Suriname folk-lore

137.

Wąn mąn a fɛn' wąn-tu pɩnda. Dą' a prani ɛ̨ŋ. Ma di a prani ɛ̨ŋ, a taki, so ląŋga a no friari, ɛ̨ŋ n'ɛ pur' 'a pinda. Ma nō, 'fɔsi friari, 'a pinda lɛpi, a gō fō gō puru ɛ̨ŋ. Nō mō 'a pinda taki, ‘A no so yu bɛn taki.’ Ɛ̨ŋ waka-tɩki taki, ‘Mi bɛn yeri. A no so yu bɛn tai̯gi.’ Ala den sani na ɩni ɛ̨ŋ 'oso bɩgɩni taki, ‘Na pinda a leti, a no so yu bɛn taki.’

'A mąn bɩgin lɔ̨'. Di a lɔ̨n a mit' wąn mąn nąŋga wą' bosu wudu na tapu ɛ̨ŋ 'ɛdɛ. 'A mąn taki, ‘Są yu lɔ̨' so?’ A taki na mąn, ‘Mi bɛn pran' wąn pinda, ɛ̨' na so mi bɛn taki, “Tɛ mi friari, mi 'ɛ go puru ɛ̨ŋ.” Ma di mi gō fō gō puru ɛ̨ŋ, no mo ala den sani na ɩni mi 'oso bɩgin taki “A no so yu bɛn tai̯gi, 'a pinda a' lei̯ti”.’ 'A mąn taki, ‘A! na fō dati yu lɔ̨'. Mi no kąn lɔ̨n fō so wan lau̯ sani.’ Nō mō na bosu 'udu bar' 'a tap' ɛ̨ŋ 'ɛdɛ taki, ‘Yu lei̯, ɛf' a yu, yu dɛ go lɔ̨' mɔro 'ɛsi.’ Nō mō na mąn skreki, a trowɛ na 'udu na grǫ'. 'A man tai̯g' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Wɛ baya, i sɑ du ala i bɛn taki. Fō so wąn sani yu no kąn lɔ̨n. Kaba yu lɔ̨' mɔro lei̯k' mi.’ A kaba.

137. Broken Pledge: All Things Talk.¹

A man found several peanuts. Then he planted them. But when he planted them, he said, as long as there was no birthday² he would not dig up the peanuts. But now before the birthday, the peanuts were ripe, and he went to dig them up. At once the peanuts said, ‘That is not what you had said.’ His walking stick said, ‘I had heard. It is not what you had said.’ All the things in his house began to talk, ‘The peanuts are right. This is not what you had said.’

The man began to run. As he ran he met a man who had a bundle of wood on his head. The man said, ‘Why do you run so?’ He said to the man, ‘I planted peanuts and this is what I said, “When my birthday comes, I will dig them up.” But when I went to dig them up, then instantly all the things in my house began to say, “This is not what you had said. The peanuts are right”.’ The man said, ‘Ah! that is why you run. I would not run for so silly a thing.’ Instantly the bundle of wood on top of his head cried out, said, ‘You lie, if it were you, you would run faster.’ At once the man shook with fear, he threw the wood down on the ground. The man said to him, said, ‘Well brother, you should do as you said. From such a thing you cannot run. You already run faster than I.’ It is finished.

1 Told by 1. Compare U.S. (Sea Islands), Parsons (II) 71, No. 61.

2 Possibly the anniversary of the planting. Informant was not clear about this.