jason elliot, in his wonderful book an unexpected light: travels in afghanistan, is fond of repeating mullah nasrudin jokes. nasrudin, who lived in the 13th century, wrote allegorical tales that are reminiscent of mother goose stories or aesop's fables. his fanbase has continued to add to these over the years . . . contemporary jokes find the mullah in a california zen buddhist monastery, a new england college campus, and a mental institution.
pilgrims visiting funny man nasrudin's gravesite in turkey encounter a giant lock on the mausoleum's front door . . . and the three other sides of the building open to the air.
now, i'm not so much the hehehe type, but why not give you a dose of mullah humor as you prepare for the weekend?
~~~~~~~~~~
Carrying home a load of delicate glassware, Nasrudin dropped it in the street. Everything was smashed. A crowd gathered.
"What's the matter with you, idiots?" howled Nasrudin. "Haven't you ever seen a fool before?"
~~~~~~~~~~Mullah Nasrudin called at a castle to collect for charity. "Tell your master," he said to doorkeeper, "that Mullah Nasrudin is here and asks for money."
The man went into the building, then came out again. "I am afraid that my master is out," he said.
"Let me give you a message for him, then," said Nasrudin. "Even though he has not contributed he can have this advice for free. Next time he goes out he should not leave his face at the window. Someone might steal it."
~~~~~~~~~~Mullah Nasrudin got a job at a busy granary, loading sacks onto trucks to be taken to market. The foreman, who was keeping an eye on the workers, soon came over to speak to him.
"Why is it that you carry only one sack at a time while the other workers all carry two?" asked the foreman.
Nasrudin looked around and said, "I suppose that they are too lazy to make two trips the way I do."
~~~~~~~~~~"How old are you, Mullah Nasrudin?"
"Forty."
"But you said the same last time I asked you, two years ago!"
"Yes, I always stand by what I have said."
~~~~~~~~~~
Mullah Nasrudin was walking past a well, when he had the impulse to look into it. It was night, and as he peered into the deep water, he saw the Moon's reflection there.
"I must save the Moon!" the Mulla thought. "Otherwise she will never wane, and the fasting month of Ramadan will never come to an end." He found a rope, threw it in and called down: "Hold tight; keep bright; succour is at hand!"
The rope caught in a rock inside the well, and Nasrudin heaved as hard as he could. Straining back, he suddenly felt the rope give as it came loose, and he was thrown on his back. As he lay there, panting, he saw the Moon riding in the sky above. "Glad to be of service," said Nasrudin. "Just as well I came along, wasn't it?"
~~~~~~~~~~
No comments:
Post a Comment