Suriname folk-lore

[p. 226]

44.

Anąnsi bɛn 'abi twarfu p'kin. Ma nō, te ɛ̨ŋ fro bɔri, a i gi' ɛ̨ŋ sɩksi ba'ana. 'A ba'ana n'e ser' Anąnsi. Anąnsi prakseri tai̯gi, ‘Mi ɛ go pre wą' kɔni.’ So dati a kari ɛ̨' wei̯fi, a tai̯gi ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Mɩsi, te i bɔri, yu no 'a fu gi mi n'nyąm, ma mi sɑ teki wą' ba'ana na ɩbri wąn fō den p'kin.’ Na fro prakser' taki, ‘A yu go kɔs tɛm mɔro furu wąn. Ɛfu Anąnsi teki wą' ba'ana den pikin, da' i kɔ̨' twarfu ba'ana.’ So dɑti na fro tai̯g' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Ɛf' yu wan' du so, dąn te mi 'ɛ go bɔri, yu mu' gi mi mɔro mɔni fō mi bai̯ ba'ana, bika' te mi 'ɛ gi' yu na sɩksi mi 'ɛ gi' yu, ma ɛf' yu tek' wą' fō na ɩbriwą' fō den p'kin, a i kɔm twarfu.’ So dɑt' na fro bɛn mɔro kɔn' lei̯k Anąnsi.

[p. 227]

44. Anansi's Wife Can Figure.¹

Anansi had twelve children. But now, when his wife cooked, she gave him six plantains. The plantains did not satisfy Anansi. Anansi studied, and said, ‘I am going to play a trick.’ So that he called his wife, and he said to her, he said, ‘Wife, when you cook, you need not give me anything to eat, but I will take one plantain from each child.’ The woman studied, and said, ‘This is going to cost you more. If Anansi takes one plantain from each of the children, then it will come to twelve plantains.’ So that his wife said to him, she said, ‘If you want to do this, then when I go to cook, you must give me more money with which to buy plantains, because before when I gave you, I gave you six, but if you take one from each of the children that will come to twelve.’ So that his wife was more clever than Anansi.

1 Told by 1. Compare, Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 31-32, No. 25a.