| Description |
Translation (Seng Pan & Keita Kurabe)
I am telling you a story about a meeting of the rats. Once upon a time, there was a country of rats. There were many rats living in that country. Although there were so many rats, there was a cat that ate them. Because the cat always ate them, a wise rat said, "We must defeat the cat." It called the other rats to have a meeting. When they held the meeting, they said, "OK!" "Since we must defeat the cat that eats us," "let's fight!" Everyone agreed. "We are so numerous, aren't we?" "Some of us will nibble the cat's ears." "Some will bite the cat's tail." "Let's nibble on the cat's body." "Let's all work together." "There's only one enemy." "We'll win because we outnumber it." The rats said like that. At that moment, a wise rat stood up and said, "We rats will nibble the cat's ears, body and tail." "We agreed that we nibble all over its body." "But the cat has a mouth." "One of us must enter its mouth." "By getting into its mouth" "it will not be able to bite anyone." "Who, then, will enter its mouth?" "Who will enter the cat's mouth?" When asked like that, not one said, "I will enter the cat's mouth!" Looking at everyone, no one said, "Let me go into the cat's mouth!" So, at the rat meeting, to fight the cat there were many who wanted to nibble here and there no one was willing to die. No one was willing to help the many other rats by entering the cat's mouth. That is why, to this day, the cat catches and eats the rats. Since that meeting of the rats ended without any results, we Kachins have a saying: we call a meeting that achieves nothing "a rat meeting." It is said that way based on this story.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ya hkai na maumwi gaw "Yu amyu ni zuphpawg galaw ai lam" re. Moi shawng de, yu amyu ni a mungdang langai mi ngu ai nga ai da. Dai mungdan hta gaw, yu amyu ni grai law na nga ma ai da. Dai zawn yu ni grai law ai rai tim dai kaw yu amyu ni hpe rim sha sha re ai lanyau nga ai da. Dai zawn rim sha sha re ai majaw, "Ndai nyau hpe gaw anhte yu amyu ni dang kau ra sai," nga na, yu myit su langai mi gaw kaga yu ni hpe shaga la nna zuphpawng galaw ai da. Dai hku zuphpawng galaw shaloi gaw, "Mai sai." "Anhte yu amyu ni ndai hku na rim sha sha re ai lanyau hpe dang nan dang kau ra sai majaw," "gasat sa wa saga," ngu na yawng myit hkrum ma ai da. Matut nna mung, "Anhte grai law ai she re gaw." "Langai mi gaw na kaw makret," "Wo mai tsan kaw mung makret," "Hkum ting yawng kaw kawa makret nna" "yawng jawm ga." "Shi gaw langai sha," "anhte gaw grai law ai re majaw dang na re," ngu nna tsun ma ai da. Dai shaloi she, yu myit su langai mi bai rawt nna tsun ai da. "Anhte yu amyu ni nyau a na de, hkum de, mai tsan de," "shara shagu de makret na nga gaw rai sai." "Rai tim, nyau kaw gaw n-gup tu ai." "Dai nyau a n-gup kaw yu langai mi shang rawng hkam ra ai." "Dai shang rawng hkam yang she," "shi kaga kadai hpe mung n kawa lu na re." "Dai majaw, kadai shang rawng hkam na rai?" "Kadai mahtang nyau a n-gup kaw shang rawng na rai?" ngu nna san ai da. Dai hku san ai shaloi gaw yu langai mi mung "Ngai gaw nyau a n-gup de shang rawng na," nga nna tsun ai n lawm ai da. Kadai hpe yu ti mung kadai mung dai hku "Nyau a n-gup de shang rawng hkam na," nga ai n lawm ai da. Dai majaw, dai yu ni a zuphpawng hta gaw, nyau hpe gasat na matu shara shagu kaw gawa makret na nga ai gaw grai law ai rai tim dai nyau a n-gup kaw shang rawng si hkam nna kaga yu law law hpe hkye la na kadai mung n lawm ai majaw, dai ni du hkra lanyau gaw yu ni hpe rim sha nga ai re da. Dai yu zuphpawng mung hpa bungli n byin ai sha ngut mat ai majaw, anhte Wunpawng myu sha ni hta mung, bungli n byin ai zuphpawng ni hpe "Yu zuphpawng, Yu zuphpawng" nga nna ndai maumwi hpe mahta nna tsun tsun rai ma ai da.
cf. Perry Index 613 |
