Where Left Is Right / The Old Site

Anulios adds an extra dimension to the tales of Mulla Nasrudin, by telling of another, related tradition: the tales of Latif the Thief, "a similar, although lesser-known, character whose tales are told in chaikhanas and in gatherings throughout Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia." Here's the first example Anulios provides us:

One day Latif the Theif ambushed the commander of the Royal Guard, captured him and took him to a cave.

'I am going to say something that, no matter how much you try, you will be unable to forget,' he told the infuriated officer. Latif made his prisoner take off all his clothes. Then he tied him, facing backwards, on a donkey.

'You may be able to make a fool of me,' screamed the soldier, 'but you'll never make me think of something if I want to keep it out of my mind.'

'You have not yet heard the phrase which I want you to remember,' said Latif. 'I am turning you loose now, for the donkey to take back to town. And the phrase you must always remember is: I'll catch and kill Latif the Thief, if it takes me the rest of my life.'

Ha!

(I haven't been able to find any more Latif stories on the Web, so I'll look forward to Anulios's keeping us up to date.)