One cold night the King called Nasreddin to him and said, “If you're able to spend this night in the courtyard with only your shirt on, I will give you one hundred gold coins!”
In the courtyard Nasreddin saw a stone mill. He began to push it around, faster and faster. When dawn came, he was sweating all over himself.
The King got up and was surprised to see Nasreddin in high spirits. The King hated to lose one hundred gold coins, so he asked, “Was there a moon last night?”
“Yes.”
“Then our bargain is off,” said the King. “If there was a moon, it was warm. In that case even I could have spent the night outside!”
A few months later, the King and his men went hunting. It was hot summer and at the edge of the desert it was like a furnace . The King and his men were dying of thirst.
They turned toward Nasreddin's house in the hope of getting some water. Nasreddin was sitting on the edge of his well when he heard the voice of the King, “Nesreddin, bring some fresh water! Be quick and serve us!”
“Please make yourself at home,” said Nasreddin.
“Where is the water?” cried the King.
“Right here, Your Majesty, you see?” Nasreddin pointed to the well.
“You only show me the water but don't give me a drink!” fumed the King.
“Your Majesty, if the rays of the moon can warm a person, the sight of water can satisfy his thirst.”
一个寒冷的夜晚，国王把阿凡提叫来，对他说：“今天晚上，你要是能只穿一件汗衫就在院子里待一晚上，我就给你一百块金币！”
阿凡提在院子里看到一方石磨，他开始推磨，越推越快。到天亮的时候，他出了一身汗。
国王起床后看到阿凡提推磨推得很起劲，吃了一惊。国王不想白白损失一百块金币，就问：“昨晚月亮出来了吗？”
“出来了。”
“那我们之前说的就不算。”国王说，“昨晚要是有月亮的话，天气一定很暖和。那样的话，连我都能在外面待上一晚上了！”
几个月后，国王带着随从去打猎。炎炎夏日，沙漠边上热得像火炉一样。国王一众都快渴死了。
他们去阿凡提家找水喝。阿凡提正坐在井边上，这时，他听到国王喊：“阿凡提，拿水来！快点儿给我们端水来！”
“请随便喝，别拘束。”阿凡提说。
“水呢？”国王叫道。
“就在这儿啊，陛下，您看见了吗？”阿凡提指着井说。
“你竟敢只让看不让喝？”国王怒了。
“陛下，如果人晒月光就能驱寒的话，看到水也可以解渴。”
-courtyard [ˈkɒːtjɑːd] n. 庭院
-furnace [ˈfɜːnɪs] n. 火炉
-fume [fjuːm] v. 发怒
“Nasreddin” 是土耳其语，意为“宗教的胜利”，指的是一位活跃在阿拉伯世界(特别是西起摩洛哥，东至新疆突厥诸民族)的著名传说人物，其形象是倒骑毛驴的中年男子，大智若愚，才辩超群。不同地区的传说中往往以智者或者导师的头衔来称呼他，如“那速列丁”“纳斯尔丁·阿凡提”“纳斯尔丁·霍加”“毛拉·纳斯尔丁”等，而汉语世界把他称为“阿凡提”。 关于他的故事常有幽默意味和教育意义。虽说关于是否确有其人，以及此人的活动地区和生卒年月众说纷纭，难以考证，但传说他生活在13世纪，今土耳其境内。每年的7月5—10日，国际纳斯列丁·霍加狂欢节(The International Nasreddin Hodja Festival)都在“Nasreddin”传说中的家乡科尼亚(Konya)举行。