Topic: Mullah Nassr Eddin

[Nick]

Also called Hodja Nassr Eddin or Hodja Nasreddin or Hoca Nasreddin and so on and on.

In Beelzebub's tales there is a character Beelzebub calls Hodja Nassr Eddin. He attributes to this man many wise and pithy sayings. Out of curiosity I did a search on this person:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=Fdp&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=Hodja+NasrEddin&spell=1

I found some interesting stuff:

http://www.readliterature.com/hodja.htm

http://www.cs.biu.ac.il/~schiff/Net/

~ On the Roof ~

 

Nasreddin Hodja's old house had a leaking roof. One day the Hodja decided to fix it. He borrowed a ladder and with great difficulty climbed up to the roof. Just as he was setting off to work, he heard a knock on the door. He looked down from the edge of the roof and saw a stranger in front of his door.

`I am up here.' Hodja shouted. When the man looked up, `What is it that you want?' he asked him.

`Please come down,' replied the man, `I have something to say to you.'

Hodja precariously descended down the old ladder. Once on the ground he again asked the man what he wanted.

`Alms,' said the man, `could you spare some alms.'

Hodja thought for a second and then told the man to come up to the roof with him. Hodja in front, the beggar behind him, both running short on breath, climbed up the ladder. Once on the roof top, Hodja turned to the man and said: `I don't have any.'


These are ones from Beelsebub's Tales:

http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/article_details.php?ID=156&W=19

[Zamurito]

I Know What I'll Do

Hodja lost his saddlebag in the town he stopped to spend the night.  "You either find my saddlebag or I know what I'll do," he said to the peasants in town.
The peasants were alarmed, and they looked for it everywhere.  They finally found Hodja's saddlebag and returned it to him.  Just before Hodja left the town, the peasants asked, "What would you have done if we hadn't found it?"
Hodja shrugged his shoulders and said,
"I have an old kilim at home.  I was going to cut it up and make a saddlebag with it."