Slayt 1

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SOME TALES OF NASREDDIN HODJA
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This point is the centre of the world
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Whom do you trust A neighbour comes to the gate
of Mulla Nasreddin's yard. The Mulla goes out to
meet him outside.
"Would you mind, Mulla," the neighbour asks,
"lending me your donkey today? I have some goods
to transport to the next town." The Mulla
doesn't feel inclined to lend out the animal to
that particular man, however so, not to seem
rude, he answers "I'm sorry, but I've already
lent him to somebody else."
Suddenly the donkey can be heard braying loudly
behind the wall of the yard. "You lied to me,
Mulla!" the neighbour exclaims. "There it is
behind that wall!" "What do you mean?" the Mulla
replies indignantly. "Whom would you rather
believe, a donkey or your Mulla?"
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Taste the same Children saw Hodja coming from the
vineyard with 2 basketfuls of grapes on his
donkey, gathered around him and asked him to give
them some. Hodja picked up a bunch of grapes,
cut it up into pieces and gave each child a
piece.
"You have so much, but you gave us so little,"
the children complained. "There is no difference
whether you have a basketful or a small piece.
They all taste the same," Hodja remarked.
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Two sides of a river Nasreddin sat on a river
bank when someone shouted to him from the
opposite side - "Hey! how do I get to the other
side?" - "You are on the other side!" Nasreddin
shouted back.
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The Rolls and the Padishah One winter, being
without money for food, the Hoja repaired his
green house and planted some melons. When they
were ripe he chose the best of them and went to
sell them to the padishah. Who could have
imagined that the sovereign wouldn't pay a cent?
The padishah complimented the Hoja a great deal,
declared that he was indeed a very good citizen
and, with his mouth still full of melon, said,
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"
The Hoja left the palace still hungry as a wolf,
without one cent in his pocket. After a moment of
reflection, he went into a restaurant, ordered
twenty mutton rolls, sat down and ate them all.
Then he got up and started toward the door,
saying in a loud voice, "Excellent! Excellent!
Excellent!""Hey, my money!" cried the restaurant
keeper."What? I just paid you!" said the Hoja,
pretending to be astonished.
The restaurant keeper seized him and dragged him
before the padishah. Hearing that the Hoja had
eaten without paying, the padishah's face became
dark. "So, Nasreddin, you eat and do not
pay?""Your majesty, believe me, I haven't done
anything wrong," answered the Hoja. "This man is
greedy, that's all. It's true I ate his rolls but
I paid him with the three excellents' that you
gave me -- not even keeping one of them for
myself."The padishah shook his head in fury but
couldn't say a word.
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A Dinner of Smells A poor man once went to find
the Hoja and humbly said, "Wise and noble
Nasreddin, I want to ask a favor of you but I
don't know if you will stoop so slow as to help
me.""To help my neighbor is an honor and a
pleasure. Speak," answered the Hoja."Alas!" said
the man with a sigh. "For us poor people, life is
not easy. Yesterday I stopped a moment in front
of the door of a restaurant belonging to a great
lord. He said that I ate the smell of his food
and asked me to pay him. Naturally I could not
give him a cent and he took me before the cadi.
My sentence will be pronounced today. Can you
help me? Say something in my behalf."
"All right," replied the Hoja and accompanied the
poor man to the court of the cadi.The lord was
already there, talking gaily with the cadi. As
soon as he saw the accused, the cadi changed his
expression and began covering him with insults.
"Shameless man! You see this lord? You have
filled yourself up on the smell of his restaurant
and have not even paid him. Pay him what you owe,
at once!""You will become ill with vexation, my
lord," said the Hoja, stepping forward. He bowed
and added, "This poor man is my elder brother. He
doesn't have a cent, so I will pay in his place."
The Hoja then took a little sack of copper coins
from his belt, bent to the lord's ear and jingled
them. "Do you hear this sound?" he asked."Of
course I hear it," retorted the lord."Well, now
the debt is paid. My brother has smelled your
meals and you have heard his money."He took the
arm of the poor man and went away.