A28 The Purchase of a Donkey

Yulia Davudi من ⁺Hassar ⁺Baba-čanga في Sydney, Australia

xá-yuma ⁺malla xmaru mətlə. xəšlə ⁺bazar k̭at-zavən xmara. ⁺jummilə zuyzə, xəšlə zvənnə xá-dana xmara. našə ⁺raba ginavə xzilun xmarət ⁺malla, tilun ⁺bara ⁺baru k̭at … šak̭lilə xmara. xa mənné xa mən-yala šk̭əllə šišəlta dəryalə b-k̭dalu xəšlə ⁺bara ⁺bar-⁺malla, mən-gibət-xmara. ʾo-xina ⁺xoru šk̭əllə xmara, lubəllə ⁺bazar k̭a-zabənnə. ⁺malla … ʾaha … ⁺bara ⁺baru bərrəxša ⁺mṱáyələ beta. ptálələ gaššuk̭ə ʾina naša. astaxfurɑllɑ̄́, astaxfurɑllɑ̄́ vádələ. astaxfurɑllɑ̄́, astaxfurɑllɑ̄́, ⁺yanə ʾo ʾalaha! ʾo ʾalaha! ʾaha mu꞊ila? mu꞊ila vita? ʾana xmara zvinən ʾa-dulə vilə naša! mara m-ica tilux? ʾavən ⁺xlapux! mújjurra vila? ʾana xmara zvinən ʾatən naša! mú-vila? mərrə ʾana ⁺raba xə́rbənva k̭a-yəmmi. yəmmi k̭ati ⁺ləṱla, ʾana vili xmara. gu-⁺dā́n vili xmara k̭ati zubənnun. gu-dá-⁺danta ʾat k̭ay tiyyət zvinət. mən-k̭uddurtət ʾalaha, ʾana mədrə duvən ⁺dərri vili naša. ⁺malla ⁺Nasradən márələ ʾavən ⁺xlapux lá-⁺bili k̭a-diyyux k̭u-šuk̭-sí! ʾina dok̭ət nata ⁺ʾal-yəmmux ⁺ha ʾavət ⁺spay k̭a-yəmmux ⁺ha. la macrəbbətla mədrə ⁺leṱalux. mara la ʾavən ⁺xlapux xina lé-ʾodən ʾa-⁺šula. bitáyələ cəs-do-⁺xoru xina ṱ-ilə xmarət ⁺malla zubnu ⁺ʾavva ⁺bara ⁺bar-naša xəšlə, xmara lubəllun. xəšlə ⁺tama zuyzə ⁺pulliyyelun. ⁺malla ⁺ʾal-k̭édamta bərrə́xšələ k̭at-xmara zavən. bəxzayəl ʾo-xmarət k̭udmə zvínuva ʾina ⁺támələ. bərrə́xšələ gu-natu p̂ač̭p̂úč̭ələ márələ mədrə viyyət naughty k̭a-yəmmux, ⁺xdirət xmara?

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. 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?’ 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. 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.’ 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. 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?’