A20 An Orphan Duckling
Yulia Davudi of ⁺Hassar ⁺Baba-čanga in Sydney, Australia
xá-yuma ⁺malla ⁺Nasradən leva mabyunə. našə raba bitáyəva bərrə́xšəva márəva ⁺malla dáx-vilux? ʾica xəšlux ⁺malla ⁺Nasradən? tilun ⁺tarru mxilun ⁺tuk̭tək̭lun mərrun ⁺malla ⁺Nasradən, ⁺raba ⁺narahat꞊ivax. ʾícəvət? lēt mabyunə. mərrə bəxzáyətun ʾa-ʾordac? mə́ttəla yəmmu. ʾaha ⁺záyələ. ʾina xa-dana gəddala, gəddala dərya b-ʾak̭lət da-ʾordac, muttol ⁺ʾal-havuz. labúlolə máyolə labúlolə máyolə. mara mu vadət? mara ⁺bəzdayən xank̭a čuncət súrələ, yəmmo mə́ttəla. malupon sxeta k̭at-lá meta xank̭a.
One day mullah Nasradin did not show up. People were coming and going a lot and saying ‘What has become of you, mullah? Where have you gone mullah Nasradin?’ They came and knocked on his door and said ‘Mullah Nasradin, we are very worried. Where are you? You do not make an appearance.’ He said ‘Do you see this duck? Its mother is dead. This is a duckling.’ (They see) that he has put a string on the leg of the duck and put it in the pool. He pulls it back and forth, back and forth. They say ‘What are you doing?’ He says ‘I am afraid it may drown because it is small and its mother had died. I am teaching it to swim so that it does not drown and die.’