Fac' zuni ting! Fac' bua, êle cahi dent di gurdura, êle bua fora out'o bes. Ele bua p'êle corta toro piscoç', toro bibe ago, ago paga lumi, lumi quema manduc', manduc' lomba cach', cach' corre tras di gat', gat' corre tras di rat', rat' cume saia di 'Nha' Rainh', 'Nha' Rainh' po mal cu 'Nho' Re', 'Nho' Re' po mal cu machad', machad' corta pé di polon, polon arbri, pardal bua p'ra ba'x', êle panha se gran' di milh'. Pardal canta pa' 'Nho' Re', "Ami que pardal quen qui temba dimand' contra bo pa' séte ann' y un dia, quen qui ganhal." Sparrow had a grain of corn. He flew, he went by the king's house. The grain of corn slipped from his mouth, it fell into a polon. He went and said, "Sir King, tell the polon to give me my grain of corn!" The king said to him, "I have nothing to do with it." He left the king. to the queen. He said, "Lady Queen, get mad with Sir King! get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn." Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! He went Sir King The queen said to him, "I have nothing to do with it." He left Lady Queen. He went to rat. He said, "Rat, eat skirt of Lady Queen! Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polontree, polon give me my grain of corn." Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Rat said, "I have nothing to do with it." He left rat. He went to cat. He said, "Cat, chase rat! rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn." Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Cat said, "I have nothing to do with it." He left cat. He went to dog. He said, "Dog, chase cat! cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn." Ai, ai, ail very sweet, very nice! Dog said, "I have nothing to do with it." He left dog. He went to stick. He said, "Stick, beat dog! dog chase cat, cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn.' Ai, ai, ail very sweet, very nice! He went to fire. Stick said, "I have nothing to do with it." He left stick. He said, "Fire, burn stick! stick beat dog, dog chase cat, cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn." Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Fire said, "I have nothing to do with it." He left fire. He went to water. He said, "Water, put out fire! fire burn stick, stick beat dog, dog chase cat, cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn.” Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Water said, “I have nothing to do with it." He left water. He went to bull. He said, "Bull, drink water! water put out fire, fire burn stick, stick beat dog, dog chase cat, cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn.' Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Bull said, "I have nothing to do with it." He left bull. He went to knife. He said, "Knife, kill bull! bull drink water, water put out fire, fire burn stick, stick beat dog, dog chase cat, cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn." Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Knife said nothing. He said again, "Knife, kill bull! bull drink water, water put out fire, fire burn stick, stick beat dog, dog chase cat, cat chase rat, rat eat skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen get mad with Sir King, Sir King get mad with axe, axe cut down polon-tree, polon give me my grain of corn.' Ai, ai, ai! very sweet, very nice! Knife sounded ting! (like a bell.) Knife jumped, it fell into some grease, it jumped out again. It jumped to cut the throat of bull, bull drank water, water put out fire, fire burned stick, stick beat dog, dog chased cat, cat chased rat, rat ate the skirt of Lady Queen, Lady Queen got mad with Sir King, Sir King got mad with axe, axe cut down the polon-tree, the polon opened; the sparrow flew down, he got his grain of corn. Sparrow sang to Sir King, "I am the sparrow who had a case against you for seven years and one day, and who won it." 2. THE RAT THAT WAS DROWNED IN THE POT OF SAMP.1 Era um home, êle casa cu um mulh', nomi Susana, 'Nho' Jon Raton cu Susana. E's cusinha antes d'ê's ba pa' fora trabalha na campo. Quant' ê's ba um pouco, 'Nho' Jon Raton fra Susana, “Fica 'li, bu 'speran, 'n ta ba casa, 'n ta ben gocin." Ele ba p'êle ba cume cachupa na caldera. Ele cahi dento d'êle. Susana 'spera, 'spera, 'spera, êle ca bem. Dipous Susana ba casa. Ele acha Jon Raton dento di caleron di cachupa. Susana rinca port' di coxera, êle po na chon, êle 'sinta di 'riba ta chora. Bem ta passa un passadinh'. Ele purguntal, "Cumo tud' dia 'n ta passa 'li, 'n ta achabu ta balha, ta canta, oje 'n achabu ta chora?" Susana respondel, "Ja chigabu di purgunta. Nu cusinha, nu ba pa' fora pa' camp'. 'Nho' Jon Raton fran pan 'speral, êle ta bem pa' tras. 'N 'speral, 'speral. Ele ca bem. 'N bem pa' casa, 'n achal mort' dent' di caleron de cuchupa. 'N rinca port' di coxera, 'n 'sinta ta chora." Passadinha fral, "'N ta conco nha penna." Passadinha conco se penna. Ele bua, êle cahi na un figue'ra, figue'ra purguntal, "Cumo tudu dia 'n ta olha bu ta balh', 1 Compare Portugal (Coelho, I), Spain (Fernan Caballero, Obras Completas, Novelas [Madrid, 1911], 13: 5-8 ["La Hormiguita"]), France (Cosquin, XVIII, LXXIV), `India (Popular Tales and Fictions, I: 304-309). Comparative, Bolte u. Polívka, XXX. ta canta, oje bu conco bu penna?" Passadinha respondel, "Ja chiga bu di purgunta. 'Nho' Jon Raton cahi na caleron di cachupa, Susana rinca porta di coxera, êle 'sinta ta chora, mi tembe' 'n conco nha penna." Figue'ra fral. "Mi tambe' 'n ta conco nha folh'!" Temba un toro qui ta custuma sombra na sombra d'esse figue'ra. Toro purguntal, "Cumo tudu dia 'n ta acha sombra 'li, y oje 'n ca acha sombra?" Figue'ra respondel, "Ja chigabu di purgunta. 'Nho' Jon Raton cahi na caleron di cachupa, Susana rinca port' di coxera, passadinha conco se penna, mi tambe' 'n conco nha folh'." — "Mi tambe' 'n ta conco nha cor'." Toro conco se cor'. Ele ba pa' font' quel ta bibe tudu dia. Font' purguntal, "Cumo tud' dia 'n ta olhabu cu bu cor' y oje sim êle?" Toro fral, "Ja chigabu di purgunta. 'Nho' Jon Raton cahi na caleron di cachupa, Susana rinca port' di coxera, passadinha conco se penna, fig'e'ra conco se folh', mi tambe' 'n conco nha cor'?" -"Mi tambe' 'n ta seca." Na es' font' un negrinh' di casal rei ta bem tud' dia panha agu. Negrinh' purguntal, "Cumo tudu dia 'n ta acha agu na font' y oje achabu seco?" Font' respondel, "Ja chigabu me di purgunta. 'Nho' Jon Raton cahi na caleron di cachupa, Susana rinca port' di coxera, passadinha conco se penna, figue'ra conco se folh', toro conco se cor', mi tambe' 'n seca." "Enton mi tambe' 'n ta quebra nha pot'." Ele quebra se pot'. Ele bem pa' casa. Ele fra re', "'N quebra nha pot' pamod' font' seca, toro conco se cor', figue'ra conco se folh', passadinha conco se penna, Susana rinca port' di coxera, 'Nho' Jon Raton cahi na caleron di cachupa." "Y mi tambe' 'n ta mata negrinh'," re' fral. Um sapatinh' corre p'ra 'li aba'xu. Quen qui ba di diant', panha binten, quen qui ba di tras panha de' re's. Mi m ba di tras di coba, 'n chuma 'Nho' Emilio di coba. 'N fral alla un porc' ruça cu séte liton ta cume na bobra nobu. Ja tem sois mes 'inda 'te go' ê's ca chiga na siment'. There was a man married to a woman named Susana, Sir John BigRat and Susana. They cooked before they went out to work in the fields. Sir John Big-Rat said to Susana, "Stay here, and wait. I am going to the house, I will come right back." He went to eat some samp in the pot. He fell into it. Susana waited, waited, waited; he did not come. Then Susana went to the house. She found John Big-Rat inside the pot of samp. ... 1 Variant: There is a king who has a daughter who will not marry any one but one who goes chit. The king says, "Go look for him." The first she meets is a monkey. "Marry me," says Monkey. "Laugh a little first. Let me hear you!" Monkey goes. "Not you, Sir Monkey," she says; and she goes on, and meets a horse. "Marry me," says Horse. "Laugh a little first. Let me hear you!" Horse whinnies. "Not you, Sir Horse;" and she goes on, and meets a rat. little first. Let me hear you!" Rat goes "Chit, chit, and picks up Rat and takes him home in her pocket. Caballero, "La Hormiguita." Compare Cosquin, I, 205; T. Benfey, Pantschatantra (Leipzig, 1859), 2: 262-266.] "Marry me," says Rat. "Laugh a chit!'' —"I'll marry you," she says, [This opening is given in Coelho, I; Susana pulled the door off the hinges,' she put it on the ground, she sat down on it to cry. Passed by a bluejay." He asked her, "How is it every day, passing here, I find you dancing and singing, and to-day I find you weeping?" Susana answered, "You may well ask. We cooked, we went out to the fields. Sir John Big-Rat told me to wait for him, he would come back. I waited and waited for him. He didn't come. I went to the house, I found him dead in the pot of samp. I pulled the door off the hinges, I sat down to cry." Bluejay said to her, "I am going to drop my feathers." Bluejay dropped his feathers. He flew, he alighted on a fig-tree. Figtree asked him, "How is it every day I find you dancing and singing, and to-day you drop your feathers?" Bluejay answered him, "You may well ask. John Big-Rat fell into the pot of samp, Susana pulled the door off the hinges, she sat down to cry, I too dropped my feathers." Fig-tree said to him, "I too am going to drop my leaves." There was a bull used to get shade in the shade of the fig-tree. Bull asked it, "How is it every day I find shade here, and to-day I find no shade?" Fig-tree answered, "You may well ask. Sir John Big-Rat fell into the pot of samp, Susana pulled the door off the hinges, bluejay dropped his feathers, I too dropped my leaves." - "I too am going to drop my horn." Bull dropped his horn. He went to the well where he drank every day. Well asked him, "How is it every day I see you with your horn, and to-day without it?" Bull said, "You may well ask. Sir John Big-Rat fell into the pot of samp, Susana pulled the door off the hinges, bluejay dropped his feathers, fig-tree dropped its leaves, I too dropped my horn."—"I too am going to go dry." To this well a negress came every day from the king's house to get water. Negress asked, "How is it every day I find water in the well, and to-day I find you dry?" Well answered, "You may well ask. Sir John Big-Rat fell into the pot of samp, Susana pulled the door off the hinges, bluejay dropped his feathers, fig-tree dropped its leaves, bull dropped his horn, I too went dry." "Then I too am going to break my pot." She broke the pot. She went to the house. She said to the king, "I broke my pot because well went dry, bull dropped his horn, fig-tree dropped its leaves, bluejay dropped his feathers, Susana pulled the door off the hinges, Sir John Big-Rat fell into the pot of samp." — "And I too am going to kill negress," said the king." A little shoe runs down from here. Who goes ahead, gets a binten [twenty reis]. Who goes behind, gets ten reis. I go behind the hole, I call Sir Emilio in the hole. I tell him there is a gray pig with seven little pigs eating in a young squash. They have been six months there to now, they have not come to seed. 1 The narrator insisted that this was actually a funeral practice in Fogo. Other informants stated that mourners sat on mats (steʼra). One would surmise that this word was dialectical for passarinho ("little bird"), but informants invariably translated "bluejay." Variant: 'Nho' Jon Raton mort' da quel, 'Nha' C'rochinha sahi cum larido, tacha quebra, bind fura, porta rinca de coxera, figue'ra conco folha, pombinha conco se penna, boi belh' quebra cor', fonte seca, criada quebra um pé, 'Nho' Rei fura um olh', principe rabenta um braç', rainha quema taba de se saia, princessa mata se cabeç', pastores ba morre na mar. (Sir John Big-Rat thus dead, Lady Roach went out with to-do, the pot broke, the bind fell in, the door went off the hinges, the fig-tree dropped its leaves, the little dove dropped feathers, the old ox broke his horn, the well went dry, the servant broke a leg, Sir King put out an eye, the prince broke an arm, the queen burnt a breadth of her skirt, the princess killed herself, the herders went to die in the sea.) 3. THE HOUSE THE OLD MAN WAS TO BUILD.1 Era um belha qui um belh' ta bem fazel se casa. Belh' po fijon na sol pa' degulha pa' êle faze belh' cume. Um cabr' bem ta passa, cume fijon. Belh' fra, "Cabr', dan nha fijon, fijon di quêle belh', belh' qui ta bem fazen nha casa." Cabr' dal um cor'. Cabr' dal um cor'. Belh' ba na figue'ra. Ele prega quel cor'. Belh' fra, "Figue'ra, dan quêle cor', cor' di quêle cabr', cabra qui cumen nha fijon, fijon di quêle belh', belh' qui ta bem fazen nha casa." Figue'ra dal um cinch'. Ele ba, êle 'contra pastor ta faze queijo sim cinch'. Ele fra, "Pastor, cumo bu ta faze queijo sim cinch'?" Pastor fral, "É pa' falta di bu cinch'."-"'N ta dabo nha cinch', ma' ca bu gastal." Belh' fral, "Pastor, dan nha cinch', cinch' di quêle figue'ra, figue'ra qui ingulin nha cor', cor' di quêle cabra, cabra qui cumen fijon, fijon di quêle belh', belh' qui ta bem fazen nha casa." Pastor dal mantega. Belh' ba, êle uncontra cu tripiche ta tripicha sim untura. Ele fral, "Tripiche, cumo bu sta tripicha sim untura?” — “É pa' falta di bu untura.” — “'N ta dabo nha untura, ma' ca bu gastal tud'." — “Tripiche dan nha untura, untura di quêle pastor, pastor qui gastan nha cinch', cinch' di quêle figue'r', figue'r' qui ungulin nha cor', cor' di quêle cabra, cabra qui cumen nha fijon, fijon di quêle belh', belh' qui ta bem fazen nha casa." Tripiche dal um po di lenha. Ele ba, êle 'contra cu mulhe' ta faze sabon sim lenha. Ele fral, "Cumo bu ta faze sabon sim lenha?"-"Pa' falta di bu lenha.""'N ta dabo nha lenha, ma' ca bu gastal tud"." "Mulhe', dan nha lenha, lenha di quêle tripiche," etc. Mulhe' dal um pon di sabon. Ele ba, êle 'contra cu batede'ra ta bate sim sabon. "Cumo bu ta bate sim sabon?"-"Pa' falta di bu sabon."-"'N ta dabo nha sabon, ma' ca bu gastal tud'."-"Batede'ra, dan nha sabon, sabon di quêle saboe'ra, saboe'ra qui gastan nha lenh'," etc. Batede'ra dal um camisa. Ele ba, êle uncontra cu mar ta lomba dia y no'te sim ropa. Belh' fral, "Mar, cumo bu ta lomba dia y no'te sim ropa?" — “Pa’ falta di bu camisa."—"'N ta dabo nha camisa, ma' ca bu rachal." -“Mar, dan nha camisa, camisa di quêle batede'ra, batede'ra qui gastan nha sabon," etc. Mar dal um peixe. Ele ba, uncontra cu um homi cu caleron 'riba sim nada. "Homi, cumo bu ta cusinha sim nada?" — "Pa' falta di bu peixe." — "'N ta dabo nha peixe, ma' ca bu gastal." "Homi, dan nha peixe, peixe di quêle mar, mar qui tuman nha camisa, camisa di quêle batede'ra," etc. Homi dal um padas di ferr'. Ele ba, êle uncontra cu um ferrer' cu fornalh' sim ferr'. "Ferr', cumo bu tene fornalh' sim ferr'?" - "Pa' falta di bu ferr'." -"'N ta dabo nha ferr', ma' ca bu gastal." -"Ferrer', dan nha - 1 Compare Sierra Leone, Cronise & Ward, 313-314; Hausa, Tremearne, 237-241, 367-372; Bulu, JAFL 25 : 113-114; Thonga, Junod, II, 223–227; Kaffir, Theal, 101-105; West Shiré District, JAS 13: 139-141; Philippines, Cole, 183-184; India, Kingscote, XIV. Comparative: JAFL 25: 219-222, 252-253; 27: 222-227. |