A18 A Sweater to Pay Off a Debt

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

xá-yuma ⁺malla denánəva, denánəva k̭a-xa-naša. ʾaha naša xá-yuma tilə k̭am-⁺tarra. ⁺malla m-rək̭k̭a xzilə bitáyələ ⁺tarra ⁺č̭əmlə ⁺ʾallu. mərrə, ʾən-tilə ⁺malla k̭a-baxtu mərrə tanyat k̭at-⁺malla lelə laxxa. xəšla baxta ⁺tarra patxalə mərrə k̭at-⁺malla k̭ay denánələ. ⁺byayən zuyzə šak̭lən mənnu. mərra ⁺malla lelə beta ʾina k̭ati mírələ ʾana calyan k̭am-⁺tarra cma꞊t ʾəttən ʾannə ʾərbə k̭at-bərrə́xšəna ⁺məsté k̭at-pəlla ⁺ʾal-ʾarra šak̭lanna ⁺jammanna, ʾodanna gəddalə ʾu-⁺zak̭ranna svetar ʾu-zabnanna k̭at-mayyan zuyzə-diyyux yavvannə. ⁺maxleta k̭at denánəxva ʾina ʾana ⁺jarubən k̭at yavvannə denux. ʾo-naša bərrə́xšələ.

One day the mullah was in debt, he was in debt to a man. This man one day came to the door. The mullah saw him coming from a distance and closed the door against him. He said ‘If he comes,’ the mullah said to his wife ‘say that the mullah is not here.’ The wife went to open the door. He (the creditor) said ‘The mullah is in debt. I want to take money from him.’ She said ‘The mullah is not at home, but he said to me that I should stand in front of the door and that I should take the hair that has fallen on the ground of as many sheep that pass by, gather it together, make it into threads and knit it into a sweater, then sell it in order to bring in your money to give it to you. I apologize that we are in debt, but I shall try to pay your debt.’ The man goes away.