NASRUDIN was sedately riding his donkey along the road when it suddenly reared and he fell off. A group of small boys playing surrounded him and almost split their sides with laughter.
When they had wiped the tears from their eyes, Nasrudin sat up, and adjusted his turban with unruffled dignity.
‘And what do you think you’re laughing at?’
‘Mulla,’ they said, chortling at the memory, ‘it was a wonderful sight! We were laughing at you falling off your donkey.’
‘You have not taken into consideration’, said Nasrudin, ‘the possibility that I might have had a reason for falling.’
‘Don’t run away with the idea…’ in: The pleasantries of the incredible Mulla Nasrudin, Idries Shah (NY 1968)
AYA DÜRST BRITT 