The translation of world literature to Baluchi language is very limited. The translation of the story of “two goats ” by Aesop is an attempt by Karim Baluch to introduce popular stories originally in a foreign language to the Baluchi readers.
Aesop Fables
One day a goat was crossing the bridge. The bridge being narrow, could only accommodate one person crossing it at a time. At the other end of the bridge, he saw that there was another goat coming from the opposite direction. Since the bridge could only accommodate one person at a time, it was impossible for both the goats to cross it simultaneously.
The goats stood in their place and waited for the other to retreat. But neither of them was willing to back down to let the other pass. The first goat then said, ‘I am the older goat, so you should allow me to pass first.’ The other goat denied and said, ‘I am the stronger one, so I can cross the bridge faster. You will only amble along because you are old.’
The first goat took offence to what the other one said and continued, ‘Although I am older, I am stronger than you.’ The second goat did not want to accept that, and both the goats soon got into a fight to prove to each other their strength.
The goats locked horns and fought fiercely on the narrow bridge. In no time, they lost their balance and fell into the river. The strong currents swept the goats away, causing them to drown and disappear into the deep waters.
After the incident, two other goats faced one another in a similar situation. These goats also got into an argument about who should be the one to cross the bridge first. Just when it looked like things would take a turn for the worse, one of the goats stops the argument. He said, ‘Stop! This bridge is too narrow for us to settle our dispute with a fight. If we continue this, we will both fall into the river and die instead. I have a plan.’
The wise goat went on to explain the plan. He said, ‘I will lie down on the bridge while you walk over me. That way, we can both make it to the other end.’
The other goat understood the logic behind the idea and realized it was the sensible thing to do. He did exactly as the first goat instructed, and both of them made it across safely.
