Suriname folk-lore

59.

Dɛdɛ no bɛn dɛ tą' na mɩndri foto, a bɛn libi te na mɩndri busi. Ma wąn dei̯ Anąnsi no habi nanyąm. A teki hɛm katasųŋ nąŋga hɛm gɔ̨', fō go na hɔnti. Ma a waka na her' busi lɔntu, a no bɛn kąn feni wąn meti fō sütu. So a waka so tɛ... a kɔm dɔro na Dɛdɛ kampu. Dɛdɛ sidǫ' 'a mɔfo dɔro. Anąnsi syɛm. Anąnsi tak', ‘Odi, mi Tata.’ A tak', ‘Hɔngri dɛ kiri mi. Mi waka na her' busi fō suku wąn meti fō sütu, ma mi no feni no wąn.’

Dɛdɛ taki, ‘Kom na ɩnisei̯. Mi sɑ gi yu wąn sani fō yu dɛ nyąm.’ Dɛdɛ tyari hɛm go na ɩni hɛm kukru pe Dɛdɛ habi ala sɔrtu meti na brabakɔto. 'A yurutem Anąnsi si dɛm meti, hɛm mɔfo bɩgɩn lɔ̨' baba. Dɛdɛ gi hɛm wąn moi̯ pis' meti. Anąnsi nyąm te hɛm bɛre furu. A taki, ‘Grąn tąngi fō yu.’ A taki, ‘Ma suma na yu di habi so mɛni meti na brabakɔtu?’ Dɛdɛ tai̯gi hem taki, ‘Yu no sabi taki mi na Dɛdɛ?’ Anąnsi taki, ‘ai̯, mi Tata Dɛdɛ. A dɑti meki yu habi so mɛni meti, bikasi mi waka na her' busi, mi no feni nɔtį.’ A taki, ‘Ma wąn sani mi wan' bɛgi yu. Mi nyąm mi bɛre furu, ma mi wei̯fi nąŋga dem p'kin no nyam yɛte. So yu no 'a wąn pis' meti

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gi mi, mek' mi tyari go gi dɛm?’ Dɛdɛ taki, ‘A bǫ'. Tek' wąn pis' dapɛ.’ Anąnsi tek' wan her' wąn sei̯ botu.

'A yurtɛ' Anąnsi dɔro na hoso, a tak', ‘Sa Akuba, mi feni na nyąm grɔ̨'. Mi no habi trɔbi fō feni nanyąm, bika' tɛ wi no habi, mi kąn go teki, ɛf' mɔro bɛtre, mi kąn go fufuru.’ So ala dei̯, te Anąnsi no habi nanyąm, a i go na mąn Dɛdɛ kampu, a i fufur' Dɛdɛ meti. Dɛdɛ kɔm na hoso, a 'i shi hɛm meti mąŋkeri. Ma a no sabi suma dɛ du dati, te wąn dei̯ Dɛdɛ sɛti wakti fō dɩsi da fufuruman. 'A yurtɛm, di Dɛdɛ kɩbri na ɩni wąn uku, a si Anąnsi kɔm na ɩni na kampu, a teki wąn heri kurkuru nąŋga meti. A taki, ‘Hei̯! na yu na fufuruman! Fō san hɛde meki yu habi so takru hati?’

Anąnsi no habi tɛm fō piki lei̯ki a sɛti lɔ̨' Dɛdɛ na hɛm baka. Dɛdɛ de lɔ̨', Anąnsi srɛfi den lɔ̨' tu. Ma yurtɛm, di den dɔro na foto, Anansi drei̯ luku na hɛm baka, a si Dɛdɛ. A bɩgɩn bari nąŋga trąŋga sten, ‘Libi-suma, tapu ųn dɔro, bikasi Dɛdɛ dɛ kɔm.’

'A so, yu si, Dɛdɛ kɔm na foto, en furu suma den dɛdɛ fō fufuru Anąnsi hɛde. Bikasi, ɛf' Anąnsi no bɛn fufuru hɛm meti, Dɛdɛ bɛn go tą' safri fo hɛm na mɩndri busi.

59. Stealing from Death: How Death Came to the City.³

Death did not stay in the city, he lived in the bush. But one day Anansi had no food. He took his hunting sack, and his gun, to go hunting. But he walked the entire bush, and he could not find a single animal to shoot. So he walked so till... he reached Death's camp. Death sat on the doorstep. Anansi was ashamed. Anansi said, ‘How do, Father.’ He said, ‘I am very hungry. I walked through the entire bush in search of an animal to shoot, but I did not find any.’⁴

Death said, ‘Come inside. I will give you something to eat.’ Death took him into his kitchen where Death had all kinds of meat⁵ on the drying rack. When Anansi saw the meat, his mouth began to water. Death gave him a nice piece of meat. Anansi ate until he was full. He said, ‘Thank you very much.’ He said, ‘But who are you who have so much meat on the drying rack?’ Death said to him, said, ‘Don't you know that I am Death?’ Anansi said, ‘Yes, Father Death. And that is why you have so much meat, because I walked the entire bush and found nothing.’ He said, ‘But I want to beg one thing of you. I ate until I was full, but

3 Told by 6. Compare Bornu, Prietze 96-99, No. II, 6 (not a close correspondence, however); Ivory Coast, Tauxier (I) 322, Gagu No. 5, and 337, Gagu No. 29, (Agni), Tauxier (III) 240-241; Togo, Cardinall 30-32, Speiss 128-130, No. 9; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 34-36, 27a, No. 28.

4 Lit., ‘but I no is find none’.

5 ‘Meat’ means both animals and animal flesh.

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my wife and the children have not yet eaten. So haven't you a piece of meat for me to take to them?’ Death said, ‘All right. Take a piece there.’ Anansi took a whole side.

When Anansi reached home, he said, ‘Sa Akuba, I found a provision ground. I won't have to worry about finding food, because when we have none, I can go and take, or better still, I can go and steal.’ So every day, when Anansi had no food, he went to the man Death's camp and he stole Death's meat. Death came home, and he saw his meat missing. But he did not know who was doing that, until one day Death set out to watch for this thief. As Death hid in a corner, he saw Anansi come into the camp, and take a whole basket of meat. He said, ‘Hey! it is you who are the thief! Why have you so evil a heart?’

Anansi had no time to answer properly, and set out on a run. Death ran after him. Death ran, and Anansi himself ran, too. But when they came to the city, Anansi turned to look back, and he saw Death. He began to cry out in a loud voice, ‘Human Beings! Close your doors, because Death is coming!’

And so, you see, Death came to the city, and many people have died for the sake of the thief Anansi. Because, if Anansi had not stolen his meat, Death would have remained quietly in the deep bush (of his).