Suriname folk-lore

72.

Wąn dąnsi bɛn go dɛ. Dagu no bɛn hab' krosi fō go dąnsi. Dąn a len' wąn bruku na Anąnsi. Ma di den go dąnsi, na bruku bɛn p'kin fō Dagu. Te Dagu 'ɛ dansi, a i bradi ɛ̨ŋ futu. Na fɔs' trǫ', Anąnsi kari hɛm kɔm na wąn sei̯, a taki, ‘Mati, luk' bǫ', yu broko mi bruku.’ A libi hɛm. Di den dɛ dąnsi baka, Dagu bradi hɛm futu baka. Anąnsi kari hɛm baka, a taki, ‘Mati, luk' bǫn, yu broko mi bruku.’ Ma di fō dri trǫ' di Dagu bradi hɛm futu baka, nō mō Anąnsi kis' na bruku, hari puru na Dagu sɩkin.

Dati meki te tidɛ Dagu dɛ waka 'a soso sɩkin.

72. Why Dog Goes About Naked.¹

A dance was going to be held. Dog had no clothes in which to go dancing. Then he borrowed a pair of breeches from Anansi. But when they went to dance, the breeches were too small for Dog. When Dog danced he spread his feet. The first time Anansi called him aside, and he said, ‘Friend, look out, you are tearing my breeches.’ He left him. When they danced again, Dog spread his feet again. Anansi called him again, and he said, ‘Friend, look out, you are tearing my breeches.’ But, when for the third time Dog spread his feet again, Anansi suddenly caught the breeches and pulled² them from Dog's body.

That is why to this day Dog goes about naked.

1 Told by 1. Compare U.S. (Sea Islands), Parsons (II) 104-105, No. 102.

2 Lit., ‘Anansi caught the breeches, hauled, pulled the dog skin’; a good example of the use of a series of verbs to express a single action.