Suriname folk-lore

[p. 220]

40.

Konum bɛn habi wąn umą-p'kin. 'A p'kin bɛn sɩki so tɛ... Somɛni datra bɛn luku 'a p'kin, ma nowąn bɛn ką' drɛsi.

Anąnsi prakser' taki, ‘Mi go suku wąn p'kin mɔni a Konu.’ Anąnsi bai̯ wąn blaka pak' nąŋga wą' brɔru. Anąnsi mek' dɛm mek' wąn shesi. A yuru wąn kōshiri. Anąnsi go na ɩni na shesi wąn dei̯, a meki na kōshiri tyari hɛm pasa let' na Konu mɔfo-dɔro. Di a i pasa, Konu mek' den sɛn go luku suma dɛ pasa di̯a, ɛf' a no wąn datra. Den taki den sɑ go luku. Di den kar' na datra, datra go, ɛn di a luku 'a pikin, a tai̯g' Konu taki, ‘Na pikin sɑ kɔm bɛtre, ma tɛ... ala kaba.’ Konu no sab' sąn Anąnsi bɛn prakseri. Anąnsi prakser' taki, ‘Dɑti wą' taki, te Konu n'a' mɔni mɔro.’

Na fɔs' dei̯, Anąnsi ɑksi Konu doi̯zen xulder. Konu gi hɛm. A gi Konu wąn drɛsi. A tai̯g' Konu taki, ‘Na drɛsi nem Tɛ-nɔt-no-dɛ-mɔro.’ So Anąnsi dɛ luku na p'kin pasa wan yari tɛ... beina Konu ala ɛ̨ŋ mɔni kaba. Ma ala dei̯, tɛ Anąnsi go, a i tak' Konu taki, ‘Mi Konu, no habi fredɛ. 'A p'kin a kɔm bɛtre, ma tɛ ala kaba. So ląŋga sani dɛ, mi 'ɛ gi hɛm drɛsi Tɛ-nɔt-no-dɛ-mɔro, dą' a sɑ kɔm bɛtre.’

So wąn dei̯, Konu go fɛrteri wąn suma taki na so wąn datra dɛ luk' na p'kin, ma na p'kin n'ɛ kɔm bɛtre. Ma ala dei̯, 'a datra a i tai̯gi hɛm, te ala kaba, dąn fɔs' 'a p'kin kɔm bɛtre, ɛn te nɔt' no dɛ mɔro. Na suma tai̯g' Konu taki, ‘Te na datra kɔm, dąn yu mu aksi hɛm sąn wą' tak' dɑti?’ Wɛ, na wąn dei̯, di na datra kɔm, dąn Konu aksi hɛm taki, ‘Otɛm ala sɑ kaba dąn? Bika' ala dei̯ yu de tai̯g' mi, “Tɛ ala kaba”?’ Anąnsi taig' hɛm taki, ‘Wɛ, mi Konu, na tɛ yu n'a' mɔni mɔro, ɛn tɛnɔtnodɛmɔro, dɑt wąn taki na tɛ na p'kin bro kɔti.’ Na Konu tai̯gi hɛm taki, ‘Wɛ, dąn, Datra, yu no hab' fō kɔm, bika' na p'kin no sɑ kɔm bɛtre noi̯ti.’

Ma wąn suma kɔm fɛrter' Konu, taki na Anąnsi bɛn kɔm prei̯ fō 'a datra. Konu sɛn' tek' Anąnsi, a mek' den wɩp' Anąnsi so tɛ... 'A yurutɛm di den lus' Anąnsi, a no sab' pɛ fō lɔ̨n'-go. A lɔ̨n'-go na ɩni pɔst hɔro. Dɑt' mek' Anąnsi tą' na pɔst hɔro, di a go prei̯ Konu trɩki. A bɛn wani mek' ala Konu mɔni kaba.

[p. 221]

40. Curing the Sick: Till Nothing Remains.¹

The King had a daughter. The daughter was sick so till... So many doctors had examined her, but no one could cure her.

Anansi studied, and said, ‘I am going to the King to seek a little money.’ Anansi bought a black suit, and a high hat. Anansi had them make a carriage. He hired a coachman. Anansi went into the carriage one day, and he had the coachman bring him right by the King's door. When he was passing, the King had them send to see if the person passing there was not a doctor. They said they would go and look. When they called the doctor, the doctor went, and when he examined the child, he said to the King, said, ‘The child will get better, but when... all is finished.’ The King did not know what Anansi had studied. Anansi studied and said, ‘That is to say, when the King has no more money.’

The first day, Anansi asked the King for a thousand guilders. The King gave it to him. He gave the King some medicine. He said to the King, said, ‘The name of the medicine is Till-there-is-nothing-more.’ So Anansi looked after the child for over a year, till... almost all the King's money was finished. But every day, when Anansi went, he said to the King, said, ‘My King, don't be afraid. The girl will get better, but when all is finished. So long as things are there, I will give her the medicine Till-there-is-nothing-more, then she will get better.’

So one day, the King went to tell someone that such a doctor was looking after his daughter, but that the girl was not getting better. But every day the doctor said to him, when all was finished, then only would the child grow better, and when nothing more was there. The person said to the King, said, ‘When the doctor comes, then you must ask him what that means.’ Well, one day, when the doctor came, then the King asked him, said, ‘When will all be finished? Because every day you tell me, “When all is finished”?’ Anansi said to him, he said, ‘Well, King, when you have no more money, and when there is nothing more, that is to say, when the child's breath is gone.’² The King said to him, said, ‘Well, then, Doctor, you don't have to come, because the girl will never get better.’

But someone came to tell the King that Anansi had pretended he was a doctor. The King sent to take Anansi, and he had them whip Anansi so till... When they freed Anansi, he did not know where to run. He ran into a post hole. That is why since he went to play tricks on the King, Anansi lives in post holes. He had wanted to make all the King's money come to an end.

1 Told by 4. The general resemblance of the ‘Till Nothing Remains’ motif to ‘Playing Godfather’ type of tale (as given by Parsons (III) 1, No. 1, with bibliography) is to be noted.

2 Lit., ‘breath is cut off’.