Suriname folk-lore

45.

Anąnsi fen' taki ɛ̨ŋ uma, Sa Akuba, n'e gi hɛm nanyąm nɔfo. A tai̯gi 'a umą taki, ɛ̨ŋ srɛf' sɑ bɔri. Ma nō, Anąnsi si taki tɔk tɛ a bɔri, a mu' gi ɛ̨ŋ umą. Anąnsi prakser' taki, ‘No, mi wani nyąm ala nanyąm.’

A go, a miti mɔfo nąŋga datra, taki ɛ̨ŋ go sɛn' Sa Akuba go na datra, ɛn datra mu' taki Sa Akuba na sɩki di Sa Akuba de sɩki. Na hatihoso a mu' go. Anąnsi prakser' taki tɛ a go na hatihoso, dą ɛ̨ŋ wan sɑ nyąm ala nanyąm tɛ ɛ̨ŋ bɔri. So a du so lei̯k' fa a prakseri. A sɛni Sa Akuba go, taki mek' datra luk' ɛ̨ŋ. A geɛrsi, a i sɩki. Na uma no sabi. A go na datra. Di a go, datra luk' ɛ̨ŋ, datra tai̯g' hɛm taki, ‘Yu no kąn tąn na hoso, yu mu' go wantrɔ̨' na hatihoso.’

Ma bifɔsi a go na hatihoso, dą' a miti wąn ɔru umą. Na umą bɛn sabi sąn Anąnsi bɛn du. Dą' a gi na umą Sa Akuba wą' batra nąŋga wą' sani, a taki, ‘Tɛ yu go na hoso, drɔpu na watra na ala den kukru sani fō yu pati, yu krabasi, sipų', ɛn den prei̯ti.’ Di a go na hoso, a du so, dąn a go na hatihoso.

Tamara Anąnsi brei̯ti. Anąnsi pɔti wą' patu okro-brafu 'a fai̯ya, nąŋga tɔ̨ntɔ̨', a bɔri. Fa-i-si a bɩgɩn fō puru nanyąm, di na nyąm bɔri, a si na patu kɩs' futu, den kɔmki kɩs' futu, ala den sani kɩs' futu. Dɛm bɩgɩn lɔ̨n. Den lɔ̨n go te na hatihoso na na umą Sa Akuba. Anąnsi lɔ̨n na den baka, ma bɩfɔsi Anąnsi dɔro, den bɛn dɔro kaba. Te Sa Akuba bɛn dɛ nyąm kaba, dąn Anąnsi dɛ na hatihoso. A bɛgi na umą taki, ‘Kɛ, mi mama, libi pikɩnso fō yu

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boi̯. Yu boi̯ no feni wą' drɔpu. Fa yu si yu boi̯ bɛn wan' pur' den nanyąm, na so den sani lɔ̨n.’ Ɛn so, ala dei̯ 'a sani bɛn de pasa so nąnga Anąnsi. Ɛn a go puru na umą na hatihoso, ɛn so den puru gridi gi hɛm.

45. Collusion with Doctor: The Pots Acquire Feet.²

Anansi found that his wife, Sa Akuba, did not give him enough to eat. He said to his wife that he himself would cook. But now, Anansi saw that when he cooked, he had yet to give some to his wife. Anansi studied, and said, ‘No, I want to eat all the food.’

He went and agreed with the doctor that he would go and send Sa Akuba to the doctor, and the doctor must tell Sa Akuba that sickness was sickening Sa Akuba. She must go to the hospital. Anansi studied that when she went to the hospital, then he alone would eat all the food he cooked. So he did just as he had planned. He sent Sa Akuba, and said let the doctor look her over. She looked like she was sick. The woman did not know. She went to the doctor. When she went, the doctor examined her, and the doctor said to her, said, ‘You cannot remain at home. You must go at once to the hospital.’

But before she went to the hospital, then she met an old woman. The woman knew what Anansi had done. Then she gave the woman, Sa Akuba, a bottle with something in it, and she said, ‘When you go home, sprinkle the water on all your cooking utensils, your pots, your calabashes, your spoons, and the plates.’ When she went home, she did this, then she went to the hospital.

The next day Anansi was happy. Anansi put a pot of okra soup and dumplings on the fire, and he cooked it. Just as he was about to begin to take out the food, then, when the food boiled, he saw the pot acquire feet, the cups acquire feet, all the things acquire feet. They began to run. They ran until they came to the hospital to the woman, Sa Akuba. Anansi ran after them, but before Anansi got there, they had already arrived. When Sa Akuba had finished

2 Told by 1. Compare, Sierra Leone (Temne), Cronise and Ward 152-159; Ivory Coast, Tauxier (I) 280-281, Guro No. 17; Nigeria (Yoruba), Frobenius 294, No. 47.

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eating, Anansi reached the hospital. He begged his wife, and said, ‘Ke! mother, leave a little for your boy. Your boy hasn't found a drop. Just as your boy had wanted to take out the food, the things began to run.’ And so, every day this thing happened to Anansi. And he went and took his wife out of the hospital, and so they cured him of his greed.