Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Aug. 1, 2015)

Swedish Proverb

Joy shared is twice the joy. Sorrow shared is half the sorrow.

Having It Both Ways

The best part about being a hypocrite is that you can still denounce hypocrisy.

Arabian Nights Tale

Hassan, surnamed Al Habbal (“the ropemaker”) and subsequently Cogia (“merchant”); his full name was then Cogia Hassan Alhabbal.

Two friends, named Saad and Saadi, tried an experiment on him. Saadi gave him 200 pieces of gold, in order to see if it would raise him from extreme poverty to affluence. Hassan took 10 pieces for immediate use, and sewed the rest in his turban; but a kite pounced on his turban and carried it away. The two friends, after a time, visited Hassan again, but found him in the same state of poverty. Having heard his tale, Saadi gave him another 200 pieces of gold. Again he took out 10 pieces, and, wrapping the rest in a linen rag, hid it in a jar of bran. While Hassan was at work, his wife exchanged this jar of bran for fuller’s earth, and again the condition of the man was not bettered by the gift. Saad now gave the ropemaker a small piece of lead, and this made his fortune thus:

A fisherman wanted a piece of lead for his nets, and promised to give Hassan for Saad’s piece whatever he caught in his first draught. This was a large fish, and in it the wife found a splendid diamond, which was sold for 100,000 pieces of gold. Hassan now became very rich, and when the two friends visited him again, they found him a man of consequence. He asked them to stay with him, and took them to his country house, when one of his sons showed him a curious nest, made out of a turban. This was the very turban which the kite had carried off, and the money was found in the lining. As they returned to the city, they stopped and purchased a jar of bran. This happened to be the very jar which the wife had given in exchange, and the money was discovered wrapped in linen at the bottom. Hassan was delighted, and gave the 380 pieces to the poor.

From My Persian Dictionary

´An: it

Chánah: jaw

Yahúdí: Jew

Dád: justice

What’s in a Name?

Tchividjian: Turkish in derivation, identified as a trade, tchivi (civi) is defined as a carpenter’s nail; thus, tchividji is a purveyor of nails.

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CK Garabed

Weekly Columnist

C.K. Garabed (a.k.a. Charles Kasbarian) has been active in the Armenian Church and Armenian community organizations all his life. As a writer and editor, he has been a keen observer of, and outspoken commentator on, political and social matters affecting Armenian Americans. He has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Reporter and the AGBU Literary Quarterly, “ARARAT.” For the last 30 years, Garabed has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Weekly. He produces a weekly column called “Uncle Garabed's Notebook,” in which he presents an assortment of tales, anecdotes, poems, riddles, and trivia; for the past 10 years, each column has contained a deconstruction of an Armenian surname. He believes his greatest accomplishment in life, and his contribution to the Armenian nation, has been the espousing of Aghavni, and the begetting of Antranig and Lucine.

Latest posts by CK Garabed (see all)

• A Reminiscence: John Najarian - February 19, 2020
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