Suriname folk-lore

86.

Mati Tɩ̨ŋgiforu nąŋga mati Sɛkrepatu nąŋga mati Aka bɛn dɛ mati. Dą' ala dei̯ mati Aka 'ɛ kɔm nyąm nąŋga mati Sɛkrepatu. Ma mati Tɩ̨ŋgiforu dati 'ɛ ɑksi mati Sɛkrepatu, ‘Otɛm yu sɑ dɛdɛ fō mi kąn nyąm yu?’ Dąn mati Anąnsi a lɛre mati Sɛkrepatu taki, ‘Te mati Tɩ̨ŋgiforu dɛ taki nąŋga yu, yu mu hari yu hɛdɛ tyar' go na ɩni yu buba, no so, a i go diki yu ai̯ puru.’ Dą', te mati Tɩ̨ŋgiforu kɔm, dą' mati Sɛkrepatu a hari ɛ̨ŋ hɛdɛ tyari gowɛ. Dąn mati Tɩ̨ŋgiforu nąŋga mati Sɛkrepatu dɛm pori mati. Den no hɔri mɔro.

Ma mati Aka dɑti 'ɛ kɔm na mati Sɛkrepatu, dąn a dɛ nyąm ala dei̯. Dą' mati Sɛkrepatu wei̯fi ɑksi mati Aka taki, wɛ, otɛm a i go na hɛm mat' Sɛkrepatu fō nyąm nąŋga hɛm? Dą' mati Aka taki, ‘Tɛ mati Sɛkrepatu wani, a kąn kɔm.’ Ma mati Aka taki, ‘Mat' Sɛkrepatu n'e mąŋ go pɛ mi dɛ. Mi dɛ tɛ na hei̯ tapu.’ Mamentɛm Sɛkrepatu wei̯fi yɛre, dąn a tak' ‘Tamara mi 'ɛ go kɩs' mat' Aka nō.’ Dąn tai̯g' mati Sɛkrepatu taki, ‘Tamara mi ɛ tei̯ yu na ɩni ba‧ana buba, dą' mi-ɛ dɔmru yu na ɩni papira.’ Dąn a du so, mat' Sɛkrepatu wei̯fi. Mat' Sɛkrepatu wei̯fi dɔmru mati Sɛkrepatu na ɩni na papira.

[p. 292]

Dą', di mati Aka kɔm, dą' mati Sɛkrepatu wei̯fi gi mati Aka na dɔmru-dɔmru, tak' tyari go na tapu bom. ‘Na nąnyąm 'ɛ bɔri fō mat' Sɛkrepatu nąŋga yu nyąm.’ Dą' mat' Aka teki na sani, a tyari go 'a tapu na bom. No mō a go na tapu na bom, a tak', ‘Mi dɛ hopo hɛm, dąn mi nyąm ala, bika' mat' Sɛkrepatu no go mąŋ kɔm pɛ mi dɛ na tapu na bom.’ Dąn lusu na papira, dąn di a opo ɛ̨ŋ, a si ba‧ana buba. A trowɛ na ba‧ana buba, dą' a si mat' Sɛkrepatu na ɩni. Dąn a skrei̯ki. Dąn frɩ̨ŋ mat' Sɛkrepatu trowɛ na grɔ̨'. Dąn mat' Sɛkrepatu baka broko. Dąn den pɔri mati wantɛ.

Odo: Mi du yu bǫ', yu pai̯ mi ɔgri.

86. False Friendship: Grudging Hospitality.⁴

Friend Vulture and friend Hawk and friend Tortoise were comrades. And every day friend Hawk came to eat with friend Tortoise. Now friend Vulture, that one asked friend Tortoise, ‘When are you going to die so that I can eat you?’ Then friend Anansi taught friend Tortoise, he said, ‘When friend Vulture talks to you, you must draw your head inside your shell, otherwise he will dig out your eyes.’ Then, when friend Vulture came, then friend Tortoise drew in his head. Then friend Vulture and friend Tortoise broke⁵ their friendship. They had no more regard for each other.

But friend Hawk, that one came to friend Tortoise, and he ate every day. Then friend Tortoise's wife asked friend Hawk, she said, well, when was he going to ask his friend Tortoise to eat with him? Then friend Hawk said, ‘When friend Tortoise wishes he can come.’ But friend Hawk said, ‘Friend Tortoise is not going to be able to come where I am. I live on high.’ In the morning Tortoise's wife heard, then she said, ‘Tomorrow I am going to trick friend Hawk.’ Then she said to friend Tortoise, she said, ‘Tomorrow I am going to tie you inside a plantain skin, then I am going to wrap you up in paper.’ Then friend Tortoise's wife did this. Friend Tortoise's wife wrapped friend Tortoise in paper.

4 Told by 3. Compare Cameroons (Ekoi), Mansfeld 223-224, No. 2; Brazil, Bassett (I) 433-434, No. 69, Eells 23-29, No. 3.

5 Lit., ‘spoiled their friendship’.

[p. 293]

Then, when friend Hawk came, then friend Tortoise's wife gave friend Hawk the package,¹ saying for him to take it to the tree-top. ‘The food is cooked for friend Tortoise and you to eat.’ Then friend Hawk took the thing and he carried it to the tree-top. No sooner did he come to the tree-top than he said, ‘I will open it, and then I will eat all, because friend Tortoise is not going to be able to come where I am in the tree-top.’ Then he unwrapped the paper, and when he opened it he saw the plantain skin. He threw away the plantain skin, and he saw friend Tortoise inside. Then he was frightened. Then he flung² friend Tortoise to the ground. Then friend Tortoise's back broke. Instantly they broke their friendship.³

Proverb: I do you good, and you repay me with evil.

1 Note this case of noun formation by duplication, i.e., domru - to wrap; domru-domru - package.

2 Lit., ‘Then he fling Friend Tortoise throw away (on) the ground’.

3 Lit., ‘Then they spoilt friendship, one time’.