Suriname folk-lore

97. Fa Kɔm Sineki dɛ Nyąm Suma.

Sineki waka wąn dei̯ na wąn busi pasi. Leti miti hɛm. Fa a de lɔ̨n, nō mō a fadǫ' na wąn dipi pɛti. Na pɛti bɛn drai̯, ma Sineki no mąŋ kɔmopo na ɩni. A proberi so, a proberi so, ma a dɛ grati baka. Dųŋgru bɩgɩn fadǫ'. 'A Sineki bɩgɩn bari. Hɔ̨ntimąn dɛ na pasi, a yɛre Sineki dɛ bari. A go luku sąn dɛ fō du. A si Sineki. Sineki krei̯, ‘Luku fa mi dɛ go dɛdɛ. Hąŋgri a di go kiri mi. Tyɛ, Hɔntimąn, lɛpi mi.’ ‘A bǫn,’ Hɔntimąn taki. A go, a kɔti wąn laŋgą tɩki, a pɔti na ɩni na hɔro. Sineki krɛ̨ŋ na na tɩki, a kɔmopo. Fa a kɔmopo, a sütu ɛ̨ŋ tu kɩni na dɔti, gi Hɔntimąn, taki, ‘Tyɛ, Hɔntimąn, sąn mi sɑ feni fō pai̯ na pai̯mɛ̨ŋ?’ ‘A no nɔtɩ̨,’ Hɔntiman piki taki, ‘meki a tą' so. Di yu sabi dɑti mi du yu wąn bǫn,

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dą' nɔfo.’ Hɔntimąn gowe. Ma Sineki no kaba nąŋga na taki. Dei̯ nąŋga neti a dɛ prakseri fa fō du fō sɔri Hɔntimąn taki ɛ̨ŋ sabi bǫn.

Wąn mamantɛ̨m, fa a kɔmopo na hoso, nō mō a si wąn suma dɛ kɔm. ‘Tyɛ, Masra, fa yu geɛrsi Hɔntimąn! Yu sabi Hɔntimąn? Fa a waka ųŋ tu geɛrsi so?’ Libisuma lafu. A piki Sineki, a taki, ‘Mi na libisuma, ɛn Hɔntimąn na Libisuma tu. Na so a kɔm wi geɛrsi wi srɛfi.’ ‘Ah, grąn tąŋgi fō Gadu,’ Sineki taki, ‘tide mi kɔmopo na ɩni na pina. Tyɛ, Libisuma, yu na libisuma, Hɔntimąn na libisuma. Mi dɛ go krei̯ wąn pina gi yu. Hɔntimąn bɛn du mi wąn bɩgi bǫn.’ Sineki taki na tɔri, fa Hɔntimąn bɛn puru hɛm na dɛdɛ, a tai̯gi Libisuma. Libisuma sidǫ', a harki bǫn. ‘Wɛ, Sineki, sąn yu wani mi mu' du gi yu, dą'?’ ‘Tyɛ, mi dɛ bɛgi yu, sąn mi mu' du gi Hɔntimąn meki a si taki mi sabi są' na bǫn?’

Libisuma gɛme, a taki, ‘Ɛfi yu wani sɔri Hɔntimąn taki yu sabi są' na bǫn, dą' yu mu' luku na pasi pe a dɛ waka go na busi, dą' yu dɛ go kɩbri na na pasi sɩkin, ɛn fa Hɔntimąn dɔro pe yu dɛ, nō mō yu dɛ dyɔmpo, dą' yu nyąm ɛ̨ŋ. Dɑti na mɔro bɩgi bǫn di yu kąn du gi Hɔntimąn.’

Sineki gi Libisuma grąn tąŋgi. A gowe. Dei̯-broko, a du fa Libisuma bɛn sɔri hɛm.

97. Animal Gratitude and Human Duplicity.¹

One day Snake walked along a bush path. Lateness overtook him. As he ran, all at once he fell into a deep pit. The pit was dry, but Snake could not come out. He tried, and he tried, but he slid back. Darkness began to fall. Snake began to shout. Hunter was on the path, and he heard Snake call. He went to look what there was to do. He saw Snake. Snake cried, ‘Look, how I am about to die. Hunger is going to kill me. Tye, Hunter, help me.’ ‘All right,’ Hunter said. He went and cut a long stick, and put it in the hole. Snake climbed up on the stick, and came out. As he came out he shot his two knees to the ground for Hunter,² and he said ‘Tye, Hunter, what shall I find to pay my debt?’ ‘It is

1 Told by 6.

2 Idiom for, ‘he knelt down’.

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nothing,’ Hunter answered, said, ‘let it rest so. Since yon know that I did you a good (deed), then (it is) enough.’ Hunter went away. But Snake could not stop talking (about this). Day and night he studied what to do to show Hunter that he knew good.

One morning as he came out of his house, all at once he saw a person coming. ‘Tye, Master, how you resemble Hunter! Do you know Hunter? How does it happen¹ you two resemble each other so?’ Human Being laughed. He answered Snake, he said, ‘I am a human being, and the Hunter is a human being too. So it comes about (that) we resemble each other.’ ‘Ah, thank God,’ said Snake, ‘today I will rid myself of my difficulty. Tye, Human Being, you are a human being, the Hunter is a human being. I am going to tell you my trouble. Hunter did me a great service.’ Snake told Human Being, he told the story of how Hunter had saved him from death. Human Being sat down, and he listened well. ‘Well, Snake, what do you want me to do for you, then?’ ‘Tye, I beg you, what must I do for Hunter to let him see that I know what good is?’

Human Being sighed, and he said, ‘If you want to show Hunter that you know what good is, then you must find out the path he follows to the bush, then you must go and hide at the edge of the path, and as Hunter comes where you are, then all at once you are to jump up, and then you (are to) eat him. That is the greatest good you can do for Hunter.’

Snake thanked Human Being. He went away. At daybreak, he did as Human Being showed him.

1 Lit., ‘how does it walk’.