Suriname folk-lore

112.

Wan umą bɛn dɛ, a bɛn habi ɛ̨ŋ masra. Ma a bɛn dɛ wan pranasi umą. Wɛ, dąn ɛ̨ŋ masra bɛn dɛ na busi, dąn habi wan tra masra.

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Ma di na masra kɔm na foto, dan 'a tra masra tai̯g' hɛm taki, ‘Ɛf' yu lɔbi mi, yu mu mek' mi kɔm sribi na yu hoso.’ Dąn a tai̯gi na mąn taki, ‘A bo'. Mi masra dɛ na foto, na mi go mek' yu kɔm. Mi dɛ go weri wan koto nąŋga yaki fō mi gi yu, dąn mi dɛ go tai̯gi mi masra taki yu na mi sisa fō pranasi.’ Dąn di a weri na koto gi ɛ̨ŋ, neti dąn a kɔm drapɛ. Dą' na umą tai̯gi ɛ̨ŋ masra taki na wan sisa fō ɛ̨ŋ.

Dąn neti dɛn go sribi. Ma mamąntɛ̨m na umą go na wowoyo bika' a bɛn de sɛri sani. Dąn na man lidǫ' na sodro. Ma di na mas'a fō na umą si a no dɛ saka kɔm na grɔ̨n, dąn a go luku, dąn a si na wan man suma. Dąn na man hatibrɔ̨n. Dąn a tek' wan tɩki lɔ̨n kɔm na wowoyo na na umą tapu. Ma di na umą si a dɛ kɔm, dąn na umą tek' wan pis' papira, dąn a lesi, dąn a di krei̯. Dąn, di na man kɔm, a taki, ‘Sąn du yu?’ Dą' a tai̯gi na wan taki, ‘Hm! dyɔnsro mi kɩs' wan brei̯fi, ala mi sisa na pranasi trǫ' man suma.’ Dąn na man taki, ‘Den no lei̯, bikasi na wan di kɔm sribi nąŋga yɛsɛrdei̯ neti, dati srɛfi trǫ' wan man suma.’ Ma na man n'e sabi fō lei̯si. Dati meki na umą kis' ɛ̨ŋ nąŋga so wąn trɩki.

Odo: Suma pikin a no yu pikin.

Sribi na dɛdɛ.

Umą kir' man.

112. Unfaithful Wife: the Letter Trick.⁴

There was a woman who had a husband. But she was a plantation woman. Well, then her husband was in the bush, and she had

4 Told by 1. This story corresponds in point, though not in the incidents that go to make the plot, to numerous tales found in New World Negro collections, an example of which is Parsons (III) 77-82, Nos. 36-38.

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another man. But when her husband went to the city, then the other man said to her, said, ‘If you love me, you must let me come sleep in your house.’ Then she said to the man, said, ‘All right. My husband is in the city, I will let you come. I am going to dress you in one of my skirts and blouses, and I am going to tell my husband that you are my sister from the plantation.’ Then when she dressed him in the dress, then that night he came there. And the woman told her husband this was her sister.

Then at night they went to sleep. But in the morning the woman went to the market because she sold things. Then the man lay down upstairs. But when the woman's husband saw she did not come down, then he went to look, and he saw a man.¹ Then the man was angry. He took a stick and came running to the market toward the woman. But when the woman saw him coming, then the woman took a piece of paper, then she read and cried. Then, when the man came he said, ‘What are you doing?’ Then she spoke [made up] a speech. ‘Hm! I just received a letter that all my sisters on the plantation have changed into men.’ Then the man said, ‘They do not lie, because the one who came to sleep with you last night, that one, too, changed into a man.’ But the man did not know how to read. That is why the woman deceived him with such a trick.

Proverb: Another's child is not your child.

Sleep is death.

Woman kills man.

1 Lit., ‘man-person’.