Flour on the Clothesline
When the neighbour asks to borrow his rope, the Hodja says, "I've spread flour on it"; asked whether flour can be spread on a rope, he gives a fine answer.
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Nasreddin Hodja had a neighbour. Every week this neighbour borrowed something from the Hodja, but he never brought anything back. The Hodja's axe, cauldron, sieve and pickaxe had all piled up at the neighbour's house. Whenever the Hodja asked for them, the neighbour said, "I'll bring them tomorrow," but tomorrow never came.
One day the neighbour knocked on the door again: "Hodja, will you lend me your rope? I need to tie up some firewood."
The Hodja thought for a moment. He knew that if he lent his rope, it would never come back either. But he did not want to hurt the neighbour's feelings. "Neighbour, I'd love to, but I've spread flour on the rope," he said.
The neighbour was surprised: "Hodja, can you spread flour on a rope? Does flour stay on a rope?"
The Hodja smiled: "When your heart doesn't want to lend it, neighbour, flour stays on a rope just fine."
At first the neighbour did not understand, then he realised what the Hodja meant, and his face turned red. He went home and in his yard he saw all the things he had borrowed from the Hodja: the axe, the cauldron, the sieve, the pickaxe... He loaded them all onto a wheelbarrow and brought them to the Hodja's door.
"Hodja, these are yours. For years I forgot to bring them back. I'm sorry." The Hodja was delighted to see his things. He went straight to the yard, untied his rope and held it out to his neighbour: "Here, neighbour. The flour on the rope has dried, so now I can lend it."
They both laughed. The neighbour took the rope, tied up his firewood and brought the rope back that same evening. From that day on he returned everything he borrowed on the same day.
This story tells us: something borrowed is held in trust and must be returned on time. And also: sometimes a gentle word that doesn't hurt anyone works better than a long argument.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
Flour on the Clothesline is a children's tale from Nasreddin Hodja, suitable for ages 5-12 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Nasreddin Hodja category.
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