The Turkish Jester

The Turkish Jester

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Turkish Jester, by Nasreddin Hoca,
Translated by George Borrow
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Title: The Turkish Jester or, The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin
Effendi
Author: Nasreddin Hoca

Release Date: July 8, 2005 [eBook #16244]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
TURKISH JESTER***

Transcribed from the 1924 Norwich edition, Vol. 16, Miscellanies, by
David Price, email [email protected]
[Original cover page: cover.jpg]

THE TURKISH JESTER; OR, THE PLEASANTRIES OF COGIA
NASR EDDIN EFENDI.
TRANSLATED FROM THE TURKISH BY GEORGE BORROW.
IPSWICH: W. WEBBER, DIAL LANE, 1884.

THE PLEASANTRIES OF COGIA NASR EDDIN EFENDI
'A breeze, which pleasant stories bears, Relicks of long departed years.'
The story goes, one of the stories of a hundred, that Cogia Nasr Eddin
Efendi one day ascending into the pulpit to preach, said, 'O believers,
do ye not know what I am going to say to you?' The congregation
answered, 'Dear Cogia Efendi, we do not know.' Then said the Cogia,
'What shall I say to you until you do know?' One day the Cogia
ascending again into the pulpit, said, 'O Mussulmen, do ye not know
what I am going to say to you?' 'We do know,' they replied. Then said
the Cogia, 'Some of ye do know already, what should I have to say to
you?' Then descending from the chair he went out. The assembly
separated quite astonished, and, when they were out, continued to say,
'Which are those of us who know? Which are those who do not know?'
The Cogia one day again mounting the chair in the same manner, said,
'O brothers, when I said to ye, "Do you know what I shall say?" there
were some who said, "We know," others said, "We do not." It were
now well that those among ye who knew what the Cogia said should
teach those that did not.'
One day Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi said, 'O Mussulmen, give thanks to
God Most High that He did not give the camel wings; for, had He given
them, they would have perched upon your houses and chimneys, and
have caused them to tumble upon your heads.'
One day Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi having mounted the chair in a city,
said, 'O Mussulmen, the air above this city is just like the air above my

city.' The congregation said, 'O Cogia Efendi, how do you know that?'
Said the Cogia, 'Because I have seen as many stars above this city as I
saw above Belgrade.'
One night the Cogia dreamt that he was given nine aspres, whereupon
the Cogia said, 'O now pray make them up ten'; afterwards he said,
'Make them up eleven,' and then presently, a dispute having arisen, he
awoke and saw that in his hand he had nothing, thereupon closing his
eyes anew and stretching out his hands, he said, 'Well, well, I shall be
content with nine aspres.'
One day the Cogia went out into the plain, and as he was going along
he suddenly saw some men on horseback coming towards him. Cogia
Efendi, in a great hurry, set off towards a cemetery, and having reached
it took off his clothes, and entering into a tomb lay down. The
horsemen, on seeing the Cogia run away, followed him to the place
where he lay, and said, 'O fellow, why do you lie here?' Cogia Efendi,
finding nothing else to say, replied, 'I am one of the buried people, but
came here to walk.'
Cogia Efendi one day went into a garden, pulled up some carrots and
turnips and other kinds of vegetables, which he found, putting some
into a sack and some into his bosom; suddenly the gardener coming up,
laid hold of him, and said, 'What are you seeking here?' The Cogia,
being in great consternation, not finding any other reply, answered, 'For
some days past a great wind has been blowing, and that wind blew me
hither.' 'But who pulled up these vegetables?' said the gardener. 'As the
wind blew very violently,' replied the Cogia, 'it cast me here and there,
and whatever I laid hold of in the hope of saving myself remained in
my hands.' 'Ah,' said the gardener, 'but who filled the sack with them?'
'Well,' said the Cogia, 'that is the very question I was about to ask
myself when you came up.'
One day Cogia Efendi, on whom God be merciful, went to the city of
Conia, and going into a pastry-cook's shop,