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Suriname folk-lore (1936)

Suriname folk-lore

(1936)–Melville J. Herskovits, Frances S. Herskovits–rechtenstatus Auteursrecht onbekend

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127.

 
Kri, kra! Opo yɛsi, yɛri tɔri!
 
Ala mąn n'e kraka!

A bɛn dɛ wąn Konum, a nɛm Konu Wilyam, a bɛ̨' abi wą' uma. A bɛn libi nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ tin-na'-ait' yari, ɛn noiti na umąn bɛn tą' nąŋga bɛri. Ma di fō tį'-na-nei̯g' yari, a bɛn firi taki ɛ̨ŋ kɩsi bɛri. Ɛn Konu Wilyam taig' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Ɛf' yu kɩs' wą' uma pikin, dat' sɑ dɛ mi wei̯fi, mi sɑ tro nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ. Ɛn ɛf' na wą' mąn p'kin, mi sɑ kir' ɛ̨ŋ.’

Ma no', di na tɛ̨' kɔm wan sɩksi-mųn, na umą firi taki, 'a tɛm dɛ krosibei̯. Dąn a tek' wą' tai̯tai̯, a suk' wąn tra kɔndre, a gō. Ɛn di a dɛ na tra kɔndre, tu mų' na baka, a kɩsi wąn sxonɛ mąn p'kin. Ɛn na p'pa nę' skrifi na fesi hɛm hɛde Konu Wilyam. Ɛn na m'ma meki ɛ̨ŋ nąŋga wąn tofer dosu nąŋga wąn sroto.

 

Ɛn di na p'kin gebɔr', a ɑksi hɛm mama, a tak', ‘Mi mama, suma na mi papa?’ A taki, ‘Mi p'kin, yu no habi papa.’ A tak', ‘Fa dat' kąn dɛ, wąn p'kin gebɔr' zɔndro papa?’ Na p'kin a tak', ‘Wɛ, mi mama, tidɛ mi wani sabi suma na mi papa.’ A taki, ‘Tyɛ! mi p'kin! A sɑ dɛ hɔgri fō yu, ɛn a sɑ dɛ hogri fō mi.’ Ɛn

a taki, ‘Na yu hɛde mi libi yu papa kɔndre, mi kɔm tą' di̯aso. A taki, ɛfi mi meki wąn umą-p'kin, a sɑ dɛ hɛm wei̯fi, ma ɛf' na wąn mąn-pikin, a sɑ kiri hɛm. Dɑt' mek' me fredɛ. Mi kɔm kɩbri di̯aso.’

 

Kri, kra! Harki tɔri!

 

Nō, a taki, ‘Mi mama, mi sɑ skrifi wąn brifi na mi papa. Yu n'e fō fredɛ.’ Ɛn so na boi̯ bɛn skrifi wąn brifi gi hɛm papa. Ɛn a bɛn di na papa kɩsi na brifi, a krɔsi mɔro lei̯ki wąn leu, a kɩsi ɛ̨ŋ hɛde wiwiri, a hari. A taki, ‘Na boi̯ musu dɛdɛ.’ Ɛn so a tek' wąn feti-boto nąŋga na mɔro bɩgi tetai̯ di a bɛn habi, fō tai̯ na boi̯. Dąn a sɩ̨ŋgi wąn sɩ̨ŋgi:

 
Sribi na dɛde,
 
Luku, umą kiri mą'.

Kri, kra! Harki tɔri!

 

Ɛn na p'kin a dɛ na ɛ̨ŋ hɔso. A hɔri ɛ̨ŋ tofer dosu, ɛn a si dati hɛm papa de kɔm fō kiri hɛm. Ɛn a hopo hɛm ai̯, mi mąn, ɛn a si da sɩpi dɛ kɔm nąŋga hɛm papa, nąŋga ala sɔrtu ɔgri meti fō prɛti hɛm. Ɛn 'a yurutɛm na papa dɔro krosibei̯ fō hɛm, mi mąn, nō mō a go na ɩni hɛm dosu, a tek' wąn batra, a dropu dri dropu, ɛn a bari, a taki, ‘Kirimąn, kir' ųn srefi. Mek' mi papa nąŋga kapiten nąŋga den soldati go baka!’

So na sɩpi a' fō drei̯ go baka. Ɛn papa hɔgri so tɛ ... di a no kɩsi na boi̯ fō kiri hɛm. Ma di na papa bɛn gowe baka, mi mąn, so a bɛn teki rɛspeki fō skrifi wąn bǫ' brifi gi na boi̯, taki a kąn kɔm luku hɛm. Ma na boi̯ no bɛn wani. 'A boi̯ taki, ‘Ɛfi yu habi mi fanodu, dąn yu kɔm luku mi.’ Dąn na boi̯ bɛn sɩ̨ŋgi:

 
Anąnsi kɔni, kɔni mąn,
 
Kɔni dɛ mɔro mi.

Ɛn nō, na papa sɛn' tai̯gi hɛm taki, ‘Meki ala sani klari, mi dɛ kɔm luku yu fō bǭ', no fō hɔgri.’ Ɛn so na papa bɛn dɔro, mi mąn, ɛn a i tɛm tɛ a bɛn dɔro na mɔfo na kɔndre fō na boi̯, ɛf' yu yeri kanǫn sütu fō na sɩpi, dɑti fō presiri. Ɛn di a dɔro go na sɔro, mi mąn, a kɩs' na boi̯, a bɔsi, a kɩs' na mama, a abrasa hɛm. Ɛn a taki na mama, a taki, ‘Umą, fa yu kąn mek' wąn mąn pikin dɩsi kɔni mɔro lei̯ki mi nąŋga yu? Yu no sab'-taki 'a boi̯ sɑ kiri yu? Sɑ kiri mi?’

 

Ąfɛ̨ŋ, mi mąn, a so na tɔri dɛ go. Ɛn den bɛn presiri, nyąm, drɩ̨ŋgi, lafu, ala sani.

Ɛn nō, na ɩni na presiri, bɛn dɛ wąn Konu bɛn habi n' ɛ̨ŋ kɔndre wąn bɩgi feti. Ma nō, a yere taki wąn boi̯ gɛbor, 'a nɛm Konu Wilyam. 'A boi̯ kɔni so tɛ ... kɔni libi abra. So da Konu bɛn sɛn' kari hɛm kɔm, fō kɔm feti na feti gi hɛm. Ma na feti ben dɛ wąn tumusi bɩgi feti.

 
Harki tɔri!
 
Anansi kɔni, kɔni, kɔni mąn,
 
Kɔni dɛ mɔro mi.

Wɛ, mi mąn, ɛn so na papa nąŋga mama bɛn dapɛ. Ɛn so na boi̯ sɑ kɔm abrasa hɛm papa, hem mama. Ɛn so a rei̯ki taki ɛ̨ŋ papa no habi hɛm mɔro na ɛ̨ŋ hati. Ɛn so na boi̯ taki adiosi, a gowe fō wɩni na feti.

 

Kri kra! Suma sa tek' mi tɔri tyar' go baka, a sa trǫ' wąn mɔrmɔrstǫ'!

 

Ɛn so na papa nąŋga hɛm mama bɛn tą' drapɛ.

Fɔs' na boi̯ gowɛ na na feti, a kari hɛm mama, a taki, ‘Umą, sribi na dɛdɛ. Umą kiri mąn.’ Ɛn dis' 'a sɩ̨ŋgi:

 
Wą mama, tyɛ! Sąn na wąn mama?
 
Wąn papa, tyɛ! Sąn na wąn papa?
 
Tąŋgi, tąŋgi, gi mi pikin watra,
 
Tɛ yu dɛdɛ, mi sɑ mɛmbrɛ yu.

Wɛ, mi mąn, di na boi̯ gowɛ kaba, so na papa kari na mama, a taki, ‘Wɛ, mama, luku, mi nąŋga yu, tin-nąŋga-ai̯ti yari di wi libi kaba, noiti yu bɛn kɩs' bɛrɛ. Ɛn di fō tin-nąŋga-nei̯gi yari, yu kɩsi wąn moi̯ mąn p'kin. Ɛn yu srefi si da boi̯ kɔni mɔro lei̯ki mi nąŋga yu. Ɛn dɑt' no mąŋ dɛ. Ɛn yu srefi sabi fa mi lɔbi yu. Mi lɔbi yu moro lei̯ki Ɩ̨ŋgi lɔbi dram.’ Ɛn a kɩs' na umą, a bɩgįn abrasa, bɔsi, ferlai̯ ɛ̨ŋ. A taki, ‘Luku fa mi nąŋga yu bɛn pina. Yu sɑ mek' wąn p'kin kɔm pɔri wi libi?’ A bɔs' hɛm baka, a taki, ‘Umą, sąn na da kɔni fō na boi̯ mek' na boi̯ kɔni so?’

 

Wąntɛ, di na boi̯ bɛn gowɛ, a bɛn habi wąn tofer tiki tu. So habi bɛn libi gi hɛm mama, a taki, ‘Mi mama, a wįnsi yu dɛ dɛdɛ srefi, a wįnsi są' mi papa sɑ taki, yu no de prefuru sɔri hɛm na tiki. No so, yu dɛ go dɛdɛ, mi dɛ go dɛdɛ.’

 

Ma yu sref' sabi umą nąŋga mąn, mi mąn, kaba. A i tɛm na mąn bɩgįn fasfasi prei̯ nąŋga hɛm, a hɔpo, mi mąn. A bɛn kibri na tɔfer tiki tu yuru fara fō na prei̯si. 'A so a bɛn hɔpo, a go tek' na tɔfer tiki fō na boi̯, gi na papa. Ɛn 'a yuru di na papa kɩsi na tiki, a luku na mama, a taki, ‘N'a yuru fō mi nąŋga yu kɩs' kaba.’ 'A so na papa a skrifi fō hɛm sɩpi. 'A so den kɔm tyar' teki hɛm gowɛ.

Ɛn so, di a dɔro na hɛm kɔndre, mi mąn, a bɩgɩn meki ala sɔrtu sani fō kiri na mama nąŋga na boi̯.

 
Krei̯! 'A tɔri sɑ go.
 
A mus' kąn go.
 
Mi sɛrɛna mi sɛrɛna,
 
Trɩ̨, trą, trɩ̨,
 
Mi na mɔni masra,
 
Trɩ̨, trą, trɩ̨.

We nō, na boi̯ sɑ feti da feti fō na tra Konu te a wɩni na feti kaba. 'A boi̯ de kɔm nąŋga presiri, poku, fraga. Ala sani na tafra. A i tɛm a dɔro, a kɩsi hɛm mama abrasa, a bɔsi hɛ̨m, ɛn aksi hɛm taki, ‘Fa fō mi papa?’ Ɛ̨ŋ a taki hɛm tai̯gi, ‘Yu no 'a' fō frede, yu papa bɛn gowe nąŋga presiri fō yu.’ Ɛn so na umą, mi boi̯, no piki na boi̯ nɔtį san gebɔr' nąŋga hɛm. So 'a boi̯ taki, ‘Wɛ, mi sɑ skrifi mi papa wąn brifi, taki mi wɩni da feti kaba.’ Dą' a taki,

 
‘Anąnsi kɔni, kɔni, kɔni mąn
 
Kɔni 'ɛ mɔro mi.’

Wɛ, a i tɛ̨' papa kɩsi na brifi, taki na boi̯ dɔro baka, a wɩn ifeti kaba, 'a papa hɔgri srefi dat' a teki tigri, leu, pɔt' na ɩnisei̯ wąn sɩpi fō kɔm priti na boi̯. Ɛn 'a yurutɛm, mi mąn, a i tɛ di papa dɛ dɔro, mi mąn, 'a boi̯ lɔ̨n gowe na ɩni hɛm tofer dosu, a lɔ̨n, a bari, ‘Kirimąn, kir' ųn srefi. Meki sturmąn, na' den matros' tyari na sɩpi go baka.’ Ma dati no bɛn hɛlpi hɛm. Na tofer tiki no bɛn dɛ. So a lɔ̨n 'a hɛm mama, a taki, ‘Mi mama, pɛ mi tofer tɩki dɛ?’ A mama bɩgin suku, a taki, ‘Mi Gado, a bɛn di̯aso.’ A go baka, a tak', ‘Mi Gado, mi no sab'! Fa mi dɛ go do, mi masra.’ So fō skrei̯ki meki a mɔrsu hɛm hɛri s'kin. Na boi̯ a tai̯gi hɛm, a tak', ‘Mi mama, tide a kaba fō mi nąŋga yu. Yu kiri mi, yu kiri yu srefi.’

 

Ɛn so, a i tɛ̨' da papa dɔro, a kɔm na syɔro nąŋga dem matrasi, sɔrdati, a kɩs' na boi̯, a tai̯ hɛm, tai̯ na boi̯ so ... ɛn 'a mama den bɛn tai̯ lei̯ki wąn buriki. Den pɔti den na ɩni na sɩpi leki wąn hagu. Ɛn na papa bɛn teki na tɔfer-tɩki fō na boi̯, a bɛn trowe hɛm tɛ ... na ɩni grün Spansi sei̯. Ɛn di a tai̯ hɛm pɔt' na ɩni na sɩpi kaba, 'a sɩpi dɛ gowe, ‘Mi sɑ si, mi sɑ si, mi sɑ si, mi sɑ si.’

 

Ala matrasi plesiri. Ɛn nō, papakai̯ dɛ frei̯, alata dɛ diki. A i tɛ̨' dɛm sɑ dɔro na grų̈n Spansi sei̯, na papa a sɑ kir' den. So alata dɛ diki, papakar' dɛ frei̯. So fa na papakar' de frei̯, a so a tek' na

tofer tiki, a friŋg na da boi̯ hanu so, ɛn na boi̯ a kɩsi wąn krakti na ɛ̨ŋ sikin, a taki, ‘Kirimąn, kirimąn, kiri ųn srefi. Mek' mi mama nąŋga mi papa wawąn tą'.’ Ɛn a taki, ‘Mi mama, yu hɛdɛ sɑ dɛ fō mi watra kɔmki, en mi papa, yu bǫnyo sɑ dɛ fō mi drai̯trapu.’ 'A so na mama bɛn dɛdɛ. A ben teki hɛm hɛdɛ fō wąn watra kɔmki. Ɛn na papa, dem bǫnyo a teki fō wąn drai̯-trapu. Ɛn a taki, ‘Papakai̯, mi no habi nɔtį fō gi yu, ma wąn bǭn hati suma sɑ teki yu, a sɑ leri yu taki, ɛn a sɑ gi yu nanyąm. Ɛn alata, mi no habi nɔtį fō gi yu. Ma tɛ wąn suma sa bai̯ wąn pisi krosi, yu sɑ fɛni hafu.’ D'a sɩ̨ngi wąntrǫ' mo', taki:

 
Sribi na dɛdɛ,
 
Umą kiri mąn;
 
Suma pikin
 
A no yu pikin.

'A so na tɔri bɛn kɔm kaba

Bato! mi bɛn dape!

Suma sɑ tek' 'a tɔri tyar go baka, a sɑ trǫ' wą mɔrmɔrstǫ'.

127. ‘Woman Kills Man’: The Jealous Father: Mother's Treachery.1

 
Kri, kra! Open your ears, and hear the story!
 
All men on their kraka!

There was once a King whose name was King William, and he had a wife. She had lived with him for eighteen years, and never had the woman been with child. But when the nineteenth year came, she felt she was pregnant. And King William said to her, said, ‘If you give birth to a daughter, she will be my wife, I will marry her. And if to a son, I will kill him.’

But now, when the sixth month came, the woman felt that her time was approaching. Then she took a rope, and she went to look for another country. Two months after she came to the other country, she gave birth to a fine looking son. And his father's name, King William, was written on his forehead. And his mother bore him with a locked magic box.

And when the child was born, he asked his mother, he said, ‘Mother, who is my father?’ She said, ‘My child, you have no father.’ He said, ‘How can that be, a child born without a father?’ The child said, ‘Well, mother, today I want to know who my father is.’ She said, ‘Tye! my child! It will be bad for you, and it will be

bad for me.’ And she said, ‘For your sake I left your father's country, and came to live here. He said, if I gave birth to a daughter she would be his wife, but if to a son, he would kill him. That made me afraid. I came to hide here.’

 

Kri, kra! Harken to the story!

 

Now he said, ‘Mother, I will write a letter to my father. You needn't be afraid.’ And so the boy wrote a letter to his father. And it happened [that] when the father received the letter, he was more enraged than a lion, and he caught his hair and pulled it. He said, ‘The boy must die.’ And so he took a fighting ship, and the stoutest rope he had with which to tie the boy. Then he sang a song:

 
Sleep is death,
 
Look, woman kills man.1

Kri, kra! Harken to the story!

 

And the child was at home. He held his magic box, and he saw that his father was coming to kill him. And he opened his eyes, my man, and he saw the ship coming with his father, and all kinds of wild animals to maul him. And when the father approached, my man, he went to his box at once, and took out a bottle, and he sprinkled drops, and he shouted, he said, ‘Murderers, murder yourselves. Let my father and the captains and the soldiers go back!’

So the ship had to turn back. His father was enraged so till... when he did not catch the boy in order to kill him. But when the father returned, my man, so he took the trouble to write a good letter to the boy that he could come and see him. But the boy did not want to (go). The boy said, ‘If you need me, then you can come and see me.’ Then the boy sang:

 
Anansi is a cunning, cunning man,
 
Cunning is more than I am.2

And now, the father sent to tell him, say, ‘Have everything ready. I am coming to see you with good intentions and not evil.’ And so the father arrived, my man, and when he reached the entrance to the boy's country, if you heard the ships' cannons shooting, that was for pleasure. And when he reached the shore, my man, he caught the boy, and he kissed him, he caught the mother and he embraced her. He said to the mother, he said, ‘Wife, how could you give birth to a son who is more clever than you and I? Don't you know that the boy will kill you? Will kill me?’

Ąfɛ̨ŋ,3 my man, so the story goes. And they rejoiced,4 ate, drank, laughed, everything.

And now, in the midst of this rejoicing, there was a King who had a big war in his kingdom. But now he heard that there was a boy, whose name was King William. The boy was clever so till... he had cunning to spare. So the King sent for him to come, and fight this war for him. But the war was a very big war.

 

Harken to the story!

 
Anansi is a cunning, cunning, cunning man,
 
Cunning is more than I am.

Well, my man, and so the father and mother were there. And so the boy will come to embrace his father and his mother. And so he figured that his father was no longer angry1 with him. And so the boy said goodbye, and he went away to win the war.

 

Kri kra! He who will take my story and repeat it, shall turn to marble!

And so the father and his mother remained there.

Before the boy went away to the war, he called his mother, and he said, ‘Woman, sleep is death. Woman kills man.’ And this he sang:

 
A mother, tye! What is a mother?
 
A father, tye! What is a father?
 
Please, please, give me a little water,
 
When you die I shall remember you.2

Well, my man, when the boy went away, the father called the mother and he said, ‘Well, mother, look, you and I lived for eighteen years and you were never with child. And the nineteenth year you gave birth to a fine son. And you yourself see that the boy is more clever than you and I. And that cannot be. And you yourself know how I love you. I love you more than an Indian loves rum.’ And he caught her, and began to embrace her, to kiss her, to entice her. He said, ‘Look how you and I have suffered. Will you let a child spoil our lives?’ He kissed her again, and he said, ‘Wife, what is this wisdom which makes the boy so wise?’

Because when the boy went away, he had a magic stick, too. So he had to leave it with his mother, he said, ‘Mother, no matter even if you are dead, no matter what my father will say, you are not to show him the stick. Otherwise you are going to die, and I am going to die.’

But you yourself know already, [the way of] a woman with a man, my man. When the husband began playing with her, she got up, my man. She had hid the magic stick two hours distance from the place. And so she got up, and she went to take the boy's magic stick to give to the father. And when the father got the stick, he looked at the mother, and he said, ‘My hour and yours have come.’

So the father wrote for his ship. So they came to take him away. And so when he reached his kingdom, my man, he began to make all kinds of things with which to kill the mother and the boy.

 
Krei! The story will go on.
 
It must go on.
 
Mi serena mi serena,
 
Trin, tran, trin,
 
I am a rich fellow,
 
Trin, tran, trin.1

Well, now the boy will fight the war for the other King until he will win the war. The boy was coming (back) with rejoicing, drums, flags. Everything was on the table. When he arrived, he caught his mother and embraced her, and kissed her, and asked her, ‘How about my father?’ And she said to him, said, ‘You have nothing to fear. Your father went away pleased with you.’ And so the woman, my boy, told the boy nothing of what had happened to her. So the boy said, ‘Well, I will write my father a letter that I have won the war.’ Then he said,

 
‘Anansi is a cunning, cunning, cunning man,
 
Cunning is more than I am.’

Well, when the father received the letter that the boy was back, and had won the war, the father was so enraged that he took tigers and lions, and put them in a ship to go and maul the boy. And when, my man, the father arrived, my man, the boy ran to his magic box, he ran, and he cried, ‘Murderers, murder yourselves. Let the steersmen and the sailors take the ship back.’ But that did not help him. The magic stick was not there. So he ran to his mother, and he said, ‘Mother, where is my magic stick?’ The mother began to search, and she said, ‘My God! It was here.’ She went back, and she cried, ‘My God! I don't know what I am going to do, my master.’ So from fright she dirtied her whole body. The boy said to her, he said, ‘Mother, today is the end for you and me. You are killing me, you are killing yourself.’

And so when the father arrived, he came on shore with the sailors and soldiers. He caught the boy, and he bound him, bound the boy so [pantomime of arms crossed], and he bound the mother like a donkey. They put them in the ship like hogs. And the father took the boy's magic stick, and threw it till... the green Spanish Sea. And when he had finished tying them, and putting them in the ship, the ship sailed away [singing] - ‘I will see, I will see, I will see, I will see.’

All the sailors rejoiced. And now, the parrot was flying, and the rat was digging. When they will reach the green Spanish Sea, the father will kill them. So, the rat was digging, and the parrot was

flying. So, as the parrot was flying, he took the magic stick, and flung it into the boy's hands so... and the boy caught strength in his body [from it], and he said, ‘Murderers, murderers, murder yourselves. Let only my mother and father remain.’ And he said, ‘Mother, your head shall be my drinking cup, and father, your bones shall be my stepladder.’ And so the mother died. He took her head for a drinking cup. And the father's bones he took for a stepladder. And he said, ‘Parrot, I have nothing to give you, but a kind hearted man will take you and teach you to talk, and he will give you food. And Rat, I have nothing to give you. But [when] a man will buy a piece of cloth, you will find half.’ Then he sang once more, and he said:

 
Sleep is death,
 
Woman kills man;
 
Someone's child
 
Is not your child.

And so the story came to an end.

Bato! I was there!

He who will take this story and repeat it, will turn to marble.


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