Suriname folk-lore
(1936)–Melville J. Herskovits, Frances S. Herskovits–
Auteursrecht onbekend19. Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n nąŋga Anąnsi.Kri-kra! Ala man na ɛ̨ŋ Kra-kra! A sɑ go? A sɑ go! Anąsi nanga Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n bɛ̨n dɛ bɩgi mati. Den tu 'ɛ wroko makandra. Dą' wan lɛpi 'a trawą wroko. 'A trawą lɛpi 'a trawan. So den libi. Wɛ, no dɛn pran' wąn pɩsi karu, ma na karu fō Syɛnsyɛn kɔm mɔro moi̯ lei̯ki di fō Anąnsi. Dą' Anąnsi kɔm kɩs' bigi ai̯. Dą' a wan' 'pur' 'a karu fō Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n. Dą' a taig' Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n taki, ‘Na karu fō yu moi̯, ma di fō mi mɔro moi̯. Di di fō mi bɛn dɛ lei̯ki di fō yu, dą mi wai̯ ɛ̨ŋ, dą a kɔm mɔro moi̯.’ Ma Anąnsi lei̯. Te i kɔt' karu a n'ɛ gro mɔro. Dą' i kɔri Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n...
Bato, mi bɛn dɑpɛ! Sąn a taki? | |
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Asanti bɔyo
Da mi a widya!
Akɔlo!
Asanti bɔyo
Da mi a widya!
Akɔlo, akɔlo, abanu ba.
Asanti bɔyo
Da mi a widya!
Akɔlo!
Asanti bɔyo
Da mi a widya!
Akɔlo, akɔlo, abanu ba.
Waka 'ąŋga yu tɔri! ... Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n kɔt' a-i-karu. Dą' di suma de pasa baka-dina, dą' den si 'a karu kɔti, dąn den taki, ‘Są' mek' Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n kɔt' na karu so? Wą moi̯ karu.’ Dą' tai̯g' den suma tai̯gi, na Anąnsi mek' ɛ̨ŋ kɔt' 'a karu. Dą' den suma taki a n'ɛ go gro mɔro. Dą' Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n taki, ‘Wɛ, a bon. A kɩs' mi nąŋga karu, ma mi go kɩs' ɛ̨ŋ nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ mama.’...
Bato, mi ben dapɛ! Sąn a taki? Kɔm tɛsi mi,
Mi na mąn;
Kɔm firi mi,
Mi na mąn,
Mi na Sofia Bada,
Bō' mąn fō Alada,
Kɔm tɛsi mi,
Mi na mąn.
Mek' a go! A sɑ go! ... Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n a wroko mɔni tɛ a bai̯ wan tyapu. A bai̯ ala wrok' sani, ɔru, ɑksi, a bai̯ ala wroko krosi. A wroko wąn pikin saka mɔni, a kɩbri. Dąn a tai̯g' hɛm, a taki, ‘Wɛ, mi mama, mi go taki yu dɛdɛ; dą yu mu tą na tap' sɔdro. Dą' mi 'ɛ go mek' kɛsi, mek' den bɛri yu.’ Di a du dati, d' a sɛn' bɔskopu gi ala meti taki ɛ̨ŋ mama dɛdɛ.
Dąn Anąnsi kɔm. Dą' di dɛn go bɛri, dą a meki ɛ̨ŋ mama go na ɔndro na parada. A pɔt' ala den sani di a bai̯ na ɔndro-sei̯ pɛ na | |
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parada. A sab' taki Anąnsi a bɩgi ai̯. Dą' fɔs' dem bɛri, a-i bɩgɩn krei̯, ‘ai̯, mi mama! Luk' fa yu gowɛ. I no lib' wan ɑksi srɛfi gi yu boi̯. No wan wroko sani srɛfi, yu boi̯ no habi.’ Ala den sani bɩgɩn kɔmopo na ɔndro parada. Anąnsi 'ɛ tek' den. A wɩ̨nsi ɛ̨ŋ mama kɔ̨ dɛdɛ trǫ' wantrǫ' fō a ką' kɩs' sani tu. 'A Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n krei̯ bɛgi ɛ̨ŋ mama a bɛg' hɛm fō mɔni. Ɛ̨ŋ mama frɩ̨ŋ na mɔni kɔm gi 'ɛm. Dem bɛri moi̯. Dan dę gowe.
Ma ala dei̯ tɛ Anąnsi nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ mama kɩs' trɔbi, a taki, ‘Yu no ką' dɛdɛ kɔmopo lei̯ki fa Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n mama dɛdɛ?’ Wą dei̯ ɛ̨ŋ nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ mama kɩs' trɔbi. A tek' wą tɩki a nak' ɛ̨ŋ mama. A kiri hɛm...
Batō, mi bɛn dapɛ! Moi̯ man Amusi,
Moi̯ man.
Moi̯ man Amusi,
Moi̯ man.
Tɛ yu tɛr' 'a Gadu
Yu mu tɛr' Amusi.
... A du so srɛfi lei̯ki fa Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n bɛn du. Pɔt' parada moi̯, dą' a bɩgin fō krei̯ lei̯k' fa Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n bɛn krei̯. Ma a no kɩsi nɔtį. Den tyari ɛ̨ŋ mama go bɛri. Wan wiki na baka Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n meki ɛ̨ŋ mama kɔm na grɔ̨. Dą' Anąnsi 'ɛ i kɔ̨, dąn a si Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n mama. Anąnsi taki, ‘Mat' Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n, a no yu mama dia?’ A taki, ‘ai̯, na mi mama. Yu bɛn kɔri mi nąŋga karu, a nō mi kɩs' yu nąŋga mama.’ Syɛ̨nsyɛ̨n mama bɛn dɛ na libi. Anąnsi mama dɛdɛ.
A kaba. | |
19. Mock Funeral: Gifts from the Dead: Fatal Imitation.Ga naar voetnoot3Kri-kra! All men on their Kra-kra! Will it go? It will go! Anansi and SyensyenGa naar voetnoot4 were great friends. The two of them worked together. One helped the other work and the other helped the one. So they lived. Well, now they planted a field of corn, but the corn of Syensyen grew better than that of Anansi. Then Anansi became envious.Ga naar voetnoot5 He wanted to destroy Syensyen's corn. He said to Syensyen, he said, ‘Your corn is nice, but mine is much nicer. If mine were like yours I should cut it, then it would grow better.’ But Anansi was lying. When corn is once cut it will not grow any more. He was misleading Syensyen... Bato! I was there. What was said? | |
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Ashanti earth spirits
Make me possessed!
Akolo!
Ashanti earth spirits
Make me possessed!
Akolo, akolo, abanu ba.
Ashanti earth spirits
Make me possessed!
Akolo!
Ashanti earth spirits
Make me possessed!
Akolo, akolo, abanu ba.Ga naar voetnoot1
Get on with your story. ... Syensyen cut the corn. Then when the people went by in the afternoon, then they saw the corn was cut, then they said, ‘What made Syensyen cut the corn? Such fine corn.’ Then he told the people, he said, Anansi had him cut the corn. Then the people said it would not grow any more. Then Syensyen said, ‘Well, all right. He tricked me with the corn, but I am going to trick him with his mother.’... Bato! I was there. What was said? Come try me,
I am the man;
Come feel me,
I am the man,
I am Sofia Bada,Ga naar voetnoot2
Good man of Alada,
Come try me,
I am the man.Ga naar voetnoot3
Let it go on. It will go on. ...Syensyen earned money until he had enough to buy a scythe. He bought all sorts of tools, hoes, axes, and he bought working clothes. He worked until he had a little sack of money which he hid. Then he said to her, he said, ‘Well, Mother, I am going to say you are dead; you must go upstairs. Then I will make a coffin and have them bury you.’ When he did this, he sent a message to all the animals that his mother was dead. Then Anansi came. Then when they were going to bury her, he made his mother go under the bier. He put all the things which | |
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he bought underneath the bier. He knew that Anansi was very greedy. Then before they buried her, he began to wail, ‘O Mother! Look how you go away. You do not leave even an axe for your boy. Your boy hasn't even a tool to work with.’ All the things began to come out from under the bier. Anansi took them. He wished his own mother would die at once so that he could get all these things. Syensyen cried and begged his mother for some money. His mother flung the money at him. They buried her handsomely. Then they went away. But every day [thereafter] when Anansi and his mother quarrelled, he said, ‘Can't you die like Syensyen's mother died?’ One day he and his mother quarrelled. He took a stick and struck his mother. He killed her... Bato, I was there! A fine man is Amusi,Ga naar voetnoot1
A fine man.
A fine man is Amusi,
A fine man.
If you trust in God
You must trust Amusi.Ga naar voetnoot2
... He did the same as Syensyen had done. He fixed the bier nicely, and then he began to wail as Syensyen had wailed. But he got nothing. They took his mother away to bury her. A week later Syensyen had his mother come to the field. Then Anansi came, and he saw Syensyen's mother. Anansi said, ‘Friend Syensyen, isn't that your mother here?’ He said, ‘Yes, it is my mother. You had lied to me about the corn, and now I have tricked you with your mother.’ Syensyen's mother was alive. Anansi's mother was dead. It is finished. |
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