A14 A Thousand Dinars

Yulia Davudi of ⁺Hassar ⁺Baba-čanga in Sydney, Australia

xá-yuma ⁺malla ⁺Nasradən tívəva gu-beta ⁺sluta ⁺salúyəva k̭a-ʾalaha, mara b-ʾálaha halli ʾalpá ⁺dinarə zuyzə, ʾalpá ⁺dinarə. ʾaxči lá-ʾavi ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a. ʾalpá ⁺dinarə ⁺byáyəvən mənnux. ʾatxa ⁺sluta ⁺salúyəva. ⁺sluta ⁺salúyəva cut-yum. ʾə́tvalə xá-dana švava, yala jīl꞊iva, yala, ʾəsrí-šənnə ʾatxa. ⁺bilə mattiva riša b-riša mən-⁺malla. ⁺ʾavva mərrə k̭emən ʾana-⁺jarbənnə ʾaha. ʾá-yala꞊da ⁺raba ci-⁺bayyiva zuyzə. ⁺bilə k̭at ⁺ʾajjəzva k̭a-⁺malla. bərrə́xšələ beta. mattúyələ ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ʾəč̭č̭á-danə ⁺dinarə gu-xá ⁺torba, cəsta. ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a ⁺dinarə mattuyəl gu-⁺torba ʾu-yavelə ⁺šadurelə mən-⁺bəzzət buxari. mən-⁺tama ⁺šadurelə bitáyəna. ⁺malla váyəva ⁺sluta ⁺saluyə, xzilə ⁺torba tila, ba-⁺ʾavva šk̭ilalə. ⁺ʾavva yala ⁺bīl ʾaxči ⁺jarəb k̭a-⁺malla čun-⁺malla márəva ʾən-vilun ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ʾəč̭č̭a, lé-⁺bayyənnun, le šak̭lənnun. ʾana dūn-mənnux mara, k̭a-diyyux marən ʾaxči ʾalpá-⁺dinarə. xá-⁺dinar ʾoya ⁺basurta, lé-⁺bayyənnun. ʾa yala ⁺bīl xazə dūz marəl ⁺malla, yan-lá. ⁺torba ⁺pušṱalə ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a ⁺dinarə múttəva gavo. ⁺torba ptixalə xzilə ʾina xa-⁺dinar ⁺basura. ʾo-našət ⁺ʾullul gaššuk̭əl xazə mu p̂ṱ-avəd ⁺malla. gaššuk̭elə mara xob, ⁺raba ⁺spay. mu p̂ṱ-avə. ʾá-sapar p-xamənnun cəsli ʾannə zuyzə hal꞊t ʾo-dinar xina ⁺šadrətlə. ʾa bəšk̭alelə ʾannə zuyzə ⁺ṱašuyelə gu-sanduyk̭a. ⁺ʾavva naša mən-garə ⁺bəsláyələ ⁺bərxaṱəl cəs-⁺malla. mara ⁺malla, ʾe-⁺torbət k̭at ʾadi k̭atux ⁺šudrali, ʾatən mírətva ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a, ʾana muttən ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a. ʾat k̭ōl vidət mən-ʾalaha ʾaxči ʾalpa, ʾalpá ⁺dinarə. bas-ʾannə ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a ʾana muttén k̭at əmtəhɑ̄́n ʾodənva k̭atux, ⁺jarbə́nvalux. ʾət-díyyina hallun. mərrə bŏro baba, ʾalaha k̭atux yavvəl mən-xá-ducta xita. mu tiyyət laxxa ʾat but-zuyzə? mut zuyzə mut məndi? mərrə ʾavən ⁺xlapux har-ʾadiyya ʾana ⁺torba ⁺šudrali k̭atux. ʾət-díyyina, hallun! le-yávvənnə. di ⁺šurilun ⁺p̂laša꞊zə č̭arč̭urə. mərrə b-lablənnux ⁺ʾal coúrt cəs-⁺k̭azí. mərrə p̂ṱ-atən cəs-⁺k̭azí. tilə k̭at-labə́lvalə. mərrə ʾana lá-⁺ʾamsən yatvən ʾatxa ʾatxa ʾátena. ⁺malla max-diyyi ʾatə ⁺pyada? ʾana gari ʾavili xa-xmarta yatvən ʾallo ʾatən. ʾaha naša yala ⁺bərxaṱəl mayəl xa-xmarta k̭atu k̭at-yatu. mara la ʾana ⁺bayyən jullə šap̂irə. ⁺malla márələ ⁺bayyən jullə šap̂irə lošən k̭at-yatvən ⁺ʾallo. mujjur ʾatən ʾatxa cəs-⁺k̭azi?! bərrə́xšələ ʾa-yala ʾe-dasta buš šap̂ərta mayol k̭a-⁺malla. malvúšolə, máttuyəl ⁺ʾal-xmara. bərrə́xšəna cəs k̭azi. ⁺várəna cəs-k̭azi márəna k̭at ⁺k̭azi, k̭əssat ʾátxəla. ʾá-naša ⁺malla cút-⁺danta ⁺salúyəva ⁺sluta k̭at-ʾana ⁺bayyən ʾalpá ⁺dinarə, ʾalpá ⁺dinarə mən ʾalaha. ʾən ⁺ʾəč̭č̭ammo ʾəč̭č̭i ⁺ʾəč̭č̭a ʾavi, le k̭ablənnun. ʾana mu vədli? mərri ⁺jarbənnə ʾaha. ʾadiyya mən ʾurxət buxari ⁺šudrali k̭atu ʾina ʾa-mara la, mara ʾət-díyyina mara le yavvənnun. k̭a-⁺malla mara dūz márələ ʾaha? marəl la. xá-ʾaxča məndi lelə viyya. mərrə ʾən-ʾadiyya ⁺bak̭rətlə, tanət ʾannə jullət ⁺malla m-ica, p-tanə ʾət-díyyina. ⁺dilux mu vila? tanət jullət ⁺malla m-ica, p-tanə ʾət-díyyina. xob, ʾo-yala mara ʾət-díyyina! mara xzilux? xzilux k̭azí?! mərrə ʾən-ʾazət ⁺raba pata yavvətlə, ʾu-p-tanə xmara꞊da díyyilə. mərrə xmara꞊da ʾət-díyyilə! mərrə xzilux la mərri? la mərri k̭a-diyyux? xmara ʾət-⁺dávvələ. jullə ʾət-⁺dávvəna. zuyzə ʾət-⁺dávvəna. bas-ʾana mú-ʾətli? hə́č-məndi? ⁺ʾavva yala ⁺raba ⁺narahát váyələ. bitáyələ k̭at-maxə k̭a-⁺malla ʾu-⁺k̭azi lelə bəšvak̭a ⁺šadurəl polisə, ⁺šurṱə dok̭ilə ʾa-yala. ʾa-yala bədvák̭una, bədráyuna gu-⁺dussak̭. ⁺k̭azí bəšk̭álələ xá-dana ⁺dinār mən-gu-jibu yavəl k̭a-⁺malla. mara šk̭ul ʾa-xá ⁺dinar k̭a-diyyux. ʾavət basima k̭at ʾatxa našə xrivə mən-gu-mdita mačuxét mayét k̭ati. ⁺malla mara ʾavət basima ʾalaha k̭at-jaldə denux yuvvəllux, ⁺dinar yuvvəllux.

One day mullah Nasradin was sitting at home and saying a prayer to God, saying ‘God, give me a thousand dinars of money, a thousand dinars. Only do not let it be nine hundred and ninety-nine. I want one thousand dinars from you.’ He said a prayer thus. He prayed every day. He had a neighbour. He was a young lad, a lad, twenty years old or so. He wanted to outsmart the mullah. He said ‘I shall test him.’ This lad also likes money a lot. He wanted to annoy the mullah. He puts nine hundred and ninety-nine dinars in a bag, a bag. He puts nine hundred and ninety-nine dinars in a bag and gives them and sends them through a hole of a fireplace. He sends them from there and they arrive. (While) the mullah was praying, he saw the bag arrive. Then he took it. The lad wanted only to test the mullah, because the mullah was saying ‘If they are nine hundred and ninety-nine, I do not want them, I shall not take them. I am telling this to you, I say to you, only one thousand dinars. (If) one dinar is missing, I do not want them.’ The lad wanted to see whether the mullah was speaking the truth or not. He offered (to him) the bag, in which he had put nine hundred and ninety-nine dinars. He opened the bag and saw that one dinar was missing. The man who is above is watching to see what the mullah will do. He looks at them and says ‘Well, very good, it does not matter. This once I shall keep this money with me until you send the other dinar. He takes the coins and hides them in a box. That man comes down from the roof and runs to the mullah. He says ‘Mullah, the bag that I sent you now—you had said nine hundred and ninety-nine and I put (in it) nine hundred and ninety-nine. You have made a promise to God (that you would accept) only a thousand, a thousand dinars. But I have put these nine hundred and ninety-nine (in the bag) in order to give you a test, to test you. They are mine. Give them (to me).’ He said ‘Go away, mate, God will give you from another place. Why have you come here about money? What money? What thing?’ He said ‘With respect, just now I have sent you the bag. They are mine. Give them (to me)!’ ‘I will not give them.’ Now they started fighting and shouting. He said ‘I shall take you to court, to the judge.’ He said ‘I shall come to the judge.’ He came so he would take him. He said ‘I cannot sit like this—come like this. Can a mullah like me come on foot? I must have a jenny for me to sit on and come (to the judge).’ The young man runs and brings a jenny for him so that he can sit (on it). He says ‘No, I want fine clothes.’ The mullah says ‘I want to wear fine clothes and sit on it. How can I come like this to the judge?’ The lad brings the most beautiful suit to the mullah. He dresses him in it and puts him on the donkey. They go to the judge. They come into the presence of the judge and say ‘Judge, the story is like this. This man, the mullah, was all the time praying (saying) “I want a thousand dinars, a thousand dinars from God. If they are nine hundred and ninety-nine, I shall not accept them.” What did I do? I said “I shall test him.” Now by way of the fireplace I sent it to him but he says “No.” He says “They are mine.” He says “I shall not give them (to you).”’ He (the judge) says to the mullah ‘Is this man speaking the truth?’ He says ‘No. Such a thing has not happened.’ He said ‘If you ask him now and say “Where are the clothes of the mullah from?” he will say “They are mine.”—You understand what happened?—‘(If) you say “Where are the clothes of the mullah from?,” he will say “They are mine.”’ Well, the fellow says ‘They are mine!’ ‘Do you see, do you see judge?!’ He said ‘If you go and indulge him further, he will say “Also the donkey is mine.”’ He said ‘The donkey is mine!’ He said ‘You see, did not I say? Did I not tell you? The donkey is his. The clothes are his. The money is his. But what do I have, nothing?’ The lad becomes very upset. He gets up in order to hit the mullah. The judge does not allow this and sends police to arrest the lad. They arrest the lad and put him in prison. The judge takes a dinar from his pocket to give to the mullah. He says ‘Take this one dinar for yourself. I am grateful that you find such bad people in the town.’ The mullah says ‘Thank you God for paying your debt so quickly, for giving a dinar.’