Suriname folk-lore

[p. 430]

147.

Wąn suma bɛn go pur' wąn yɔrka gi wąn trawąn. Ma di den pur' 'a yɔrka, dąn den no bɛn hab' batra fō pɔt' tɛ na ɩni. Dąn den pɔt' ɛ̨ŋ na ɩni wąn swalfudosu fō go tro 'a liba. Ma bifɔsi den dɔro liba nąŋga hɛm, a lusu na ɩni na dosu, a nak' wąn fō den suma di bɛn sidǫ' dapɛ. A taki, ‘Mi so wąn trąŋga, trąŋga mąn. Ųn sɑ go pɔt mi na ɩni wąn swalf'-dosu!’ So na mąn bɛn habi fō kɩs' ɛ̨ŋ, tai̯ baka, pɔt' na ɩni wąn batra. Ma fɔs' a tai̯ hɛm, dąn ɛ̨ŋ wɩnti bɛn sɩ̨ŋgi taki,

Morgu Dan kɔt' a liba,
I' tro-wɛ tɛ yana,
N' Ɩ̨ŋgi kɔt' 'a liba,
I' tro-wɛ tɛ yana.

Na suma kɩsi hɛm srefi.

[p. 431]

147. Exorcising a Yorka.¹

A person was going to exorcise a ghost for another one. But when they exorcised the ghost, then they had no bottle in which to put it. Then they put it into a match box to go throw it into the river. But before they reached the river with it, it broke lose from the box, and it struck one of the men who was sitting there. It said, ‘I am so strong a man. You would put me inside a match box!’ So the man had to capture it, and tie it again, and put it inside a bottle. But before he tied it, his wɩnti sang,

Morgu Dan kot' a liba,
I' trowe te yana,
N' Ingi kot' a liba,
I' trowe te yana.²

The man recovered.

1 Told by 1.

2 Song No. 144.