Suriname folk-lore

123.

'A wąn Konu ben 'abi dri umą pikin. Ma di a dɛdɛ, dem dɛ tą' nąŋga dem m'ma. Sɛns dem dɛ, dę' no sabi mąn suma. So mɛni s'ma sɛn' aksi fō tro nąŋga den, ma dem m'ma no wani. Wą' boi̯ bɛn dɛ na wąn kɔndre a yeri. A taki, ‘Mi sɑ go probɛri ɛf' mi no sɑ kis' dem pikin.’ A go na barbir, a meki fals wiwiri, a nai̯ umą-suma krosi. Dąn a teki sɩpi a kɔ̨' na na kɔndre.

Di a kɔ̨', a go suku wroko na na presi pɛ dem pikin dɛ. Dąn na m'ma gi' em wroko. A tai̯gi, ‘Mi dɛ teki yu na wroko, ma yu no mu' tyari na wą' mąn suma kɔ̨' dia.’ A taki, ‘Ya, mi no 'abi mą' suma fisiti.’ A gi' 'ɛm nę' fō Juliana.

Nō, di a de tąn dapɛ, dɛm tra pikin lɔbi ɛ̨ŋ. Dem taki, ‘Yu ką' kɔm libi pɛ wi dɛ libi, na sei̯ na wą' kamera.’ Di a gō, dą' wą' nei̯ti den didǫ' dąn a yeri dɛm dɛ tai̯gi, ‘Luku bǭn, a kan dɛ na tra wąn gō tai̯gi wi m'ma baka.’ Wą' fō den taki, ‘A no go taki, wi de fertrō 'ɛm.’ Dąn di a yeri, a ɑksi dem taki, ‘Sąn ųn dɛ du?’

[p. 386]

Dąn dem tai̯gi meki ɛ̨ŋ kɔm luku. Di a gō, dɛm sori ɛ̨ŋ, taki, ‘Luku, dia wi 'abi wą' kandra, na so wi dɛ prei̯ makandra. Wi dɛ pɔti ɛ̨ŋ gi' wi sɛrefi.’ Dąn a taki, ‘Meki mi si fa' ųn dɛ du.’ Dąn dɛm shɔri ɛ̨ŋ, den pɔt' gi' dem sɛrefi. Ma di den kɔm fō pɔti gi' ɛ̨ŋ, a taki, ‘No, no.’ Dąn dɛm kɔ̨' fredɛ, taki, ‘A dɛ go taki baka.’ Ma a tai̯g' dem taki, ‘Mi serefi 'abi wą' kandra gi' ųn.’ Dem taki, ‘Pe a dɛ? Sɔri wi!’ A taki, ‘Didǫ'. Meki mi pɔti gi' yu.’ Ma di a pɔti di na wąn, a taki, ‘ai̯, mi sisa Julia! ai̯, mi sisa! Dis' a wąn kandra, yɛri! Pɔt' kandra, mi sisa. Mi no mę' sab'-taki ala di yu di̯a nąŋga wi, na so wąn sui̯ti kandra yu habi.’ So a pɔti gi' ala dem sisa. Dɛm de fei̯ti sɛrefi fō a pɔti gi' ɛm, te a kɔm weri.

Na baka fō dati dɛm pikin kɔm sɩki. Na mama sɛn' kari datra. Datra kɔm, a luku dem pikin, a taki, ‘Na bɛre dɛm habi.’ Na mama no b'ribi, a sen' kari wą' fut-frō kɔ̨'. Na fut-frō taki, ‘Mi fɛrsteri yu, dɛm pikin habi bɛri.’ Na mama taki, ‘Mi sɑ go ɔndrosuku dem.’ Na mama meki dɛm go na ɩni kamera. A kari Juliana tu, mek' a i kɔm, ma bufosi Juliana kɔm, a teki nai̯ tɛtei, dan a tai̯ na kandra go na baka. Di na m'ma luku dem, a taki, ‘Mi m'ma! Ųn mɔro mi.’ Dąn a go na Juliana nō. Di a luku Juliana, a taki, ‘Mi pikin, fa yu wroko so? Yu dɛ pɩsi bǫ'?’ Juliana taki, ‘Ya.’ Na mama tai̯gi, ‘Mi no si libi suma wroko so 'ɛtɛ.’ Dąn a go teki ɛ̨ŋ brɛl fō luku moro bɛtre. Ma dis' tęn 'a kandra bɛn kɔm stefi. Fa a pɔti ɛm ai̯ fō' luku, nō mō na kandra naki 'ɛm na ɛ̨ŋ fesi. Dąn Juliana kɔ̨' saka, a gowē. A taki na frō gi' ɛm shɛm.

Na baka fō dati na mama pɔti na kɔranti, taki, so wą' sani bɛn p'sa hɛm, ma meki na suma di du dati kɔ̨n na hɛm. Dąn wą' neti, dąn Juliana weri ɛ̨ŋ krosi lei̯ki wą' mą' suma. Dąn a gō na drapɛ, gō piki ɛ̨ŋ, taki na hɛm bɛn dɛ na mąn dɩsi du dɑti. Ɛn so na frō kɔm skreki fō yerɛ dati, bikasi a bɛn dɛ̨ŋki Juliana bɛn dɛ wąn 'umąn-suma. A no bɛn sabi-taki a 'abi ląŋga-ląŋga.

A kaba.

Ɩ̨ŋgi boto ɛkwɛnda i kɔ̨m
Boi̯-ya-ya
Ala d' Ɩ̨ŋgi no kɔ̨' yɛte
Boi̯-ya-ya
Ɩ̨ŋgi boto ɛkwɛnda i kɔ̨m
Boi̯-ya-ya
Ala d' Ɩ̨ŋgi no kɔ̨' yɛte
Boi̯ ya ya.

[p. 388]

 

Ba‧ana, ba‧ana

 

Kule kule

 

D' Ɩ̨ŋgi kɔti

 

Kule, kule

 

Ba‧ana, ba‧ana

 

Kule kule

 

D' Ɩ̨ŋgi de kɔti yu ba‧ana

 

Kule, kule.

123. Man Plays Maid-Servant.¹

A King had three daughters. But when he died, they lived with their mother. Since they were born they never knew a man. Many people sent to ask to marry them, but their mother did not wish it. A boy lived in a country who heard of this. He said, ‘I will go and try if I cannot get the children.’ He went to a barber and made a wig, and he sewed for himself women's clothes. Then he took a ship and came to the country.

When he came, he went to look for work where the girls were. Then the mother gave him work. She said, ‘I am taking you on to work, but you must not bring a man here.’ He said, ‘Yes, I do not have visits from men.’ He gave his name as Juliana.

Now, while he was living there the other children came to love him. They said, ‘You can come and live where we live, in a room next to ours.’ When he went, then one night they lay down and he heard them say, ‘Take care, perhaps the other will go and repeat this to our mother.’ One of them said, ‘She is not going to talk,

1 Told by 1. Compare Santo Domingo, Andrade, 329, No. 296.

[p. 387]

we trust her.’ Then when he heard, he asked them, said, ‘What are you doing?’ Then they said let him come and look. When he went, they showed him, said, ‘Look, here we have a candle, and so we play together. We put it into ourselves.’ Then he said, ‘Let me see what you do.’ Then they showed him by putting it into themselves. But when they came to put it into him, he said, ‘No, no.’ Then they became afraid, and said, ‘She is going to repeat this.’ But he said to them, he said, ‘I myself have a candle for you.’ They said, ‘Where is it? Show us.’ He said, ‘Lie down, and let me put it into you.’ But when he put it into one, she said, ‘Yes, my sister Julia! Yes, my sister! This is a candle, hear! Put the candle, sister. I did not know that all the while you were here with us you had so fine a candle.’ So he put it into all the sisters. They even fought to have him give it to them, till he became weary.

Later the children became sick. The mother sent to call the doctor. The doctor came, and he looked at the children, and he said, ‘They are pregnant.’ The mother did not believe it, and she sent to call a midwife. The midwife said, ‘I am sorry to disappoint you, but the children are pregnant.’ The mother said, ‘I will go to examine them.’ The mother made them go in a room. She called Juliana, too, let her come, but before Juliana came she took sewing thread and she tied the candle in back. When the mother looked at them she said, ‘Mother [alive]! You are too much for me!’ Then she went to Juliana now. When she looked at Juliana, she said, ‘My child, how do you work so? Do you urinate well?’ Juliana said, ‘Yes.’ The mother said, ‘I never yet saw a human being work so.’ Then she went to take her spectacles to be able to see better. But by this time the candle became erect. No sooner did she put her eye [close enough to see], than the candle struck her in the face. Then Juliana went away. He said the woman shamed him.

After that the mother put in the papers that such a thing had happened to her, but let the person who had done that come to her. Then one night Juliana dressed like a man. Then he went to tell her that he was the man who had done that. And so the woman became frightened when she heard that, because she had thought Juliana was a woman. She did not know that he had a long thing.

It is finished.

Ɩ̨ngi boto ɛkwɛnda i kɔ̨m
Boi̯-ya-ya
Ala d' Ɩ̨ngi no kɔ̨' yɛte
Boi̯-ya-ya
Ɩ̨ngi boto ɛkwɛnda i kɔ̨m
Boi̯-ya-ya
Ala d' Ɩ̨ngi no kɔ' yɛte
Boi̯ ya ya¹.

1 Song No. 194.

[p. 389]

 

Ba‧ana, ba‧ana

 

Kule kule

 

D' Ɩ̨ngi kɔti

 

Kule, kule

 

Ba‧ana, ba‧ana

 

Kule, kule

 

D' Ɩ̨ngi de kɔti yu ba‧ana

 

Kule, kule.¹

1 Song No. 143.