How Mulla Nasruddin Sat in a Puddle

Walking back home from his field after work one evening, Mulla Nasruddin found his pathway blocked by large a puddle. Feeling lazy, he couldn’t be bothered to walk around it and so decided to jump across instead. He landed, however, right in the middle, and ended up completely soaked.

“How embarrassing! In my youth could have managed that easily”, exclaimed the Mulla, looking all around

Having satisfied himself that nobody had been a witness to his shame, the Mulla then added, “To tell the truth, I was no better even in my youth!”

(The above story was taken from 101 Tales collected in the Caucasus of The Pranks and Misadventures of the Mulla Nasr-Eddin compiled by Roman Fatuyev, and adapted by the present author from a translation by D.G. Hunt. A copy of the collection can be found in the British Library).