Nasreddin, The Cover-Up

Miniature of Nasreddin Hodja, 17th century,  Topkapi Palace Museum Library Cat. No. 2142


Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages)

شخصی پهلوی ملا نشسته بود
[A wise man sat down next to somebody,]

اتفاقا بادی از او خارج ش
[when incidentally, that person let loose a fart]

برای بین بردن صدای کفش خود را روی تخته کشید
[for which he covered up the sound by taking off his shoe and slapping it on the table]

و به صدا در میاورد
[and he made a bang.]

ملا گفت:
[The wise man then said:]

صدای آن را از بین بردی برای بوی آنهم  می خواستی فکر بکنی .
["Well you wanted to cover up the noise, fine, but figure out a way to do the same for the smell!"]

Nasreddin, Love the Trees

Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages)

ملا در خانه خود ختی کاشت
 mulla dar khaaneye khod khati kaahsht
[A wise man set up a plant in his house,]

و به ریشه آن شاشید
va be risheye aan shaashid
[And he then proceeded to pee on its roots,]

و گفت آن اول و آخر همین است که میبینی. 
va goft "aan aval va aakher hamin ast ke mibini"
[and he said "That's the first and last thing you'll ever see."]

Nasreddin, Youth

Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages)


از ملا پرسیدند
az mulla porsidand:
[Some people once asked a wise man:]

 ممکن است از مرد صد ساله زنش حامله شد
momken ast az mard e sad saale zanesh haamle shod
[Is it possible for a man who is 100-years-old to get his wife pregnant?]

و پسری بزاید؟ 
va pesari bezaayid?
[and bear a son?]

ملا جواب داد:
mulla jevaab daad:
[The wise man replied:]

اگر همیشه جوان بیست، سی ساله داشته باشد بلی
agar hamishe javaan bist, si saale daashte baashad bali!
[So long as she's 20 years young, he might as well be 30 years old!]

Nasreddin, New Moons

Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages)


از ملا پرسیدند زمانی که ماه تازه در آسمان پیدا می شد ماههای کهنه را چه می کنند
az mulla porsidand zamaani ke maah e taazeh dar aasemaan paydaa mishod maahaaye kohne raa ce mikonand
[The people, when a new moon appeared in the sky, once asked the wise man what made the new moons old]

ماههای کهنه را ریز ریز کرده و آن ستاره می سازند
maahaaye kohne raa riz riz karde va aan setaare misaazand
[The old moons are chopped up into tiny pieces and used to build up the sun.]

Nasreddin, Four Hens and a Rooster

Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages)

روزی چهار نفر جوان ملا  را به حمامی دعوت کردند
ruzi chahaar nafar javaan mulla raa be hamaami davat kardand
[One day, four young men invited a wise man to the bathhouse.]

و هر کدام با خود تخم مرغی برنده در حمام به ملا اظهار داشتند
va har kodaam baa khod tokhm e morg barande dar hamaam be mulla ezhaar daashtand
[and each of them, bringing an egg with them into the bathhouse, announced to the wise men:]

ما مانند مرغ تخم می گذاریم به شرط آن که
maa maanand morg tokhm migozaarim be shart aanke
["We would like to bet our eggs that]

که قرار بگذاری که هر کس از عهده تخم گذاشتن بر نیامد پل حمام را او بپردازد .
ke gheraar e begozaari ke har kas az ahde gozaashtan dar biaamad pul e hamaam raa bepardaazad
[that whoever's egg does not hatch from our group will have to pay the tab for the bathhouse."]

پس از این سخن هر کدام روی سکویی نشسته به تقلید مرغ شروع به قد قد کردند
pas az in sokhon har kodaam ruye sakkuyi nesheste be taghlid e morgh be ghod ghod kardand
[So after this announcement, each boy sat up onto a stand and clucked like chickens]

و تخم مرغ ها را روی سکو رها کردند
va tokhm e morghhaa raa ruye sakku rehaa kardand
[and then they left their chicken eggs on the stand.]

ملا فرا به تقلید خروش دستهای خود را به هم زاد
mulla foran be taglid e khorus dasthaaye kod raa be ham zad
[The wise man immediately flapped his arms together in imitation of a rooster;]

و صدای خروس در آورد
va sadaayi khorus dar aavord
[and he crowed like a rooster.]

جوانان پرسیدند
javaanaan porsidand 
[The young men asked:]

مقاصد شما از این حرکت چه بود ؟
moghaasad e shomaa az in harakat ce bud?
["What's the purpose of your moving around like that?"]

ملا پاسخ داد
mulla pasokh daad:
[The wise man replied:]

برای چهار مرغ یک خروس هم لازم است؟
baraaye chehaar morgh yek khorus ham laazem ast?
["Isn't a rooster needed for a gaggle of hens?"]

Nasreddin, Dine and...well

Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages)

روزی ملا از دم دکان حلوا فروشی رد میشود
ruzi mulla az dam dokaan e halul-forushi rad mishod
[One day, a wise man came to the entrance of a sesame bread shop,]


در میل خود زیادی به خوردن حلول احساس کرد
dar khod meyl ziaadi be khordan halul ehsaas kard,
 [and he had a great desire to eat some sesame bread]

در حالی که پولی در جیب نداشت وارد شد
dar haali ke puli dar jib na daasht vaared shod
[and even though he had no money in his pocket, he went in]

و شروع به خوردن حلول کرد
va shoru' be khordan halul kard.
[and he began to chow down on some sesame bread.]

صاحب دکان مطالبه پل کرد
saaheb e dokaan mataalebe pul kard
[The shopowner then charged him.]

ملا اعتنا نکرد 
mulla atnaa na kard
[The wise man paid him no mind.]


صاحب دکان چماق برداشت و شروع کرد به زدن ملا
saaheb e dokaan chomaaq bardaasht va shoru' kard be zadan mulla.
[The shopowner picked up a stick and began wailing on the wise man.]


ملا در آشنا کتک خوردن به شتاب مشغول خوردن بود
mulla dar ashnaa katek khordan be shetaab mashgul khordan bud
[The wise man, familiar with beatings, occupied himself with eating as fast as possible.]

و خندان می گفت
va khandaan migoft:
[And smiling, he began to speak:]

 عجب شهر خوبیست و چه اهالی مهربانی دارد
 ajeb shehr, khubist va ce ahli mehrbaani daarad
["Wonderful city, how nice and friendly a people it has]

که غریبان را به ضرب چماق مجبور خوردن حلول می کنند
ke geribaan raa be zarb e chomaaq majbur khordan e halul mikonand
[when they make strangers pay for their sesame bread with beatings!"]

Nasreddin, The Weather

Nasreddin
13th c. AD Persia
Trans RMBullard
Persian/Farsi (Middle Ages) : also transliterated into Roman alphabet

. روز ملا هنگام واعظ گفتشهر شما با شهر ما یک هوا است 
yek ruz mulla hangaam-e-vazz goft "shehr-e-shomaa baa shehr-e-maa yek hevaast."


[One day, a wise preacher said, "My town shares the same weather as your own.]




پرسیدند این مطلب را از کجا فهمیدی  
porsidand in matlab raa az kojaa fahmidi? 

[The people there responded: "Whatever do you mean by that?"]



گفت : چون آفتاب و ما و ستارگان که در آنجا می دیدیم هم می ببینیم پس هوایی دو هر یکی است  
goft: chun aaftaab va maah va setaaregaan ke dar aanjaa mi-didim, ham mi-bibinim pas havaayi do har yeki ast.

[He replied: "Anytime we see the sun, moon, and stars up there in the sky, we then realize that the weather in two different places are really just one."]

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