| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
The title of the story is 'a wicked lesser wife'. Once upon a time, there was a man with two wives in a village. He had two wives. He had a daughter with the first wife and another daughter with the second wife. The second wife was crooked and wicked. She always bullied her sister-in-law. Whenever she cooked meals, she never put salt in the meal and fed it to her sister-in-law. And she cooked rice mixed with taro and some leaves. She never cooked delicious meals for her sister-in-law. She made her pound the grains too. She told the first wife to work more difficult work. The first wife had to work a lot of tiring physical work. She was exhausted after work. When they both came back home after work, the second wife ate a warm and tasty meal while the first wife ate a cold and bland meal. One day, the first wife was seriously ill and died. Before she died, she told her daughter, "My dear daughter, I am seriously sick now. I think I am going to die. After I am gone, your stepmother could bully you as she did to me. Then, come to the grave where I will lie." Then, the first wife was dead. The second wife was so happy that the first wife died. She made the first wife's daughter work hard like her mother. The girl had to pound the grains and carry the water every morning. But she couldn't eat the meal till she felt full. So, she was getting thinner and thinner. One day, the chief and his family discussed letting their son get married. The chief announced, "We are searching for a daughter-in-law. Send your beautiful daughters to our house. We will choose a gorgeous lady among them." They announced it as playing the gong. The second wife heard the announcement and prepared her own daughter to go there. She made a beautiful dress for her daughter and let her daughter wear make-up. The first wife's daughter said, "Stepmom, I want to go there too." But the second wife didn't let her go. She told her, "You are so dirty. You don't have any nice clothes too. The chief will disgust you." The girl insisted on going there. She said, "It's okay, mom. I will wear what I have and go there." The stepmother told her, "Go if you don't feel ashamed." Then, the girl went to her mother's grave. She saw beautiful clothes on her mother's grave. She made a flower bouquet with the flowers growing around the grave. She wore those clothes and held the bouquet. And she went to the chief's house. There was a square where a group of girls were waiting. She was shy and didn't dare to stand there. So, she hid in the corner. The servants were walking around the girls and scanning them. They looked at every girl to find who would be the perfect partner for their young master. Then, they found the girl standing in the corner. They told her, "Go and stand over there." She replied, "I don't dare to." The servants told her, "No, go and stand over there. Since you have already come here, you need to show yourself who you are." Then, the chief and his friends scanned the girl one after one to determine whether she met the standard. Some girls looked like they were so scared. Some girls looked they were shocked. Some had funny faces. Then, the chief saw the girl who was humble. The chief and his officials agreed, "Yes, she should be the wife of the prince and the mother of our country." At that time, the second wife's daughter said, "She is just an orphan! She shouldn't be the prince's wife!" The chief said, "It's fine. She will be my daughter-in-law." The servants prepared her well. The next day, they celebrated the wedding. One day, the girl told her husband and father-in-law, "I would like to go to my house and meet my parents." When she went back home, she wore some gold necklaces too. Her stepmother said, "Find some lice on my head." She said, "Okay." While she was searching for lice, the stepmother touched her necklace and said, "Your necklace is so beautiful." She dropped it to the ground through the floor. And she said, "My daughter, your gold necklace is on the floor. Go and pick it up." When she went downstairs to pick the necklace up, the stepmother poured the hot boiling water onto her. Her skin was burnt. The next day, she went back to her husband's house. (I am sorry. She couldn't go back to her husband's house yet.) She was seriously injured and died because of that. The stepmother thought, "Now, she is dead. I will make my daughter look exactly like her. And I will send my daughter to the chief's house." She gave the gold necklace and bracelet to her own daughter. Her daughter wore the girl's clothes and those accessories. And she went to the chief's house. The stepmother told the servants, "I am sending the chief's daughter-in-law." The servants looked at her carefully and said, "No, she is not the chief's daughter-in-law. She has a crying face. She is not the chief's daughter-in-law. What did you do to the real daughter-in-law? Where is she?" Then, the stepmother and the fake daughter-in-law were afraid and said, "The real daughter-in-law is dead." The servants arrested them and put them in jail. Both of them were dead in jail. This is the end of the story.
Transcription (La Ring)
Shawng de num kaji myit nkaja ai lam ga baw. Kahtawng langai mi hta e la langai mi gaw num lahkawng la ai da. Kalang ta num kaji num kaba lahkawng yen la na tawn da ai da. Shaloi gaw num kaba na kasha num sha shangai ai. Bai hpang num na kasha mung num sha shangai ai. Shaloi gaw ndai hpang num gaw grai nhkru ai. Ndai kana ngu na hpe num kaba hpe grai zingri zingrat ai. Shi shat shadu timung si mai shadu yang jum nbang ya ai. Bai shat ni mung ndai n-gu nre sha ndai kaga wa hkum lap ni wora nai kaga ni hte pawng nna jaw sha sha rai na si mai ni mung maru marang re jum nbang na jaw sha. Ndai zawn num kaba hpe gaw roi chyu roi sha bungli bungli gaw mam htu shangun ai htaw bungli sa yang mung grau laja ai ndai yi hkyen timung tsing ni hpa ni ndai ju ni grau nga ai grau yak ai kaw gaw ndai num kaba hpe sa shangun. Bai yak hkak ai bungli ma hkra gaw num kaba hpe sa shangun. Shaloi num kaba gaw grai pu ai grai ba ai. Ba na wa timung shi gaw si mai shat mai mu mu sha lup yang mung lum lum sha ndai num kaba jan gaw matsan mayen rai na si mai shat mai mung mu mu mung nlu sha bungli gaw grai galaw ai majaw ndai num kaba gaw lani mi na aten hta machyi nna si mat wa ai. Si mat wa ai shaloi kasha num sha hpe tsun da ai da "Ma e nang mung nu hpe zawn rai na na nnu dim nang hpe zinri zingrat na re shaloi nu hpe lup ai shara kaw e sa yu yu rai u gaw. Nu gaw ya hkum grai npyaw sai dai majaw si mat wa na sha rai sai. Dai majaw e nu gaw si mat na rai sai" ngu na tsun da ai da. Shaloi she kaja wa lani mi hta gaw shi machyi nna si mat wa. Shaloi gaw ndai ndai num kaji gaw aga kabu mung kabu sa rai na ndai ndai num kaba na kasha hpe gaw aga shangun sai da. Dai num kaba hpe shangun ai zawn rai na jahpawt mi mi mam htu shangun hka ja shangun si ni shat ni gaw hkru hkru njaw sha da. Loi loi loi loi sha jaw sha rai ndai zawn rai na grai lasi lamun re da ndai num kasha gaw. Shaloi she ndai hkaw hkam ni "E ndai num sha loi mi tsawm tsawm re nga ai ni gaw yawng e anhte hkaw hkam ni kanam tam na re. Dai majaw num sha ni hpe yawng hpe dat ya marit" ngu nna ndai bau dum nna ndau ai da. Grai jahtau jang she e kasha ndai num kaji gaw shi na kasha sha hpe gaw grai shakya ya dat ai da. Buhpun palawng grai tsawm ai soi palawng ni mana maka labu ni bu kara ni mung atsawm tsawm sha masit nna atsawm sha majaw ni jaw ya dat na dai hku dat ai. Ndai num sha gaw "Sa na nu e ngai mung sa na" ngu yang she "E nang gaw hpa sa tim nang gaw nlu ai gaw ya hkaw hkam ni nang hpe matsat na ra ai hkum sa" ngu da. "Nang sa tim nang gaw alaga sha rai na re hkum hkan u" ngu tsun ai da. E raitim mung shi gaw "Ngai sa na ngu da ngai sa na. Ngai lu ai bu hpun palawng hte ngai bu hpun nna sa na nu e" ngu tsun ai da. Shaloi she "Nang lu yang chyawm gaw nang ngaya yang gaw hkan nang u le na myit sha re" nga. Shaloi shi gaw wo kanu na lup de sa yu ai shaloi gaw kanu na lup kaw gaw grai i grai tsawm ai bu hpun palawng ni ndai nampu nampan ni hte e labu ni palawng ni dai zawn rai na nga taw ai da noi taw ai da. Dai hpe sa bu hpun na she nampan ni kanu na lup kaw pu ai nampan dai mung kai lang rai na shi mung hkan nang mat wa ai da. Hkan nang mat wa rai yang she htaw kaw shanhte gaw wa dinggreng ai shara nga ai da. Grai dinggreng nga raitim shi gaw loi gaya gaya rai shi gaw grai lasi mung grai lasi ai majaw e shi gaw dinggreng ma n-gwi na wo shingjut langai mi kaw dai hku loimi mau mau rai na gaya gaya rai na wa tsap nga ai da. Shaloi she dai hkaw hkam na ali ama ni gaw wo shara n-gup dai hku hkawm ya rai sai i ya hkaw hkam na kasha hpe num nnan la ya na gaw kadai gara hku rai na kun ndai shanhte gaw hpa ren ren na hkan tam. Shaga n-gup yu hkawm rai yang she num sha dai gaw htaw loimi jut de tsap nna mau nga ai da. "Nang wora de sa tsap u le" ngu yang she "She ngai ntsap gwi ai" ngu tsun ai da. "Ngai gaw ntsap gwi ai" ngu "Nre she sa tsap u nang htaw de sa lawm u nang kaw sa sai gaw yawng lawm ra ai" ngu na sa lawm ai da. Sa lawm ai shaloi gaw hkaw hkam wa hte shanhte mu-mat ni gaw langai hpang langai num sha ni hpe yu mat wa ai da. Yu mat wa yu mat wa ai shaloi gaw kaga nkau mi gaw grai hkrit ai myi man man ai da. Nkau mi gaw kajawng ai myi man man ai da e nkau mi gaw mani sai re myi man man ai da. Shaloi ndai num kasha gaw ndai mani sai mung nrai da npyaw hkra mung nrai si mani re myi man hpe hkaw hkam wa gaw mu ai da. Mu-mat wa ni mung mu yang she "E ndai gaw anhte mungdan na anhte kanam tai ging ai" ngu na shanhte gaw dai hku myit ai da. Dai rai yang wora num kaji na kasha ni gaw tsun ai da "E ndai gaw jahkrai ma re matsat shabat re re hpa ndai hkaw hkam jan tai na zawn nre" ngu na shanhte gaw htu-che (ninghkap) ai da. Dai hku sa tsun ya ai raitim mung hkaw hkam wa ni gaw "Ndai gaw anhte a kanam tai ging sai" ngu na shi hpe gaw buhpun palawng ndai baw hkan e tsi ni hpa ni kap ai hpe mung atsawm sha baw ni matsit la nna she hpang shani gaw shanhte hpe e hkungran poi kaba galaw nna shi gaw dai kaw hkaw hkam jan tai nna nga ai da. Hkaw hkam wa a kanam tai nna nga ai. Shaloi she lani mi na grai na ai hpang gaw shi gaw "Nta de wa hpe wa jahkrum na wa yan nu hpe wa jahkrum na" nga lani mi wa mat ai. Wa mat ai shaloi gaw shi gaw ja rai ni mung grai kap ai da. Dai rai nga yang she num kaji gaw tsun ai da "Ngai hpe baw kaw tsi yu ya u ma e" ngu yang "Mai ai" ngu. Tsi yu ya tsi yu ya na she "Lahkawn ndai grai tsawm ai i ndai kachyi ni gaw grai tsawm ai" ngu na raw la she le npu de shayu dat ai da. Npu de jahkrai kau jahkrat kau di na she ya tsi yu ngut jang gaw "Ma e na na ndai ja rai ni gaw le npu de rai sai dai majaw nang gaw ndai kaw sa hta la u" ngu nna dai kaw sa hta shangun ai da. Sa hta shangun yang gaw e shi gaw ndai hpunlum grai kahtet ai dun da ai hpunlum hte jaw bun na she num sha ndai gaw hka jaw na she e matsan mayen rai na dai shi na ja rai ni mung nlu hta la sa. Dai hpunlum jaw na kahtet ai hte rai na shi gaw hkaw hkam wang hte du mat wa ai da. Aw hkaw hkam wang de du mat wa ai nrai sa shi gaw dai hku grai jam jau na she si mat ai da. Ndai hpunlum jaw nna si mat wa ai shaloi gaw ndai num kaji jan gaw "Rai sa i ndai hkaw hkam na kanam tai ai ndai num kaba na num kasha gaw si mat sai dai majaw ya nye kasha hpe gaw ma hkra shi na saw na shi hpe e hkaw hkam na kanam shatai dat na rai sai" ngu na wo dai hkaw hkam na kanam na shawng num na kasha na lahkawn ni kachyi ni ma hkra ma hkra dagraw ya na kasha hpe gaw bu hpun palawng mung mi na hte ta ndai hkaw hkam na kanam si mat ai na bu hpun palawng ni hpun na she sa sa sai da. Shanhte gaw sa sa na she "Ndai hkaw hkam na kanam rai sai" ngu sa sa. Sa sa ai shaloi gaw shanhte hkap yu ai da. Hkap yu ai shaloi gaw "Ah ndai gaw hkaw hkam kanam nre anhte lata la ai num nre. Ndai num gaw ndai num sha gaw hkrap myi man man ai wa she re anhte na kanam nre" ngu na she shi hpe gaw ndai shi kanu hpe ma shi hpe ma "Nan gara hku na e hkaw hkam na kanam mai tai na. Dai hkaw hkam na kanam madung kanang de da ai" kaning rai na nga shanhte ndai hpyen la ni jep ai shaloi gaw "Dai hku dai hku rai na dai wa gaw si mat sai" nga dai majaw shan nu lahkawng yen hpe htawng de rim bang nna shan nu lahkawng yen mung dai htawng de si mat ai da. Maumwi gaw dai kaw htum sai. |
