small, big, small, big.’ They are weeping and beating their heads, (since) the lad is dead but he is saying ‘small, big, small, big.’ The people who are the family of the dead person come and shake and shake him, they beat him soundly.

mara ba-mu tanen? mara tani Azmusulmander alla rahmat alasin,Az yane meshshelmanele alaha manekhle. meshshelmanele alaha manekhle. aha shurile bedra-kale meshshelmanel alaha manekhle. bas takhmuneva bakhtu tlebtela meshshelmanel alaha manekhle.

He says ‘But what shall I say?’ They say ‘Say musulmandər, alla rahmat alasin.’ That means: He is a Muslim, may God grant him rest. He is a Muslim, God grant him rest. He started shouting ‘He is a Muslim, may God grant him rest,’ but he was thinking that his wife had asked for ‘He is a Muslim, may God grant him rest.’

berrekhshel, kha-darya berrekhshel, berrekhsha bekhzayele ina kha-dana kalba vele mita u-dvikena men-aklu gargushuna labuluna kat-rappile gu-kha guyba tamrile. a-da vel mara Azmusulmander alla rahmat alasin.Az meshshelmanel alaha manekhle bezmarel. avva tile ukhcha mkhilun, ukhcha mkhilun, kulle vedlun demma. merre dakh maret ka-kalba meshshelmanel alaha manekhle? ka-da raba kotak yuvvellun.

He goes, he goes a long way, he goes and sees a dog which is dead and some people have taken hold of its leg and were dragging it and taking it to throw it into a pit to bury it, but he is saying ‘musulmandər, alla rahmat alasin, he is a Muslim, may God grant him rest.’ He came and they beat him soundly, beat him thoroughly and made him all bloody. (One of them) said ‘How can you possibly say to a dog “He is a Muslim, may God grant him rest?”’ They gave him a sound beating.

kemle malla leva bashur javejva. leva bashur javejva. vile mara medre ka-kalba kat metle, merre Azmusulmander alla rahmat alasin.Az tani medre hech. ka-kalba merre hech. amedrepelle al-de-hech. tilenikha hech, hech, hech, hech.

He got up. The mullah could not move. He could not move. He starting saying again to the dog who had died, he said ‘musulmandər, alla rahmat alasin.’ (They say) ‘Say nothing (həč) again.’ To the dog he said həč. He went back to that (word) həč. He came along slowly (saying) həč, həč, həč, həč.

kha-b-kha-ga ukhcha shurshiyyeva men-shakita etten atkha sure shakiyyate gu-khiyavande, bil shaverva hech munshiyyale. kheshle beta ina kulle gvila gu-demma. ka-bakhtu merre aten le-bayyat, le-bayyat, le-bayyat hech mendi, ina e-dan bayyat kotaket dunye gari akhlenna avda le machkhenne.

Suddenly he was very tired. He wanted to jump over a stream—there were small streams in the streets. He forgot (the word) həč. He returned home all covered in blood. He said to his wife ‘(When) you do not want, you do not want, you do not want anything, but when you want (something) I have to suffer the beating of the world, but I still do not find it.’

bakhtu merra aten khmaret. let bedda, ana mu-odan? ana merri hech, yane hech-mendi. at kimet ka-ganukh kha-mendi zurzet kotak khilet. gnay-diyyi muila?

His wife said ‘You are an ass. Do you not know (what I meant), what can I do? I said həč, that means “nothing”. You have made problems for yourself and have suffered beating. It is not my fault.’