Suriname folk-lore

99.

Wą' m'ma bɛn dɛ di 'ab' dri umą-p'kin. Dąn a bɛn 'ab' wą' tra wąn fō ɛ̨ŋ sisa, a i kweki hɛm. Ma den bɛn fɔm 'ɛm, mɛsandel 'ɛm. Wą' dei̯ a kɔmɔpo, a gowe na busi. A waka so tɛ ... neti kɔm kɩsi 'ɛm 'a pasi. D'a go na ɔndro wąn bɔm, a go didɔ̨'. Ma d'a didɔ̨', dąn na ɛdɛ-mąn fō ala den wisi-mąn kɔ̨n let' na ɔndr'a bɔm, kɔm ɔr' wąn komparsi. Dąn den bigɩn fō taki, ɛn na ɛdɛmąn ɑks' wąn tra wąn, ‘Fa sortu wroko yu du fō na heri yari?’ A taki, ‘Mi bɛn ligeri furu suma.’ So ala gi frantwɔrtu są' den bɛn du na heri yari. Na mei̯djɛ dɛ na ɔndro na bɔm, a i arki na ala sani.

Ma wąn fō den, nō, di na ɛdɛ-mąn ɑks' ɛm sąn a bɛn du fō na 'eri yari, a taki, ‘Wɛl, mi bɛn mek' wą' prɩns sɩki, ma nowąn suma sɑ drɛs' ɛ̨ŋ na prɩ̨ns dati. Na suma di sɑ drɛs' ɛ̨ŋ, na mu' bɔr' wąn tɩ̨ŋgiforu supu gi' hɛm.’

Na mei̯djɛ yɛre. Tamara mamąntɛ̨m, a gowe, a go na s'rɛf' foto pɛ na prɩ̨ns dɛ. A go, a taki ɛ̨ŋ sɑ drɛs' na prɩ̨ns. So a kɔm bɔr' na tɩ̨ŋg'foru sup' gi' na prɩ̨ns. Na prɩ̨ns drɩ̨ŋgi, ɛn so 'a prɩ̨ns kɔm bɛtrɛ. Ɛ̨ŋ a mu tro ną̨ŋga 'a mei̯djɛ.

Ma di den tro kaba, dąn na prɩ̨ns kar' na mei̯djɛ, a taki, ‘Yu si, di̯a mi 'abi wąn gotu brakri, nąŋga wąn kɔpra brakri, nąŋga wąn sɔrfu wąn. Wɛ, i si, mi dɛ go trǫ' wąn p'kin foru. Dą i ɛ tek' dɛm braki. Na ɩn' na sɔrfu yu pɔt' sɔrfuwatra. Ɛn na ɩni na kɔpra wąn

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yu pɔt' kɔpra-watra. Ɛn ɩn' na gotu wą', yu pɔt' gotuwatra. Bika', te mi frei̯ kɔm na ɩni, mi mu' was' mi fesi fō mi trǫ' na prɩ̨ns baka.’

Ɛn so na mei̯djɛ bɛn du. Ala nei̯ti na foru bɛn frei̯ kɔm, a i wasi hɛm fesi na ɩn' na watra, en a i trǫ' wąn libisuma. Mamantęm, a gowe baka.

Nō den dri sisa bɛn tai̯gi dem m'ma taki, ‘Mek' wi go luku ɔpɛ na tra wąn go.’ Dem tek' pasi, den gowe, go suk' hɛm. Nō, di den dɔro, na sisa tai̯g' dɛm taki, mek' dɛm go srib' na ɩn' na 'oso na prasi. Ma den no bɛn wani, bika' dem bɛn kɔm fō si są' na sisa dɛ du. Nei̯ti den kibri luku, dɛm si wąn foru frei̯ kɔm, ɛn a trǫ' wąn prɩ̨ns. Dem bɛn fruwɔndert tumusi. Tamara dem gowe, ɛn dem taki den m'ma taki, ‘Na tra wąn feni bǫ'.’ Dem si wąn pikin foru frei̯ kɔm yɛsterdei̯, ɛn a trǫ' wąn prɩ̨ns. Dąn na m'ma taki, ‘A bǫ', mi sɑ go suku wąn wisi, dąn wi sɑ tyari hɛm go pɔti meki na foru no trǫ' na prɩ̨ns mɔro.’

Nō, a go na wąn wisi-mąn. Na wisi-mąn gi ɛm dri pina. A taki, ‘Yu dɛ go, yu dɛ pɔt' na kɔpra wąn na ɩni na kɔpra brakri, ɛn na sɔrfu wąn na ɩni na sɔrfu brakri, ɛn na gotu wąn na ɩn' na gotu brakri.’ Ɛn so na mama bɛn gi den sisa dɛm pina fō den tya' go. Di den go, den du so lei̯k den wisi-mąn bɛn taki.

Nei̯ti, fa na p'kin foru frei̯ kɔm, a drɩ̨ŋgi den watra, ɛn so dɛm pina, a bɛn swar' dɛm. Ɛn wąn-trǫ' a no bɛn trǫ' na prɩ̨ns mɔro, ma a bɛn flei̯ go wɛ, ɛn a kǫ' sɩki. So na mei̯djɛ, nō, bɛn sari tumusi, a tek' 'a pasi, a i gowɛ baka fō go suku na prɩ̨ns. Ma di a dɔro, a mit ɛ̨ŋ na prɩ̨ns, di a trɔ̨' prɩ̨ns baka te a frei̯ gowe, tai̯g' 'ɛm taki, ‘Yu si, na fō umą mek' mi 'ɛ dɛdɛ. Dei̯s, a mi no sɑ wani umą mɔro.’ Na mei̯djɛ taig' hɛm taki, ‘Wɛ, mi sɑ go suku drɛsi fō yu kɔm bɛtrɛ.’

'A mei̯djɛ waka gowɛ, a go mit' wąn ɔru grąn-mɩsi. A bɛn bɛgi ɛ̨ŋ ɛfu a no kąn lɛpi ɛ̨ŋ, nąŋga wąn drɛsi.'A grąn-mɩsi tai̯g' 'ɛm taki, ‘Mi sɑ gi yu wąn drɛsi, ma yu mu' prei̯ fō datra.’ Ɛn so a gi na mei̯djɛ wąn batra, tai̯gi ɛm taki, ‘Yu dɛ gi hɛm dri dropu tɛ yu gō. Ma yu mu' tai̯gi ɛm taki, na dei̯ di a sɑ ɔpo ɛ̨ŋ hanu nąŋga wąn rewɔlfer fō shut' wąn suma, a mu' mɛmbre sąn ɛ̨ŋ datra bɛn tai̯gi.’

Na mei̯djɛ a gowe. A bai̯ wąn brōru, bai̯ wąn blaka pak. A weri, a kɔm p'sa. Di a i p'sa, wąn suma tai̯k prɩ̨ns taki, ‘Wąn datra dɛ p'sa.’ Prɩ̨ns taki, mek' den kari hɛm kɔm. Di a kɔm, a luku prɩ̨ns, a taki, ‘Mi sɑ gi' yu wąn drɛsi. Ma na dei̯ di yu sɑ opo yu 'anu nąŋga wąn rewɔlfu' fō shutu wąn suma, wą' trǫ' yu mu mɛmbre sąn yu datra bɛn tai̯gi yu.’ Ɛn so na datra kɔ̨n gi' ɛm na drɛsi.

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Ɛn fa-i-si a bɛn drɩ̨ŋg' na drɛsi, a bɛn brak' den pina puru. Na datra gowɛ.

Nō, na mei̯djɛ go na na s'rɛf' presi pɛ na foru bɛn frei̯ kɔm. Wąn nei̯ti, na foru frei̯ kɔm, ɛn di na foru frei̯ kɔm, a trǫ' na prɩ̨ns. Ma fa-i-si a trǫ' na prɩ̨ns, a si na mei̯djɛ. A opo ɛ̨ŋ rewɔlfō' fō wąntrǫ' shutu hɛm. Ɛn na mei̯djɛ bɛn taig' hɛm taki, ‘Mɛmbre są' yu datra bɛn tai̯gi yu!’ A saka ɛ̨ŋ 'anu. A opo ɛ̨ŋ 'anu baka fō shutu hɛm. 'A mei̯djɛ taig' gi ɛm baka, taki, ‘Mɛmbre sąn yu datra bɛn tai̯gi yu!’ So a no süt' na mei̯djɛ mɔro. Ɛ̨ŋ 'ati bɛn kɔm karu.

Nō, na mei̯djɛ kar ɛ̨ŋ, tai̯g' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Wɛ, yu si na so bɛn p'sa. Na mi bɛn dɛ na datra, dɩsi bɛn drɛs' yu.’ Na prɩ̨ns tai̯gi ɛm taki, ‘Ma dem sisa f' yu, dɑti, ɛf' den kɔ̨n di̯a, den 'ɛdɛ sɑ go na kaluk.’

Ɛn so, dem sisa bɛn kɔm. Ɛn so na yųŋgu bɛn meki dɛm hąŋga dem sisa fō na ɔgri di den bɛn du nąŋga dem sisa.

Ɛn so dem bɛn gi' wąn fei̯st. Ma na ɩn' na fei̯st wąn kanǭ' bɛn shutu. Ɛn na sxɔt fō na kanǫ' bɛn tro-wɛ mi kɔ̨n tɛ ... dia. Dɑt' mek' mi n'e sab' mɔro fō na tɔri.

99. The Prince Who Changed into a Bird.¹

There was a mother who had three daughters. Then she had another whom she was bringing up who was her sister's (child). But they beat her and abused her. One day she left, and went to the bush. She walked so till... night came, and caught her on the road. Then she went under a tree, and she lay down. But when she lay down, then the headmen of all the sorcerers came right under the tree to hold a meeting. Then they began to talk and the headman asked one of them, ‘What sort of work did you do all year?’ He said, ‘I bewitched many people.’ So all of them gave accounts of what they had done the whole year. The girl was there under the tree, she heard everything.

But one of them, now, when the headman asked him what he had done the whole year, he said, ‘Well, I made a prince sick, but no one will cure that prince. The person who would cure him would have to cook vulture soup for him.’

The girl heard. The next morning, she went away. She went to the same city where the prince was. She went, and she said she would cure the prince. So she cooked the vulture soup for the prince. The prince drank it and so the prince got better. And he must marry the girl.

But when they were already married, then the prince called the girl, and he said, ‘You see here I have a gold tray, and a copper tray, and a silver one. Well, you see, I am going to change into a small bird. Then you will take the trays. In the silver one, you

1 Told by 4. Compare Hausa, Tremearne (III) 280-283, No. 44 (variant); Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 156-158, No. 123; Santo Domingo, Andrade 109-110, No. 78; Brazil, Eells 165-174, No. 16.

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must put silver water. And in the copper one, you must put copper water. And in the gold one, you must put gold water. Because when I come flying inside, I must wash my face in order to change back into a prince.’

And so the girl had done. Every night the bird came flying, and he washed his face in the water, and he changed into a human being. In the morning he went away again.

Now the three sisters said to their mother, said, ‘Let us go and see where the other went.’ They went on their way to look for her. Now, when they arrived, the sister said to them, she said, let them go sleep in the house in the back yard. But they did not want (to go), because they came to see what the sister was doing. At night they hid to watch and they saw a bird come flying, and it changed into a prince. They were very much astonished. The next day they went away, and they said to their mother, said, ‘The other one has found good (fortune).’ They saw a small bird come flying yesterday, and it changed into a prince. Then the mother said, ‘All right, I will go and find a wisi¹, then we shall take it and fix it so that the bird will not change into a prince any more.’

Now she went to a sorcerer. The sorcerer gave her three pins. He said, ‘You will go and you will put the copper one in the copper tray, the silver one in the silver tray, and the gold one in the gold tray.’ And so the mother gave the sisters the pins to take away. When they went, they did just as the sorcerer had said.

At night, as the little bird came flying, it drank the water and so it swallowed the pins. And at once he could not change into a prince any more, but he flew away, and he got sick. So the girl, now, was very sad, she went on her way again to try and find the prince. But when she came upon the prince, who had turned back to a prince when he flew away, he said to her, said, ‘You see, for the sake of a woman I am dying. Thus I will have nothing more to do with women.’ The girl said to him, she said, ‘Well, I am going to look for medicine to cure you.’

The girl walked away, she met an old woman. She begged her if she couldn't help her with her medicine. The old woman said to her, she said, ‘I will give you a medicine, but you must pretend to be a doctor.’ And so she gave the girl a bottle, and said to her, said, ‘Give him three drops when you go. But you must say to him, say, the day he will raise his hand, (armed) with a revolver² to shoot someone, he must remember what his doctor had said.’

The girl went away. She bought a high hat, and bought a black coat. She dressed herself in these, and came by. When she passed, someone said to the prince, he said, ‘A doctor is passing.’ The prince said have them call him. When he came, he looked at the prince, and he said, ‘I will give you a medicine. But the day you raise your hand, (armed) with a revolver to shoot someone, you must

1 Black magic.

2 Note the three pronunciations given to word ‘revolver’.

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at once remember what your doctor had said to you.’ And so the doctor gave him the medicine. And just as he drank the medicine, he vomited the pins. The doctor went away.

Now the girl went to the same place where the bird used to come flying. One night the bird came flying, and when the bird came flying, it changed into a prince. But just as he changed into a prince, he saw the girl. He raised his revolver to shoot her at once. And the girl said to him, said, ‘Remember what your doctor had said to you!’ He dropped his hand. He raised his hand again to shoot her. The girl said to him again, said, ‘Remember what your doctor had said to you!’ So he did not shoot the girl any more. His heart grew cool.¹

Now, the girl called him, and said to him, said, ‘Well, you see, this is what happened. I was the doctor who cured you.’ The prince said to her, he said, ‘But if those sisters of yours come here, their heads will go on the gallows.’

And so, the sisters came. And so the young man had them hang the sisters for the evil they had done to their sister.

And so they gave a feast. But in the midst of the feast, a cannon was shot. And the cannon-shot threw me till... here. That is why I don't know any more of the story.

1 Idiom in town and bush for ‘his anger subsided’.