The very famous Kasbuba stories

On this page you can find a small collection of Kasbuba stories. Their hero, Kasbuba is one of the figures of the Lezgi folklore - an incredibly poor and not-so-educated self-proclaimed 'folk philosopher'.
To make the stories more accesible and useful for language learners, I've decided to provide both dissection (explanation of each separate word) and translation after each story.
The stories are taken from www.lezgi.com. The dissections, translations and minor changes to the original texts are to be blamed on me.
Now, read it on. I hope you'll find it worth your time.



Са юкъуз Касбуба цIару пекер алукIна, чинни чIулаварна, алишвериш авун патал базардиз фена. Касбубадин и гьал акур дустарикай сада лагьана:
- Им вуч беябурчивилин акунар я вал алайди, я Касбуба ?
Касбуба жаваб гана:
- Пекер за муьштерияр жуван кьилел кIватIун патал алукIнавайбур я. Чин лагьайтIа, муьштерияр алцурардайла, регьуьвиляй яру тахьун патал чIулаварнавайди я.

са юкъуз - one day; Касбуба - Kasbuba; цIару - speckled; пекер - clothes; алукIна - put on (past perf.);
чин - face; -ни - and; чIулаварна - blackened; алишвериш авун - to trade, make business;
патал - for, in order to; базардиз - to market; фена - went; Касбубадин - Kasbuba's;
и - this; гьал - state, condition; акур - seen; дустарикай - from friends; сада - one; лагьана - said;
им - this; вуч - what; беябурчивилин - of disgrace; акунар - looks (noun); я - is; вал - on you;
алайди - there's on; я Касбуба - o, Kasbuba (vocative) ? жаваб - answer; гана - gave;
за - I; муьштерияр - clients; жуван - my own; кьилел - on head; кIватIун - to gather;
алукIнавайбур - what has been put on; лагьайтIа - as for; алцурардайла - when I'll be cheating;
регьуьвиляй - from shame; яру - red; тахьун - don't become; чIулаварнавайди - the blackened one;


One day, Kasbuba put on speckled, colorful clothes, blackened his face, and went to the market to make some transactions. Seeing him in such weird condition one of his friends said:
- Kasbuba, what is this disgraceful looks of yours ?
Kasbuba answered:
- I've put on this clothes to attract clients to myself. As for my face, I've blackened it, so that it won't turn red when I'll be cheating my clients.



Садра Касбубади фекьидиз:
- Бес чи вилик квай тама шумуд тар аватIа лагь тIун, фекьи ?
- Вуна закай ягьанатармир. Гьамни чир жедай кIвалах яни ?
- Эхь, фекьи, чир жедай кIвалах я, заз чида.
- Бес лагь тIун.
- А тама дуьм-дуьз ви чурудал гьикьван чIарар алатIа, гьакьван тарар ава. ЧIалахъ тахьайитIа, ва гьисаба.

садра - once; Касбубади - Kasbuba (erg.); фекьидиз - to a mullah; бес - so; чи - our;
вилик - in front; квай - which is; тама - in forest; шумуд - how many; тар - tree;
аватIа - if there is; лагь - tell !; тIун - (a particle reinforcing the question); вуна - you;
закай - from me; ягьанатармир - don't mock; гьамни - too; чир - known; жедай - possible to become;
кIвалах - work, thing; яни - is it; эхь - yes; я - is; заз - to me; чида - know;
дуьм-дуьз - exactly; ви - your; чурудал - in beard; гьикьван - this much;
чIарар - hair (pl.); алатIа - if there is; гьакьван - that much; тарар - trees; ава - there is;
чIалахъ - behind language (ie. believed); тахьайитIа - if it is not; гьисаба - count


Kasbuba once asked a mullah:
- So, mullah, tell me, how many trees are there in the forest in front of us ?
- Don't mock at me. Is this a possible thing to know ?
- Yes, mullah, it is. I know it.
- So tell me then.
- In that forest there are exactly as many trees as many hairs you have in your beard. If you don't believe me, count them.



Са вахтара кесибвиляй Касбубадин пекер гзаф цIару хьанвай, бижгьеррин арадай адан якIар аквазвай.
- Я Касбуба, вун чIехи итим я. ЯкIар экъисна къвекъвез ваз айиб тушни ? - хабар кьуна сада.
Касбубади адаз икI жаваб гана:
- Заз вучиз регьуь жеда кьван !? Къуй зун и гьалдик кутунвай дуьнядиз регьуь хьурай !

са - one; вахтара - times; кесибвиляй - from poorness; Касбубадин - Kasbuba's; пекер - clothes;
гзаф - very; цIару - speckled; хьанвай - had become; бижгьеррин - pieces of cloth; арадай - from between;
адан - his; якIар - flesh (pl.); аквазвай - was seen; чIехи - big (ie. old); итим - man;
экъисна - showing; къвекъвез - walk around; ваз - to you; айиб - shame; тушни - isn't it; хабар - information;
кьуна - caught; сада - (some)one; икI - this way; жаваб - answer; гана - gave;
вучиз - why; регьуь - ashamed; жеда - become; кьван - emphasis particle
къуй - let; зун - I; и - this; гьалдик - under state; кутунвай - having fallen; дуьнядиз - to the world; хьурай - let it be


One time, poor Kasbuba's clothes were so worn out, that his bare skin, could be seen between strips of cloth.
- Kasbuba, you're an old man. Aren't you ashamed to walk around showing off your bare flesh ? - one person asked.
Kasbuba answered him this way:
- Why should I be ashamed !? Let the world be ashamed that I've fallen into such bad condition !

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I owe this page, as I owe everything, to K.D. , whose smile makes the impossible happen