Suriname folk-lore

y) Apuku

211.

To - nya, yɛ - ny - a A mi ye - si no bo - ro Ma ba - yɛ - ya
ora bra Mi yɛ - si no bo - ro, mi da wɛ - nya Yɛ - si yɛ - si
dɛ bɔ - ro, mi da we - ny - a Mi yɛ - si dɛ bɔ - ro, mi da
we - ny - a Mi yɛ - si no bo - ro, a - i me - ki bra - bra

Tonya, yenya
When my ears are pierced,
I wear rings.
But when they are not pierced,
It makes bra-bra!¹

1 A winti priestess explained that this is the Apuku circumlocution for saying that if they will pay, there will be a dance, i.e., if the ears are not pierced for earrings, there is nothing to shake. To ‘pierce the ears’ is the equivalent of our idiom ‘to grease the palm’.

[p. 669]

212.

A - pu - ku djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨ A - pu - ku djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨, - Tɛ na ɔ - ro
mi dɛ A - pu - ku djɔ̨, djɔ̨ Tɛ na ɔ - ro mi dɛ A - pu - ku
djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨ Mi na Da-go-we - Mi na Da-
go - we Tɛ na ɔ - ro mi dɛ Li - bi su - ma trɔ - bi mi - mi

Apuku djɔ̨, djɔ̨, djɔ̨
I am in my lair,
Apuku djɔ̨, djɔ̨,
I am the Dagowe,
I am in my lair,
But human-beings trouble me.

213.

Sa'i kɔ̨' lu - ku, sa'i kɔ̨' ha-ksi Yɛr' A - puk'ɛ nyąm su-ma
Sa'i kɔ̨' lu - ku, sa'i kɔ̨' ha - ksi Yɛr' A - pu-kuɛ̮ nyąm su - ma

What did you come to see?
What did you come to ask?
You heard the Apuku eat people.