Suriname folk-lore

74.

Anąnsi tai̯g' Konu taki, Konum no mu' meki Dagu kɔ̨' ɩn' 'a 'oso, bika' Dagu 'ɛ f'furu. Ɛn Konu tai̯g' Anąnsi taki, ‘A no tru.

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Dagu n'e fufuru. So mɛn' trɔ̨ŋ Dagu kɔ̨' di̯a.’ Anąnsi tak', ‘Sooo... Wɛ, mi Konu, a di a no si sani f'a fufuru, mek' a n'e f'furu na yu 'oso.’ A tai̯g' Konu taki, ‘Ɛf' yu wan' si, pɔt wą' kan mɛrki na tap' i trapu, dąn yu sɑ si ɛf' a n'e f'furu.’

Konum pɔt' 'a mɛrki. Tamara, Dag' 'ɛ kɔm. Fa na Dagu si 'a mɛlki, a drɩ̨ŋg' 'a mɛrki, no mo Konum kari ɛ̨ŋ, a taki, ‘Noiti mi sab'-taki na so yu fufuru. Anąnsi bɛn tai̯g' mi fō' yu, ma mi no bɛn b'ribi ɛ̨ŋ. Ma tidɛ mi si taki yu na wą' f'furuman.’

So Konu no fertrō dagu nąŋga mɛrki mɔro; a sab'-taki, ɛf' dagu si mɛrki, a no ką' p'sa ɛ̨ŋ. A mus' drɩ̨ŋg' ɛ̨ŋ.

74. Anansi Sets a Trap for Dog.⁴

Anansi said to the King that the King must not let Dog come to his house, because Dog steals. And the King said to Anansi,

4 Told by 1.

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he said, ‘It is not true. Dog does not steal. Dog has been here many times.’ Anansi said, ‘So... Well, my King, he hasn't seen anything in your house to steal, that is why he has not stolen in your house.’ He said to the King, he said, ‘If you want to see, put a can of milk at the head of the stairs, then you will see if he does not steal.’

The King put the milk there. The next day Dog came. When Dog saw the milk, he drank it. At once the King called him, and he said, ‘I never knew that you steal. Anansi told me about you, but I did not believe him. But today I see that you are a thief.’

So the King no longer trusted Dog with milk; he knew that if Dog were to see milk, he could not pass it by. He would have to drink it.