Once upon a time there lived a poor man, Nasyr-Eddin-odzha. And he lived to such an extent that he didn’t have a coin left in his house to buy bread, or a piece of wood to light the stove.
- What are we going to do, huh? - his wife asks him. “We have nothing.”
“Don’t be sad,” Nasyr-Eddin-oja answers, “Today we have nothing, tomorrow there will be a lot of everything!” Just listen to me in everything. Go to the butcher right now and ask him for a loan - for the last time - for lamb, and beg flour, coffee and firewood from your neighbors. Tell everyone that I’ll pay you tomorrow, I’ll give you double. And prepare a meal for four yourself, and look better - in the evening I will bring noble guests!
The wife was surprised:
- What are you up to, huh? Why do you need these guests?
- You'll see for yourself! And when we arrive, just say: Why were you so slow? Our servant came running a long time ago and gave me your order to prepare kavurma - roast, pies and coffee.
The wife was even more surprised:
- What kind of servant is this? Where will it come from?
“But now I’ll go and get it,” says Nasir-Eddin-odzha.
The wife didn’t understand anything, she thought:
Has my aha lost his mind? And Nasyr-Eddin-odzha went to a hunter he knew.
“Be,” he says, “my friend: give me those two birds with one stone that you caught in the snare yesterday.” I really need them!
The hunter did not refuse and gave the hares to Nasyr-Eddin-odja.
He returned home and said to his wife:
“So I brought two servants.” We will put one in the closet, and I will take the other with me. Remember what I’ll also tell you: call your neighbor’s son Velesh, put him in the same closet where the hare will be, and ask him to play the violin. As soon as we enter the house, give him a sign - let him play more fun. And when Velesh hears that they are approaching the closet, let him put his violin by the door and hide himself. Wife says:
- As you ordered, I will do so. You can't think of anything bad!
Nasyr-Eddin-odzha put one hare in the closet, took the other under his arm and went to the coffee shop.
There is noise and conversation in the coffee shop: some are drinking coffee, others are smoking hookah, others have taken off their shoes and sat on the carpets.
Nasyr-Eddin-odzha sat down near the door and began stroking his hare.
Everyone turned in his direction and began to mock him:
- Look, it’s clear that he has become a hunter!
- Hey, Nasyr-Eddin-odzha, how did you catch the hare?
And Nasyr-Eddin-oja looked at everyone and calmly said:
- What a hunter I am! Where can I catch rabbits? No, I didn’t catch this hare, I hired him.
- How did you hire him?
— It’s very simple: how others hire. This hare is my servant, he carries out all my orders. A better servant could not be found. After all, you yourself know how agile hares are, how fast they run!
Everyone was surprised, but didn’t believe Nasyr-Eddin-odja: you never know what he’ll come up with!
- These are your inventions!
- What inventions! - he answers. “There is nothing simpler than checking the veracity of my words.”
Nasyr-Eddin-odzha turned to the three rich merchants and said:
- Be the judge in this matter!
- What should we do? - Nothing special. Just agree to come to me. I will now send my servant to my wife and order her to prepare a good meal for you.
The rich became curious.
“Well,” they say, “we agree.” Let your wife at least make coffee for us.
“No,” says Nasyr-Eddin-odzha, “what a treat this is!” Coffee alone won't fill you up. He bent down to his hare's ear and said:
- Hey, boy, do you hear what the guests are demanding? Let your hostess make coffee for our arrival. What coffee! Coffee alone is not enough for us. Tell the hostess to prepare a good, fatty kavurma. Remember: kavurmu! And let him bake fresh lavash. Did you remember: lavash! And let him bake some pies. Don't forget - pies!
Everyone listens, smiles incredulously, looks at each other. And Nasyr-Eddin-odzha opened the door wider and let the hare go.
That one - gallop! - and rushed off.
- Well, now say goodbye to your hare! - everyone laughed.
- Why say goodbye? - says Nasyr-Eddin-oja. - We will meet him soon!
We sat a little longer in the coffee shop, talked, smoked, and then slowly walked to Nasir-Eddin-oja’s house.
The wife of Nasyr-Eddin-oji came out, greeted the guests and began to reproach them:
- Why were you so slow? I have everything ready!
Guests entered the house and saw: the tablecloth was laid out, dishes with treats were on the tablecloth.
They were surprised and asked:
- How did you know that we were coming and that you would have three guests?
“Why are you surprised?” Nasyr-Eddina-odji’s wife answers them. “Our servant came running and gave me my husband’s orders.” I just didn’t say that you would be so delayed on the way.
The rich people looked at each other, sat down and began to eat.
“Look,” they say, “all the treats have been served that the owner ordered for the hare: coffee, lavash, pies, and kavurma!” I haven't forgotten anything!
The richest of the guests ate, drank and asked:
- Where is your servant hare now?
“He’s resting now,” says Nasyr-Eddin-oja. “He’s gone to his closet and plays the violin.” Do you hear?
The guests listened: indeed, someone was playing the violin.
- Hey, Nasyr-Eddin-odzha, let us look at your hare! - says the curious rich man. “I really love everything unusual, everything outlandish!”
And other guests began to beg:
- Let us look at your hare!
“Well,” Nasyr-Eddin-odzha answers, “so be it, I’ll show you my servant.” Just walk quietly, don’t talk: if the hare hears a noise, he will drop the violin and stop playing. He is shy with us and is embarrassed to play in front of strangers. And if he stops playing, there’s no way to persuade him or beg him!
Guests say:
“We’ll go quietly and won’t say a word.”
- Well, let's go! They followed Nasyr-Eddin-oja to the closet on tiptoe, afraid to breathe. They hear someone playing the violin in the closet, it’s so much fun!
The richest guest could not stand it and said:
- Very good! Very good!
And as soon as he said, the closet became silent.
- Uh, you shouldn’t have spoken so loudly! - Nasir-Eddin-odzha began to reproach the rich man. “You embarrassed my hare!”
And the rich man repeats:
- Peck the yakshi! Very good! And the other two are not far behind:
- Peck the yakshi! Peck the yakshi! Show us your hare!
Nasir-Eddin-oja opened the door. The guests looked into the closet and saw: a violin lying on the floor, and a hare sitting in the corner, its ears flattened.
Nasir-Eddin-odzha took him in his arms and began to stroke him and say:
- Don’t be afraid, oglan, don’t be ashamed: play again for the guests.
And the hare just pinches his ears and twitches his paws. The richest guest began to pester Nasyr-
Eddin-oje:
- Sell me your hare! And the second guest pesters:
- Better sell it to me! I'll pay more! The third one shouts:
- Sell it to me! I will not be stingy: I will give you as much as you ask!
The richest one stomps his feet:
- I won’t yield to anyone! I was the first to ask you to sell me a hare!
They made such a noise that the whole house shook. And Nasir-Eddin-oja calmly says:
- How can you sell such a hare! He is both your servant and a musician. And his wife got used to him and would never part with him. No, it’s better not to ask: I won’t sell my hare!
The rich began to vying with each other to persuade Nasir-Eddin-oja:
- Exchange it for a beshmet!
- Trade me a hare for a donkey! On two donkeys! On three!
- Take a hundred gold!
Nasir-Eddin-oja was persuaded by force. Okay, my wife helped and said:
“Shame on you, you don’t want to fulfill the request of our guests!”
The husband sighed and said:
- Okay, quickly count out the gold ones before I change my mind!
The richest guest counted out the money and gave it to Nasir-Eddin-odja. And he grabbed the hare and started shouting:
- Hey, hare, now you are my servant! Then he turned to the other two rich men and said:
“There is no need for us to quarrel over this hare - so, apparently, Allah wanted him to become my servant.”
Those two rich men agreed: apparently. It was Allah's will; there is no arguing or quarreling.
“Well,” says the first rich man, “I want to treat you all to celebrate.” Hey, hare, run to my house and tell your new mistress that I will come with guests after evening prayer, let her prepare us a good dinner! Look at me - be quick, or you'll get it!
He let the hare fall onto the floor, and it came through the door - that’s all they saw!
The guests sat, talked about this and that and went to the mosque for prayer. And then everyone went to the rich man for dinner. Only Nasir-Eddin-oja did not go.
“Something,” he says, “my leg hurts and my back hurts.”
The guests approached the rich man's house - it was dark. They knocked once and they didn’t open the door. They knocked again, but they didn’t open the door. They started banging their fists with all their might. The sleepy housewife came out, yawned sleepily and angrily asked:
- Why did you bring the guests at the wrong time?
- How - at the wrong time? Weren't you expecting us? And you didn’t cook dinner?
- How could I know that you would come?
“Didn’t the hare warn you about this?” - the rich man was surprised.
-Are you out of your mind? What hare?
- Yes, our new servant! The wife got angry:
- Is your mind clouded or are you trying to laugh at me?
She slammed the door and went into the house.
- So, apparently, this rogue deceived me! - the rich man screamed and rushed to the house of Nasir-Eddin-oji.
He came running and started shouting and waving his fists:
- You are a deceiver! You deceived me!
Nasyr-Eddin-odzha sat down on the ottoman and asked:
- How did I deceive you?
“The hare didn’t come to my wife, didn’t give her anything, and didn’t know where he was.” Nasir-Eddin-odzha smiled:
- I didn’t deceive you. You deceived yourself!
- How so - yourself?
- Remember: you ordered the hare, but did you say where you live - on what street, in what house?
The rich man hit himself on the forehead with his fist:
- That's right, I didn't say!
- And one more thing: before you had time to take the hare, you began to threaten him with punishments. And he doesn't like it. So you have lost your nimble servant! Blame yourself!
The rich man saw that there was nothing to object to, and he trudged home, angry and ashamed.
And Nasyr-Eddin-odzha paid off his debts, bought bread and firewood, and began to live without need.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru