Suriname folk-lore

[p. 254]

63.

Anąnsi bɛn wani tro nąŋga Konim pikin. Konim taki, ɛfi a wani tyari dri bǫ' bɩgi nɛŋgere gi hɛm. Anąnsi taki, ‘Tru, mi Konim.’ ‘Dąn yu sɑ tro nąŋga mi umą-pikin, dąn mi dɛ gi yu leti mɩndri fō mi kɔndre.’

Konim gi hɛm wąn blaka yas. Dąn a gowe. Dąn di a dɛ gowe, a ɑksi Konim dri ai̯ karu, dąn Konim gi hɛm. Dą' a go na wąn presi pɛ furu foru dɛ. Dąn a trowe na karu, dąn wąn Kakaforu nyąm wąn fō dɛ̨' karu. Anąnsi go na da uma, a tai̯gi hɛm taki, na Konim gotu-lɩ̨ŋga 'a folu nyąm. ‘Gi mi na folu, meki mi go sɔri Konim, taki na dɩsi nyąm hɛm.’ Dąn di a teki na kaka, dąn a dɛ lɔ̨' gowe. A taki, ‘Mi Anąnsi, mi kɔni ba.’ hɛm kɔti de bari ‘Grɛ̨ŋya!’ Anąnsi taki,

‘Dri ai̯ karu kɩsi wąn kaka.’

Di a waka so tɛ... a miti wąn hoso. Dąn a bɛgi fō kɩbri na folu na wąn agu-pɛn. Dąn dɛm agu beti na kaka. Di a si taki na agu beti hɛm, a taki, ‘Gi me na agu fō sɔri Konim, na agu dɩsi nyąm na kaka di swari Konim lɩ̨ŋga.’ A taki, ‘Teki hɛm.’ Dąn a lɔ̨' gowe. A taki,

‘Dri ai̯ karu kɩsi wąn kaka,
Wąn kaka kɩsi wąn agu.’

Dąn a dɔro na wąn hoso baka, a ɑksi fō sribi. ‘Ya.’ Dą' a tyari na agu go na asi stal. Dą' na hasi skopu na na agu, kiri 'ɛm. Dą' a tai̯gi, ‘Gi na 'asi meki sɔri Konim dɩsi kiri na agu di nyąm Konim kaka-folu, di swari na gotu lɩ̨ŋga.’ Dą' a leni na hasi, a gowe. 'A koti taki, ‘Grɛ̨ŋya!’

‘Mi, Anąnsi, mi kɔni ba,
Dri ai̯ karu kɩsi wąn kaka,
Wąn kaka kɩsi wąn agu,
Wąn agu kɩsi wąn hasi.’

Dąn a lɔ̨' gowe baka. A miti den a tyari wąn pikin go bɛri. Anąnsi taki, ‘Gi mi na dɛdɛ p'kin, meki mi go bɛri, dąn hɔr' na hasi.’ Dąn suma taki, ‘No, no, na wi habi na dɛdɛ, na wi mus' bɛri hɛm srɛfi.’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Ɛfu ųn go bɛri na dɛdɛ, mi dɛ tai̯gi

[p. 256]

Konim.’ Den suma g'ɛm. A go bɛri. Ma a no bɛri hɛm. A teki hɛm, a gowe. A taki,

‘Mi, Anąnsi, mi kɔni ba,
Dri ai̯ karu kɩsi wąn kaka,
Wąn kaka kɩsi wąn agu,
Wąn agu kɩsi wąn hasi,
Wąn hasi kɩsi wąn dɛdɛ.’

Dąn a gowe. A si wąn bɩgi wɩnti prei̯. Dem suma dɛ dąnsi. Dri bǭ' bɩgi nɛ̨ŋgɛre dąnsi, tu. Anąnsi taki, ‘Hɔri na p'kin, mi go dąnsi, tu. Na p'kin dɩs' na Konim p'kin.’ Dem suma no bɛn sabi taki na wąn dɛdɛ pikin. A taki, ‘Mi dąnsi mɔro moi̯.’ Dąn suma taki, ‘ai̯.’ Anąnsi go dąnsi. A sɩ̨ŋgi:

‘Mi, Anąnsi, mi kɔni ba,
Dri ai̯ karu kɩsi wąn kaka,
Wąn kaka kɩs' wąn agu,
Wąn agu kɩs' wąn hasi,
Wąn hasi kɩs' wąn dɛdɛ,
Wąn dɛdɛ kɩs' dri bɩg' nɛ̨ŋgɛre.’

Di a kaba dąnsi, a go luku n'ɛ̨' p'kin. A taki, dɛm nɛ̨ŋgɛre kiri na p'kin.’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Mi sɑ bɛri na p'kin, ma mek' den nɛ̨ŋgɛre go mek' na Konim si dɛm, taki na den kiri na p'kin.’ Dąn suma tak', ‘ai̯.’ A tyari den dri nɛ̨ŋgɛre gi' Konim. Konim tak', ‘ai̯, Anąnsi, yu kɔni, so yu kąn tro mi pikin nąŋga leti mɩndri mi kɔndre.’

[p. 255]

63. Profitable Amends: Three Slaves for Three Grains of Corn.¹

Anansi wanted to marry the King's daughter. The King said if he wanted to bring three big slaves for him. Anansi said, [interrupting],² ‘True, my King.’ ‘...Then you will marry my daughter, and then I will give you half of my kingdom.’

The King gave him a black coat. Then he went away. Then as he was going away, he asked the King for three grains of corn, then the King gave them to him. Then he went to a place where many chickens were. Then he threw away the corn, then a cock ate one of the grains of corn. Anansi went to the woman, and he said to her that the fowl ate the King's golden ring. ‘Give me the fowl, and let me go and show the King that this one ate it.’ Then when he took the cock, then he ran away. He said, ‘I, Anansi, I am a cunning fellow.’ His coat called ‘Grenya!’³ Anansi said,

‘Three grains of corn caught a cock.’

As he walked so till... he came to a house. Then he asked to shelter the fowl in a pig pen. Then the pigs bit the cock. When he saw that the pigs had bitten him, he said, ‘Give me the pig to show the King that this pig ate the cock, that swallowed the King's ring.’ She said, ‘Take it.’ Then he ran away. He said,

‘Three grains of corn caught a cock,
One cock caught a pig.’

Then he came to a house again, he asked if he might sleep. ‘Yes.’ Then he took the pig to the horses' stable. Then the horse kicked the pig, and killed it. Then he said, ‘Give [me] the horse, and let me show the King that this one killed the pig that ate the King's cock, that swallowed the golden ring.’ Then he borrowed the horse, and he went away. His coat said, ‘Grenya!’

‘I, Anansi, I am a cunning fellow,
Three grains of corn caught a cock,
One cock caught a pig,
One pig caught a horse.’

Then he ran away again. He met those who were taking a child for burial. Anansi said, ‘Give me the child, let me bury it, then hold the horse.’ Then the people said, ‘No, no, it is we who have the dead, and it is we who must bury it ourselves.’ Anansi said,

1 Told by 9. Compare Senegal, Zeltner 73-80; Sierra Leone (Temne), Schlenker 59-61, No. 3, Bassett (I) 189-192, No. 78; Liberia (Kpelle), Westermann (III), 427-431, No. 38; Sudan (Mossi), Tauxier (II) 481-3, fable No. 83, (Hausa), Rattray (IV) 232-246, No. 13, Tremearne (IV) 237-241, No. 27 (with bibliography), 367-373, No. 77, 380-384, No. 80 (with bibliography); Gold Coast (Ashanti), Rattray (I), 257-261, No. 68; Togo (Krachi), Cardinall (I), 15-20, (Ewe), Speiss 102-106, No. 1; Dahomey, Herskovits, M. and F. (IV) MS. No. 5, No. 94; Cameroons, Krug 113-114, No. 10; Congo (Bena Kanioka), De Clercq 74-79, No. 3; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 69, No. 63; Brazil, Eells 15-20, No. 2.

2 See p. 142 concerning interpolated responses to a superior's speech.

3 The meaning given by one informant is that this is a secret African word expressing what the coat said. Another said it meant, ‘Run away!’

[p. 257]

‘If you go and bury the dead, I am going to tell the King.’ The people gave him [the child]. He went to bury it. But he did not bury it. He took it, and he went away. He said,

‘I, Anansi, I am a cunning fellow,
Three grains of corn caught a cock,
One cock caught a pig,
One pig caught a horse,
One horse caught a dead one.’

Then he went away. He saw a large wɩnti play.¹ The people were dancing. Three big slaves² were dancing, too. Anansi said, ‘Hold the child, I am going to dance, too. This child is the King's child.’ The people did not know that it was a dead child. He said, ‘I [can] dance better.’ Then the people said, ‘Yes.’ Anansi went to dance. He sang,

‘I, Anansi, I am a cunning fellow,
Three grains of corn caught a cock,
One cock caught a pig,
One pig caught a horse,
One horse caught a dead one,
One dead one caught three big slaves.’

When he was through dancing, he went to look after his child. He said the slaves killed the child. Anansi said, ‘I will bury the child, but make the slaves go to let the King see them, that it is they who killed the child.’ The people said, ‘Yes.’ He brought the three slaves to the King. The King said, ‘Yes, Anansi, you are cunning, so you can marry my child, and [have] half of my kingdom.’

1 I.e., dance.

2 Lit., ‘Negroes’.