Suriname folk-lore

26. Konubri.

Nō, foru kɔm prakseri nō, taki, a dɛ fanodu fō den kɩs' wąn konum, bika' ala sani habi wąn konum. Dąn den go na Leō, go tai̯gi Leō taki mek' a kar' wąn kɔmparsi, bika' na Leō bɛn de konum fō ala meti. Di na kɔmparsi bɩgin, ala den foru kɔm makandra fō si suma sɑ trǫ' konum. Konubri bɛn dɛ da mɔro p'kin wąn. A prakser' taki, ‘Mi na mɔro p'kin, ma mi sɑ dɛ konum.’

Di den bɩgin fō taki, Leō prakser' taki, ‘Fa wi sɑ du?’ Ma Falɛk bɛn prakser' taki, ‘Mi ką' frei̯ hei̯, so mi wɩ̨nsi dɛm meki wi strei̯ fō frei̯. Dą' mi sab'-tak' mi sɑ frei̯ mɔro hei̯ lei̯ki wąn, dąn mi sɑ trǫ' konum.’ Ma a no bɛn sabi fa fō taki dɑti, bika' a sab'-taki den tra foru bɛn dɛ go taki, na di a ką' frei̯ hei̯, mek' a tak' so. Ma a no sab'-taki Konubri srɛfi bɛn habi na hɛm hɛdɛ są a i go du. Di den ala taki so te... Naktigal taki, ‘Mi wan' fō tak' wan sani, ma mi no sabi ɛfu a sɑ bǫ' na ųn.’ Dąn ala piki taki, ‘Taki, mek' wi yɛre.’ A taki, ‘Mi no sataki meki ųn teki wąn fō wi di kąn sɩ̨ŋgi mɔro switi, bika' mi sab'-taki ɛfu mi opo mi stɛ̨n, mi dɛ go wɩni alamala. Ma mi sɑ tak' wan sani. Gado gi ųn ala wąn sani, ɛn dati na wąn frei̯. So mek' wi pɔt' hɛm taki, suma ką frei̯' mɔro hei̯ lei̯k' tra wąn, dat' sɑ trǫ' konum.’ Na Falek kɔm prɛsiri di a yɛre so, bika' dat bɛn ląŋga tɛm na ɛ̨ŋ hɛdɛ. A dyɔmpo, a taki, ‘Ya. Dat' yu tak', wąn bǫ' sani.’ So den alamala feni fō bǫ'. Den sɑ du so.

Ma di dem go fō strei̯, Konubri go sidǫ' na Falek mɩndri baka. So, fa Konubri bɛn p'kin, Falek no sabi-taki san a du. Ma di den frei̯ so te... wąn pisi na hei̯, nō mō den luku, den taki, ‘Falɛk teki

[p. 194]

fɔsi prei̯s.’ Fa i si dɛm luku baka suma de mɔro hei̯, den si Konubri na tapu fō Falek. So wantrǫ' den taki, ‘No, no, Konubri sɑ trǫ' konum, bika' a bɛn dɛ mɔro hei̯ leki Falɛk.’

So dati Falɛk bɛn dɛ̨nki taki na hɛm bɛn sɑ dɛ konum, ma a no bɛn kɔm fa i bɛn dɛ̨nki.

26. The Flying Contest.²

Now, the birds came to study that they had need of a king, because all things had a king. Then they went to Lion, to tell Lion to have him call a council, because Lion was king of all the animals. When the meeting opened, all the birds came together to see who would become king. Konubri³ was the smallest. He studied and said, ‘I am the smallest, but I shall be king.’

When they began to speak, Lion studied, and said, ‘What shall, we do?’ But Falcon studied, and said [to himself], ‘I can fly high, so I hope they make the contest one of flying. I know that I should fly highest of all, and then I should become king.’ But he did not know how to say that, because he knew that the other birds would say since he could fly high, he suggested this. But he did not know that Konubri himself had a plan in his head about what he was going to do. As they were all talking so till... Nightingale said, ‘I want to say something, but I do not know if it will be agreeable to you.’ Then all answered, said, ‘Speak, let us hear.’ He said, ‘I will not suggest you take one of us who can sing the sweetest, because I know that if I raise my voice, I shall win from all. But I will say one thing. God gave you all one thing, and that is wings. So, let us decide that whoever can fly the highest, that one shall become king.’ Falcon was pleased when he heard this, because that had been in his mind for a long time. He jumped up, and he said, ‘Yes, what you say is a good plan.’ So they all found it good. They would do so.

But when they went to race, Konubri went and sat down in the middle of Falcon's back. So, as Konubri was small, Falcon did not know what he was doing. But, when they had flown till... some

2 Told by 1. Compare, Gold Coast, Barker and Sinclair 155-156, No. 30; Angola (Umbundu), Bell, 116-117; comparative, Bolte u. Polívka, iii, 278-283, No. 171, Dähnhardt IV, 160ff.

3 There is a possible Cameroon derivation of this bird's name when it is compared with the character in Lederbogen's Tale No. 1, ‘Der Kolibri und der Webervogel’.

[p. 195]

distance high, soon they looked and they said, ‘Falcon takes first prize.’ But just as they looked again to see who was the highest, they saw Konubri on top of [above] Falcon. So at once they said, ‘No, no, Konubri shall become king, because he was higher than Falcon.’

So that Falcon had thought that he would be king, but it did not happen as he had thought.