"Come quickly, Nasruddin!" he shouted. "Your mother-in-law fell into the river and the current washed her away. I'm afraid she's drowned!"
Nasruddin ran with the man to the river. Not seeing his mother-in-law's body anywhere, he began heading upstream to look for her.
"What are you doing, Nasruddin?" the man shouted. "You should be looking for her downstream where the water would have carried her away."
"Not my mother-in-law," said Nasruddin. "She is the most contrary woman I've ever met. I'm guessing I'll find her upstream, not down."
Inspired by: Mulla's Donkey and Other Friends by Mehdi Nakosteen
Notes: This story is on p. 34 of the book. This went on to become an extremely popular story in medieval Europe also, and then enters the Aesopic tradition, eventually appearing in La Fontaine, for example: The Woman Drowned. Here is an illustration from a 16th-century Aesop:
No comments:
Post a Comment