Home | Music | Librettos | Biography | Links | About Us | Contact Us | Store From Our Everyday Lives Satire by Uzeyir Hajibeyov "Hello, Karbalayi Mammadjafar!" [Karbalayi is a title given to people who have made a pilgrimage to Karbala, a city in Iraq that is sacred to Muslims.] "Hello!" "Where are you rushing to?" "Nowhere, I have some urgent work to do!" "OK!" "OK!" "Nice to see you!" "Nice to see you." (To himself: I just told you: I'm in a hurry). "Are you OK?" "Praise be to God, I'm fine, but they're waiting for me over there!" "How's life?" "Thanks for asking." (To himself: He won't leave me alone!) "Are you feeling fine?" "Thank you very much." (Hey, you jerk, people are waiting for me). "Are you feeling OK?" "Thank God!" (What a stupid guy!) "How's everything?" "Thank you. Long life to you. But I have some urgent work, I need to rush." "Don't' worry, it's OK, everybody is in the same situation. How are you feeling?" "Fine, thanks!" (Hey you, son of a bitch). "I haven't seen you much lately. Why?" "Honest to God, I always have urgent work, and look, even now I have something to do, and I can't be late even for one second." "Good luck to you!" "God bless you" (The devil is saying 'smash his brains out!'). "How about a cigarette? Want to smoke?" "Thank you!" (Scoundrel!). "Bye for now!" "Are you leaving? Bye!" "Karbalayi Mammadjafar, where have you been?" "God damn villain! Mashadi Safi wouldn't let me go!" ["Mashadi" is a title given to people who have made a pilgrimage to Mashad, a city in Iran sacred to Muslims.] "Bravo! People waited and waited for you, you didn't show up and so they left." "What?" "I swear on my father's grave!" "God damn you, Mashadi Safi! I don't know how I became so dear to this son of a gun!" Proverb: If we spent half an hour with everyone we happened to greet, that would be the end of our lives. __________ Uzeyir Hajibeyov. Selected Works (In Azeri Cyrillic). Pages 349-350. Baku: 1985. Translated by Farida Sadikhova. Edited by Betty Blair Home | Music | Librettos | Biography | Links | About Us | Contact Us | Store © Azerbaijan International. Copyright 2001. All rights reserved.