Suriname folk-lore

53.

Anąnsi bɛn dɛ slaf. Ma nō, hɛm mama no wani fō bai̯ hɛm puru na ɩni slaf, bika' Anąnsi bɛn hɔgri tumusi. Wąn dei̯ Anąnsi prakser' taki, ‘Mi ɛ go suku wąn kɔni fō mek' mi mama bai̯ mi.’

Anansi weri wąn wei̯t' yapǫ' gi hɛm nąŋga wąn frei̯, dąn neti a go na na kamera pɛ ɛ̨ŋ mama dɛ sribi. No mō a taki, ‘Mi na Ɛ̨ŋgɛl Kebriɛl. Gadō sɛni mi fō kɔm tai̯gi Ma Akuba fō a bai̯ na boi̯, puru na slaf. Dan Mam' Akuba sɑ kɩsi wąn bǫ' prei̯si na hei̯mel.’ Di Ma Akuba opo hɛm ai̯ fō luku, a si na weiti. A kɔm frede. A tap' hɛm ai̯ baka. Dąn a kɔm bribi taki na Gadō bɛn sɛni wąn ɛ̨ŋgɛl kɔm. Di a wei̯ki mamɛntɛm, a go tai̯gi ɛ̨ŋ birfrau taki na so wą' sani bɛn pasa nąŋga hɛm. Dąn hɛm birfrau̯ tai̯gi hɛm taki, ‘Wɛ, di na Gadō srɛfi sɛni kɔm bɛgi yu fō bai̯ na boi̯, dąn yu mu' bai̯ hɛm.’ Na mama go, a bai̯ na boi̯. Ma tɛ na boi̯ du hɔgri, dąn na mama de kɔs' hɛm taki, ‘Yu dɛ̨ŋk' taki na fō bǫ' fō yu, mi bai̯ yu? Ma na Gadō srefi bɛn sɛni bɛgi mi.’

Ma nō, Anąnsi bɛn wani fō ɛ̨ŋ mama bai̯ na ɛ̨ŋ wei̯fi, tu. Dąn a du na srɛf' fasi lei̯ki fa a bɛn du kaba. Ma di a go, a bɛn hab

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fɛrkotu. Nō mō a taki, ‘Ma Akuba, Gadō sɛni mi kɔm agei̯n, tai̯gi yu taki yu bɛn du so lei̯ki fa a bɛn sɛni tai̯gi yu.’ Ma te Anąnsi dɛ tai̯gi dą' a i kɔso, bika' a bɛn habi fɛrkotu. Anąnsi taki, ‘Ma Akuba, Gadō sɛni mi taki meki mi tai̯g' yu taki ɛf' yu sɑ bai̯ na umą gi na boi̯, dąn hɛm sɑ sɛni sɔri yu pɛ wąn mɔni beri na yu presi.’ Ma di a taki so, nō mō, a kɔso agei̯n. Nō mō na mama taki, ‘Fa na stɛn geɛrsi na stɛn fō Anąnsi.’ Nō mō Anąnsi taki, ‘Mi mama, mi no sɑ du mɔro.’ Dąn na mama leti fai̯ya, a kɔm luku, a si na ei̯gi pikin fō hɛm bɛn weri lei̯ki ɛ̨ŋgɛl. No mo a taki, ‘Yu ferfluktu ɛ̨ŋgɛl! Na mɔni di bɛri na mi prei̯si, teki hɛm go bai̯ umą, yu fufurumąn.’ A taki, ‘Ɛ̨ŋgɛl Gebriɛl! Na yu moi̯ so. Yu didibri ɛ̨ŋgɛl. Kɔmopo na mi tapu, yu fufurumąn.’ Dąn na mama hati kɔm brɔ̨n. Mamɛntɛ̨m a bɩgɩn kɔsi ala den suma di bɛn tai̯gi hɛm fō bai̯ na boi̯ di na ɛ̨ŋgɛl bɛn kɔm na hɛm. A taki den bɛn miti mɔfo makandra.

53. Anansi Disguises as an Angel: Tricks his Mother.¹

Anansi was a slave. But now, his mother did not wish to redeem him from slavery because Anansi was very bad. One day Anansi studied, and said, ‘I am going to find a trick to make my mother buy me.’

Anansi dressed himself in a white dress with wings, then at night he went to the room where his mother was sleeping. Soon he said, ‘I am the angel Gabriel. God sent me to come and tell Mother Akuba to redeem the boy from slavery. Then Mother Akuba will be rewarded with a fine place in heaven.’ When Mother Akuba opened her eyes to look, she saw the white. She was frightened. She closed her eyes again. Then she came to believe that God had sent an angel. In the morning, when she awoke, she went to tell her neighbors that this thing had happened to her. Then her neighbors said to her, said, ‘Well, since God himself sent to beg you to buy the boy back, then you must buy him.’ The mother went and bought the boy. But when the boy misbehaved, then the mother cursed him, and said, ‘Do you think that I bought you for your own sake? It was God himself who had sent to beg me.’

But now Anansi wanted his mother to buy his wife, too. Then he did the same as he had done before. But when he went, he had

1 Told by 1. Comparative references as for the preceding tale; see also, for Liberia (Kpelle), Westermann (III) 408, No. 26.

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a cold. Soon he said, ‘Mother Akuba, God sent me again to tell you that you did as he had ordered you.’ But when Anansi talked he coughed, because he had a cold. Anansi said, ‘Mother Akuba, God sent me word to have me tell you that if you will buy the boy's wife for him, then he will send to show you where some money is buried on your land.’ But, as he spoke so, he coughed again. At once his mother said, ‘How the voice resembles the voice of Anansi!’ Immediately Anansi said, ‘Mother, I will never do it again.’ Then the mother lit a light and came to look, she saw her own son dressed like an angel. At once she said, ‘You accursed angel! Take the money which is buried on my land and buy your wife back, you thief.’ She said, ‘Angel Gabriel! You are a fine one. You are the devil's angel. Come down from on top, you thief.’ Then the mother became angry. In the morning she began to curse all the people who had told her to buy the boy, since the angel had come to her. She said they had plotted together.