Dutch short stories – Learning Dutch through English short stories
Akbar and Birbal – Slechts een vraag
Birbal was very famous for his wit and intelligence. He was well known in Akbar’s kingdom and also in faraway lands. One day a famous scholar visited Akbar’s court. He wanted to challenge Birbal’s intelligence.
TranslateBirbal was erg beroemd om zijn humor en intelligentie. Hij was bekend in het koninkrijk van Akbar en ook in verre landen. Op een dag bezocht een beroemde geleerde het hof van Akbar. Hij wilde de intelligentie van Birbal uitdagen.
He said, “My dear King. I have travelled all over the world. There is no one who is as intelligent as me. I wish to challenge Birbal.”
Akbar was amused and said, “How would you like to challenge Birbal?”
TranslateHij zei: “Mijn beste koning. Ik heb de hele wereld over gereisd. Er is niemand die zo intelligent is als ik. Ik wil Birbal uitdagen.”
Akbar was geamuseerd en zei: “Hoe zou je Birbal willen uitdagen?”
The scholar said, “I will give him a choice. I shall ask him either 100 easy questions or one very difficult question.”
TranslateDe geleerde zei: “Ik zal hem een keuze geven. Ik zal hem ofwel 100 gemakkelijke vragen stellen, ofwel één heel moeilijke vraag.”
Akbar asked Birbal, “Do you accept this Scholar’s challenge? I shall award the victor 100 gold coins.”
Birbal said, “Yes my King. I will choose to answer the one difficult question.”
TranslateAkbar vroeg Birbal: “Gaat u de uitdaging van deze geleerde aan? Ik zal de winnaar 100 gouden munten toekennen.”
Birbal zei: “Ja, mijn koning. Ik zal ervoor kiezen om die ene moeilijke vraag te beantwoorden.”
The scholar said, “Which came first, the egg or the chicken?”
Birbal immediately said, “The chicken came first.”
TranslateDe geleerde zei: “Wat was er eerst, het ei of de kip?”
Birbal zei meteen: “De kip kwam eerst.”
The scholar laughed and mocked Birbal, “How can you say so surely. No one can be sure of the answer as the question is impossible to answer.”
Birbal replied, “I promised to answer one difficult question and I have answered. You are now asking me a second question and therefore I will not reply.”
TranslateDe geleerde lachte en bespotte Birbal: “Hoe kun je dat zo zeker zeggen. Niemand kan zeker zijn van het antwoord, want de vraag is onmogelijk te beantwoorden.”
Birbal antwoordde: “Ik heb beloofd een moeilijke vraag te beantwoorden en die heb ik beantwoord. U stelt mij nu een tweede vraag en daarom zal ik niet antwoorden.”
The King laughed and said, “That is correct Birbal. You have answered the scholar and he is breaking his challenge by asking you a second question. You are the smartest man in all the kingdoms.”
The king awarded Birbal 100 gold coins and the scholar left the kingdom sadly.
TranslateDe koning lachte en zei: “Dat klopt, Birbal. Je hebt de geleerde geantwoord en hij breekt zijn uitdaging door je een tweede vraag te stellen. Jij bent de slimste man in alle koninkrijken.”
De koning kende Birbal 100 gouden munten toe en de geleerde verliet het koninkrijk helaas.
Moral: Presence of mind helps solve even the most difficult of problems.
TranslateMoraal: Aanwezigheid van geest helpt zelfs de moeilijkste problemen op te lossen.
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About: Studying through Dual Language immersion is among the best techniques for learning a new language. The objective of this website is to teach yourself how to read and speak Dutch confidently using English as a base 🙂 These Dutch short stories are super cool to read for beginners and also for entertaining children. Aesop’s Fables are among the best stories that can be studied on a daily basis.
