Item details
Item ID
KK1-1431
Title Grai law hpa ai hkaw hkam jan (The greedy queen) with English translation
Description Translation (Htoi San)
Once upon a time, there was a very wealthy lady, and she was the richest person in her country. She was a king's wife and had plenty of gold, ruby, jade, and many treasures. Even though she had everything, she did not satisfy what she had. She did not have a mind like "I am enough with it." She was so greedy. She just kept on wanting it over and over again. She made a granary to keep her wealth. She built a warehouse to store her treasures. One day, she thought, "How many are my treasures?" Then she went to her granary and sat down to count them. At that time, a spirit from heaven came down and stood in front of her. The whole room was packed with light due to the spirit. That spirit had wings even on his legs. When the spirit stood before her, she covered her riches quickly as she thought, "People might see my treasures due to their shining." The spirit saw her covering. The spirit looked at her and found her face sad even though she was wealthy. That queen always looked unhappy, and she never smiled. Although she was so well off, she was never satisfied and seemed unjoyful. Therefore the spirit went to her and asked, "Hey. Why is your face so long? Why are you sad?" The spirit continued, "What do you want?" However, the queen chased him out, "What are you doing here? When I am counting my treasures, what are you doing here? Go away." "Hey! Don't drive me away. I will give you what you want. When I see you, you look sorrowful. What is your desire? Do you want money or gold?" continued the spirit. The king's wife spoke her mind, "Should I say I want money? If I say I want money, I have a lot of money, even if I cannot spend it all. I should say I want gold." Then she said, "I want gold." The spirit instructed, "Alright, from tomorrow morning, whatever you touch will turn gold. When you touch them with your hands, all the things will turn to gold." When she went to bed that night, she could not sleep well as she waited for the following day. She desired to reach tomorrow morning. As she waited and waited for tomorrow, she got angry, "Oh my! It is so slow to dawn." She woke up when it was clear at dawn. She touched her bed as she got up from her bed, and it all turned to gold. Whatever she touched with her hands, it changed to gold. When she held the wall, it also switched to gold. She was thinking of getting clothes on, "I am going to put on my clothes," so she picked up her clothes, and they turned to gold. She got the trousers to wear, and they changed to gold. They all changed to gold, whatever she held and touched. Wherever she handled, they all turned into gold. She felt hungry as time passed. Then she ordered her maids, "Go and get the food for me. I am so hungry." Her servants brought her food, including pieces of meat, and gave them to her. She said, "I will eat rice," and then she moved things, and they all converted to gold. "I will eat rice," she said and took the rice plate, turning it into gold. She held the rice to eat, and it changed to gold. She touched things with her hands, and they all turned into gold. She took the meat piece to eat energetically, and it changed into a gold block. She was so hungry because she could not eat anything. She could not get things to eat and suffered from hunger. Whoever got food for her, she could not pick up and eat. Even though she was wealthy and how many piles of gold she had, she passed away as she could not eat anything. It was because of her greediness.

Transcription (La Ring)
Moi kalang mi hta da ndai grai sahte ai da e shi gaw ndai mungdan hta gaw shi lu su dik htum da. Ja sutgan shi kaw gaw ndai patamya [ruby] lungseng ngu ni gaw wo shi gaw grai lu ai re da ndai hkaw hkam jan gaw. Grai lu su ai da raitim shi na myit kaw wa galoi mung myit ndik ai da shi. "Ndai hte ngai ram sai" ngu ai myit nrawng ai da dai hkaw hkam jan gaw grai law hpa ai da shi gaw. Grai law hpa ai ndai lu tim naw lu mayu lu mayu htaw shi gaw ja sutgan ni gaw mahkawng mahkawng ndai ban langai pyi galaw da ai da shi gaw. Shi na ja sutgan ni mahkawng ai ban dum dan re langai galaw da ai da. Dai kaw she shi gaw lani mi na aten hta she shi gaw e "Ngai na ja gumhpraw kade law sai kun" ngu na she shi gaw dai kaw sa dung na she sa hti dung taw ai da. Hti dung taw ai shaloi she ndai htaw lamu kaw na yu wa ai nat e nat dai wa she shi na hpang kaw she shi na shawng kaw she sa tsap dat ai da. Sa tsap dat ai shaloi she ahtoi re da gawk ting htoi wa ai da dai. Dai wa wa tsap dat ai hte she dai wa gaw singkaw mung tu ai da lagaw hkan mung singkaw ni tu dai hku re da. Dai wa dai nat dai wa wa tsap dat ai shaloi she e shi gaw "Shi na ja lungseng ni htoi na masha ni mu kau na ra ai" ngu na she shi gaw aging magap ai da. Magap ai shaloi she dai nat wa gaw mu dat ai da. Mu dat ai da dai she shi wa yu dat yang she shi na myi man nsam wa shi dai ram lu su ai raitim wa galoi mung myit npyaw ai zawn zawn chyu re ai da. Galoi ma mani sumsai ngu nnga ai da dai hkaw hkam jan gaw. Galoi mung myit npyaw ai zawn zawn chyu rai ai da shi dai ram lu tim myit ndik dum ai da. Dai yang she dai nat wa gaw shi hpe wa san ai da "E nang hpabaw rai na myi man ntsawm ai rai myit npyaw ai rai" ngu na tsun ai da. Dai shaloi "Nang hpabaw ra ai rai" e aw hkaw hkam jan gaw "Nang hpabaw sa galaw ai nang kaw ngai ndai galaw nga yang hpabaw sa galaw nga ai le wa u" ngu na gau ai da. "E nang e nang ngai hpe i dai hku hkum gau ngai nang ra ai lam ni ngai jaw na nang hpe ngai yu yang nang grai myit npyaw ai zawn rai nga ai nang hpabaw ra sharawng ai rai nang ja gumhpraw gumhpraw ra ai i ja ra ai i" ngu tsun ai da. Dai shaloi she dai hkaw hkam jan gaw myit kaw she "Ngai gumhpraw ra ai ngu tsun na i gumhpraw ra ai nga yang gaw gumhpraw gaw grai hpa she ndang di sai law ngu da ja ra ai law ngu na rai sam ai" ngu na she "Ja ra ai" ngu na tsun dat ai da. Dai shaloi she "E nang hpawt de jahpawt nga jang gaw nang hkra dat shagu gaw yawng gaw ja hkrai byin na ra ai yaw nang na ta hte hkra mahkra yawng ja byin na ra ai" ngu tsun kau da ai da. Dai yang shi gaw dai shana yup sai i yupra shang yang koi hpang jahpawt ngu na hpe shi wa ndawt taw ai da grai du matu taw da "Kwi nhtoi mung lawan nhtoi hkraw ai law" ngu na pawt hkrai pawt taw ai da. Hpang jahpawt jahpawt gaw myi mu san re hte she shi yup ai yupku hpe she yup rawt na jum dat ai hte shi na yupra wa yawng ja byin mat wa ai da. Shi jum dat ai ja byin mat da rai yang she htaw shakum hkan jum dat yang mung ja byin mat da. "Palawng hpun sana re" ngu palawng hta dat yang mung ja tai mat da. Labu sha hta bu yang mung ja tai mat da rai yang gaw koi shi gaw hpa sha jum tim ja chyu chyu tai da ja chyu chyu tai. E shara mi kaw sa jum dat yang mung ja chyu tai mat da rai yang she shi gaw e lani mi aw rai nga le dai hku rai na aten na wa rai yang shi gaw kawsi wa ai da. Shat kan si wa jang she shi na shi na ra na ni i shi mayam ni hpe she "Gai lu na sha na ni la wa yu mu ngai grai kawsi sai" ngu tsun dat ai da. Dai shaloi she dai shi ra na ni shi na mayam ni gaw yawng lu na sha na ni shan tawng ni yawng la wa jaw ai da. Dai shi gaw "Shat sha sana re" ngu ning hku ngu dai sha na ngu rai sit dat yang mung dai ni wa yawng ja byin mat wa ai da. Rai yang "Shat sha sana re" ngu shat ban sha hta dat yang mung ja tai wa ai da yaw. Shat sha magra dat yang mung ja tai mat da. Shi ta rau i hkra sai re majaw ja chyu tai mat da rai yang she shan tawng hpe mung shi gaw ar ya pa ya [n-gun mi alu] sha sana re ngu sa hta dat ai hte she e ja tawng bai byin mat sai da. Ja tawng bai byin mat rai shi gaw e kaw si sai da kaw si rai majoi she kaw si sai da lo hpa mung nmai hta sha mat hpa mung nmai hta sha mat na she shi gaw kaw si kyet sai da. Dai yang she kade kadai hpa la jaw tim nmai hta sha mat na she shi gaw nau kaw si mat na shi gaw ja sutgan kade lu su ja ni kade sumpum mat tim shi lu sha nmu sha ai majaw si mat ai da. Nau law hpa ai majaw.
Origination date 2017-02-22
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/KK1/1431
URL
Collector
Keita Kurabe
Countries To view related information on a country, click its name
Language as given Jinghpaw
Subject language(s) To view related information on a language, click its name
Content language(s) To view related information on a language, click its name
Dialect Standard Jinghpaw
Region / village Northern Myanmar
Originating university Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Operator
Data Categories primary text
Data Types Sound
Discourse type narrative
Roles Keita Kurabe : depositor
D. Htu Bu : speaker
DOI 10.4225/72/598b384378df7
Cite as Keita Kurabe (collector), Keita Kurabe (depositor), D. Htu Bu (speaker), 2017. Grai law hpa ai hkaw hkam jan (The greedy queen) with English translation. EAF+XML/MPEG/VND.WAV. KK1-1431 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/72/598b384378df7
Content Files (3)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
KK1-1431-A.eaf application/eaf+xml 30.6 KB
KK1-1431-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 4.07 MB 00:04:26.997
KK1-1431-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 147 MB 00:04:26.970
3 files -- 151 MB -- --

Show 10 Show 50 Show all 3

Collection Information
Collection ID KK1
Collection title Kachin folktales told in Jinghpaw
Description Recordings of Kachin folktales and related narratives in Jinghpaw. These materials were collected by Keita Kurabe, Gumtung Lu Awng, Sumdu Ja Seng Roi, Hpauhkum Htu Bu, Labang Tu La, Gumtung Htu Nan, and Lashi Seng Nan as part of community-based collaborative fieldwork in northern Myanmar. A total of 2,491 stories with 2,481 ELAN files, 2,481 transcriptions, and 1,369 translations are currently available (March 25, 2024). Transcriptions were contributed by Gumtung Lu Awng, Pausa La Ring, Galang Lu Hkawng, Sumdu Ja Seng Roi, Hpauhkum Htu Bu, and Keita Kurabe. Stories were translated by Nbanpa Rita Seng Mai, Sumlut Gun Mai, Lazing Htoi San, Maran Seng Pan, Dumdaw Mike Tu Awng, Nhkum Htoi Awng, and Keita Kurabe.

Animated stories are available at:

https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/KK3
https://www.youtube.com/@kachinfolktales
https://www.facebook.com/KachinStories

Other Kachin culture and history are available at:

https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/KK2

Our research was made possible under the support of JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H04523, JP20K13024, JP20H01256, Linguistic Dynamics Science 3 (LingDy3) from Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), and JSPS Program for Advancing Strategic International Networks to Accelerate the Circulation of Talented Researchers "A collaborative network for usage-based research on lesser-studied languages."
Countries To view related information on a country, click its name
Languages To view related information on a language, click its name
Access Information
Edit access Nick Thieberger
Keita Kurabe
View/Download access
Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access narrative
Comments

Must be logged in to comment


No comments found