"O my brothers and sisters! Maori said, 'If you want to catch a fish, first, learn to think like a fish,'" Professor Nightingale added. "If you want to 'steal' a fish, so that others do not smell it, imitate the way cats work. And if you want to paint a portrait of Julius Caesar, don't show him wearing 'a wrist watch,' your work would be seemed “fake” and unrealistic, unless, if you want it to be a fictional image or a funny joke.But anyway, rather than our heads dizzy thinking about it, better, listen to this story,On a moonlit night, the Hodja saw in his backyard a white figure. Thinking it might be a burglar, he asked his wife to hand him the bow and an arrow. He took aim and let the arrow fly, right on target.Then, Hodja went to sleep and dreaming. In his dream, some people gave the Hodja nine gold coins, but Hodja wanted ten. So, he refused them. Suddenly, he awoke and saw that his hands were empty. He quickly closed his eyes again, and said, "It's okay, I'll take the nine coins."The daybreak came, Hodja went into his backyard. He was shocked to see that what he thought was a burglar, was his own cloak that his wife washed and hung on the clothesline. He kneeled down and repeated, “Thank God! Thank God!” His wife asked, “Why are you thanking God?” and the Hodja replied, “Sure I have to thank God. I managed to strike right in the middle of the cloak. Just imagine what would have happened if I were in it!”Next day, Nasreddin Hodja borrowed a cauldron from his neighbor. A few days later, when he had finished with it, he sent it back with a pot inside it. “What’s this?” asked the neighbor, pointing to the pot. “Your cauldron gave birth,” replied the Hodja. Without making any comment, the neighbor took the pot.A few days later, Hodja needed the cauldron again and asked his neighbor to loan him his cauldron once more. The neighbor gladly gave it to Hodja.Some time passed and the cauldron wasn’t returned. The neighbor went to Hodja, who was accompanying his donkey, and asked, “Hodja, what happened to my cauldron?” “Your cauldron died,” said the Hodja. When the neighbor protested, saying, “Sir, how can a cauldron die?” the Hodja replied, “You believed a cauldron could give birth, so why don’t you believe it could die?”The neighbor had nothing more to say, except to ask, "What are you doing?" Hodja started bragging about his donkey. "It is so smart that I can teach it even how to read, "he said. "Really?" the neigbour surprised. "Yes of course, It wil complished in three months," answered the Hodja while looking down. "Okay, we wil see in next three months, " said the neighbour didn't believe it.Hodja went home and began to train his donkey. He put its feed between the pages of a big book and taught it to turn the pages by its tongue to find its feed. Three days before the three month period was over, he stopped feeding it.The neighbour then came, Hodja asked for a big book and put it in front of the donkey. The hungry animal turned the pages of the book one by one with its tongue, and when it couldn't find any feed between the pages, it started braying. The neighbour watched the donkey closely and then said, "This is sure a strange way of reading!" Hodja remarked, "But this is how a donkey reads.""Interesting," said the neighbour. "Can I borrow it?" "Sure! Come tomorrow!" Hodja retorted. Next day, the neighbour came again, and found Hodja seemed busy looking for something. "What are you looking for?" The neighbor was curious. "I've lost my hen!" Hodja then took a small peace of black cloth and put it around the neck of another hen. The neighbor asked him, "Hodja, what is this?""This hen is mourning for its mother," Hodja replied calmly.The neighbour then asked about the donkey. “The donkey’s not home,” replied the Hodja. Just then, the donkey, on the roof, started braying. “Oh,” said the the neighbour “You said your donkey didn't at home, but, who was braying then?”“What a strange man you are!” exclaimed the Hodja. “Are you going to believe the donkey’s words, or mine?”"Okay, then! But, may I ask you a favor?" said the neighbor. "About what?" asked the Hodja. "Will you write me a letter?""Where will the letter go?" the Hodja asked. "To Baghdad," said the neighbor. "I cannot go to there," the Hodja told him. "You don't have to go. The letter will go there," said the neighbor and the Hodja explained, "Nobody can read what I write. Therefore I must go there to read it."Next morning, Hodja found the donkey got stolen. The Hodja began to search it. While searching, he was shouting. The judge who saw that, asked him, "Who has stolen your donkey, and how?" The Hodja became very angry and said, "If I knew the answer, my donkey wouldn't have been stolen!""Okay, calm down!" the Judge tried to smile, and said, "Do you have some forty-year old vinegar?""I have," answered Hodja. "Would you give me some? I need it to prepare a medication," said the Judge. "No, I won't," replied Hodja. "If I had given some to everybody who asked for it, would I have it for forty years?"The judge understood, then resigned. Hodja stood up watching the Judge walked across, whispering to himself, "Who else wants to keep vinegar for forty years anyway?" Hodja shook his head and walked back into his house.Professor Nightingale concluded by saying, "O my brothers and sisters! I think, there will be many interesting stories to come, and we are waiting for them. Know that a good story, interlaces relationships, and makes men, care. And Allah knows best."
Reference :
- Minyatur Yayinlari, 202 Jokes of Nasreddin Hodja, Amazon
