Suriname folk-lore

106. Man fasi.

Wą' mą' bɛn dɛ 'a bɛn dɛ̨ŋki a dɛ mɔro bɛtre lei̯ki ala tra mąn. A 'abi wąn tutu. Na ala dei̯ a dɛ bro na tutu, na tutu dɛ piki, ‘Mi na mą' mɔro ala mąn.’ Da' ɛ̨ŋ frō dɛ tai̯g' gi ɛm, taki, ‘Yu no mu' brō na tutu so.’

Wą' dei̯ di a pre 'a tutu, a yɛri wą' tra tutu brō tai̯ki, ‘Mąn dɛ mɔro mąn.’ Dąn a kɔmopo fō go luku pɛ na tutu brō. A waka so tɛ ... a go mit' wąn grąn-mɩsi. Dąn na grąn-mɩsi tai̯g' ɛ̨' taki, ‘Yu mu' gowɛ. Ɛfu yu tą' dia tɛ den pikɩ̨' fō mi kɔ̨', dąn dę' go kiri yu.’ Ma a bɛgi na grą'-mɩsi tai̯gi, mek' a kɩbri ɛ̨ŋ. Dą' na grą'-mɩsi kɩbri ɛ̨ŋ.

Di na fɔs' pikɩ̨' kɔ̨' na bakadina, a tyari tįn bɔfru kɔm. Na tra wą' kɔm, a tyari tįn sak' alei̯si. Na tra wąn tyari fo' saka sau̯tu. Ma di den bɔri, den nyąm, dą' na mama tai̯g' dɛm, taki, ‘Yu no sabi taki ųn bɛn habi wąn brada, ma a no bɛn tą' dia.’ Dąn dɛm tai̯ki, ‘Kaba yu no bɛn tai̯ki wi noiti?’ A taki, ‘Mi bɛn sari fō tai̯g' ųn.’ Dąn a taki, ‘Wɛ, ɛfu mi meki ųn si ɛ̨ŋ, są' ų' sɑ du nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ?’ Den tai̯gi, ‘Wi sɑ prɩsiri nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ.’ Di na mama meki ɛ̨' kɔ̨', na fɔsi wąn teki ɛ̨', a frɩ̨ŋgi ɛ̨' go na lɔktu. Di a 'ɛ fadǫ', na tra wą' fąŋga ɛ̨ŋ, a frɩ̨ŋg' ɛ̨' baka. Di a i fadǫ' baka, na tra wąn fąŋga ɛ̨ŋ, dąn a frɩ̨ŋgi ɛ̨ŋ go baka. Dąn a fadǫ' na grǫ'. No mo a taki, ‘ai̯, a no mi wąwąn na mąn. Mąn dɛ moro mąn.’

Dąn a go na 'oso, a tai̯g' ɛ̨ŋ frō są' pasa. Dą' na umą tai̯g' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Tɛ sapakara tɛre kɔti, wąntrǫn a dɛ feni 'olō.’

106. Giants Cure Boastfulness.³

There was a man who thought he was better than all other men. He had a trumpet. Every day he blew his trumpet, and the trumpet said, ‘I am the man who surpasses all men.’ Then his wife said to him, said, ‘You must not blow the trumpet so.’

One day, as he was blowing his trumpet, he heard another trumpet blow, saying, ‘Man surpasses man.’ Then he came out to go and see where the trumpet was being blown. He walked so till... he met an old woman. Then the old woman said to him, ‘You must go away. If you remain here, when my children come they are going to kill you.’ But he begged the old woman, he said, let her hide him. Then the old woman hid him.

When the first child came in the afternoon he brought ten buffaloes. The other came, he brought ten sacks of rice. The other brought four sacks of salt. But when they had cooked they ate. Then the mother said to them, said, ‘You do not know that you have a brother, but he has not been living here.’ Then they said, ‘Why have you never told us?’ She said, ‘I was too sad to tell you.’ Then she said, ‘Well, if I let you see him, what will you do with him?’ They said, ‘We shall rejoice with him.’ When the mother had him come, the first one took him and tossed him up in the air. When he fell down the other caught him and tossed him again. When he fell down again the other one caught him, then he tossed him again. Then he fell to the ground. At once he said, ‘Yes, I am not the only one who is a man. Man surpasses man.’

Then he went home, and he told his wife what had happened. Then the wife said to him, said, ‘When Salamander's tail is cut off, he immediately finds a hole (in which to hide).’

3 Told by 1. Compare Sudan (Bambara), Travélé 118-123, No. 45, (Mossi), Tauxier (II) 492-493, fable No. 93, (Hausa), Rattray (IV) 210-230, No. 12.