Suriname folk-lore

20. Anąnsi nąŋga Tigri.

Tigri fɛn' wąn krɔ̨nto. Dą' Anąnsi kɔm. Dą' Anąnsi tɛk' a krɔ̨nto, dą' i tya' gowɛ. Dą' Anąnsi si wan tra Tigri nō, dą' a broko a krɔ̨nto, dą' i nyam. Dą' Tigri ɑksi hɛm, tak', ‘Są' yu nyam!’ A tai̯gi a Tigri taki, na wan pis' fo ɛ̨ŋ ston a nyam. Dą' Tigri tai̯gi taki, ‘Tą'! Anąnsi! Di a waka so na yu ston süt' so?’ Dą' tak', ‘Mi Tata, fa di fō yu bɩgi fatu dɛ süt' a so süti so!’ Dą' tai̯g' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Wɛ, fa mi sɑ broko di fō mi fō mi nyam?’ ‘Mi Tata, waka kɔ̨ na

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baka uko.’ Dą' a sab' pɛ wan smɛtman dɛ nąŋga wan bɩgi ambɛsi. So a tak' mɛk a didǫ'. Fa-i-si Tigri didǫ', a naki nąŋga wan mokro broko ɛ̨ŋ stǫ'. Wantɛm Tigri dɛdɛ.

Dą' tamara a mit' Tigri brada. Dą' a fɛn' wan godo ɔni, dą' Tigri āksi hɛm taki, ‘A no yu kir' mi brada?’ Dą' taki, ‘No, no!’ Dą' taki, ‘Są' yu drɩ̨ŋg dąn?’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Na pikin kɛskɛsi pɩsi mi 'ɛ drɩngi.’ Dą' taki, ‘Wɛ, kɔm mɛk' mi tɛs' hɛm.’ 'A Tigri taki, ‘Tą! A so kɛskɛsi pɩsi süti!’ Dą' aksi hem tak', ‘Fa mi sɑ kɩs' a so pikinso fō na pɩs' fō kɛskɛsi?’ Dą' taki hɛm mɛk' a kɔm na wan kriki, dą' a sɑ si dɛn dapɛ, dą' a sɑ mek' hɛm kɩs' wan. Dą' a go dɛ; dąn kɛskɛsi kɔm, dą' a kis' wą.

Mamɛntɛ̨' taki, ‘Mi n'ɛ i go kiri yu, ma pɩsi pikinso gi mi.’ A kɛskɛsi pɩsi, di a tɛs' hɛm, a no süti lɛk' a di fō Anąnsi bɛn gi hɛm. A taki, ‘Boi̯, pɩs' na srɛf' pɩsi; no so, mi go kiri yu.’ Kɛskɛsi pɩsi tɛ a pɩsi brudu, da a no mąŋ fō kɩsi na swit' pɩsi.

Dą' Anąnsi i kɔ̨' nō. A taki, ‘Mi Tata, a no pɩsi gi yɛtɛ?’ Dą' a taki hɛm, ‘Mi Tata, mi 'ɛ go taig' hɛm mek' a pɩsi gi yu.’ Nō mō Anansi tai̯gi Kɛskɛsi, ‘Yu mu tyara, dą mi 'ɛ go tyu bǭ'.’ Tigri aksi hɛm tak', ‘Są' yu taki?’ A taki, ‘Mi tai̯g' hɛm a klai̯ne gi yu.’ So a tai̯gi Tigri baka taki, ‘Mi Tata, lusu hɛm pikinso, mɛk' a kɩsi hɛm srɛfi.’ Fa-i-si Tigri lusu hɛm, na kɛskɛsi lɔ̨. Nō mō Anąnsi dukru na wata.

Srapu mi nɛfi, moi̯, moi̯,
Mi 'ɛ kɔt' Akuba barba.
Srap mi nɛfi, srɛ̨ŋ, srɛ̨ŋ,
Fo mi go kɔt' Akuba barba.

Susana rei̯
Susana rei̯
Yu habi wą moi̯ bɔbi;
Na bɔbi, na fō yu,
Ma te mi dɛ fas'
Ɛ̨ŋ na fō mi.

20. Fatal Imitation: Monkey's Urine is Sweet.³

Tiger⁴ found a cocoanut. Then Anansi came. Then Anansi took the cocoanut and he carried it away. Then Anansi saw another Tiger now, and he broke the cocoanut and he ate it. Then Tiger asked him, said, ‘What are you eating?’ He said to Tiger, he said, he was eating a piece of his testicles. Then Tiger said to him, said, ‘What, Anansi! How does it happen that your testicles are so sweet?’ Then [he] said, ‘Father,⁵ then how sweet [must be]

3 Told by 1. Compare Hausa, Tremearne (I) 493-494, No. 23, and (III) 195-196, No. 6; Dahomey, Herskovits, M. & F. (IV), MS No. 9; Nigeria (Yoruba), Frobenius 255, No. 26, (Bura), Helser 181-183, No. 44, (Calabar), Dayrell (I) 58-61, No. 14; British Antilles (Jamaica?), Bassett 432-433, No. 68; U.S. (Sea Islands), Parsons (II) 33-34, No. 20.

4 Jaguar is called ‘Tiger’ (Tigri in taki-taki).

5 Taki-taki Tata, a term of respect. Inf. said, ‘The animals are afraid of Tiger so they talk sweet to him.’

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yours that are so big and fat!’ Then he said to him, he said, ‘Well, how shall I break mine in order to eat them?’ ‘Father, come to the corner.’ He knew where a blacksmith lived who had a big anvil. So he said, let him lie down. Just as Tiger lay down, he struck him with a hammer and broke his testicles. Tiger died instantly.

Then the next day he met Tiger's brother. Then he found a gourd with honey, and Tiger asked him, he said, ‘Is it not you who killed my brother?’ He said, ‘No, no!’ He said, ‘What are you drinking then?’ Then Anansi said, ‘I am drinking a young monkey's urine.’ Then he said, ‘Well, come let me taste it.’ The Tiger said, ‘What, is monkey's urine so sweet?’ Then he asked him, he said, ‘How shall I get a little of the monkey's urine?’ Then he said to him, let him come to a creek, then they will see them [the monkeys] there, and they will catch one. They went there; the monkeys came, and then he caught one.

In the morning he said, ‘I am not going to kill you, but urinate a little for me.’ The monkey urinated, [but] when he tasted it, it was not as sweet as that which Anansi had given him. He said, ‘Boy, urinate the same urine; if not I will kill you.’ The monkey urinated until he urinated blood, but he could not get sweet urine.

Then Anansi came now. He said, ‘Father, didn't he urinate yet?’ Then he said to him, ‘Father, I am going to tell him to urinate for you.’ At once Anansi said to Monkey, ‘You must run, and I will duck well.’ Tiger asked him, ‘What are you saying?’ He said, ‘I am saying to him to urinate urine for you.’ So he said to Tiger again, he said, ‘Father, loosen him a little, let him come to himself.’ Just as Tiger loosened him, the monkey ran. At once Anansi ducked under the water.

Sharpen my knife, fine, fine,
I am cutting Akuba's beard.
Sharpen my knife, sharp, sharp,
For I am going to cut Akuba's beard.¹

Susanne rei̯
Susanne rei̯
You have a fine bosom;
The breasts, they are yours,
But when I play
They are mine.²

1 Song No. 140.

2 Song No. 136.