| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai & Keita Kurabe)
The story I am about to tell is called "The Mother Who Became a Cicada." Long ago, there was a mother who had three sons. They lived by cultivating a field. When it was time to cut grass, they cut grass. When it was time to plant, they planted, growing rice and vegetables in their field. They planted like this, and when harvest time came, the mother said to her sons, "Sons, has the rice in the field ripened?" "Go and take a look, please." Then, the sons pretended to go look and said, "Mother, it hasn't ripened yet." "We still need to wait a bit." "We also need to make bamboo clappers to scare birds away." When the sons said this, she replied, "My sons are so clever." "Then, please keep taking care of the field." "Make sure the cows and other animals don't eat the rice." "Keep a good watch." In this way, they lived by eating a bit of last year's old rice. After some time passed, when she sent her sons to check the field again, "The rice hasn't ripened yet," they just repeated. Finally, when even last year's old rice was used up, the mother called her sons and went with them to check the field. But there was nothing growing in her field. Shocked, she asked her eldest son, "My son, where has our rice gone?" The eldest son said, "Mother, look at the edge of the field." Thinking she'd find rice, she happily went to look, but there was only a pile of waste. She returned and asked her second son, "Where is the rice?" The second son said, "Mother, look at the bamboo thicket above the field." She went there, and again, there was only a pile of waste. Finally, when she asked her youngest son, he said, "Mother, we cooked and ate everything we harvested in the field." Then, realizing her sons weren't as clever as she'd thought, she felt terribly sad. She had brought baskets of various sizes with her to the field to collect rice and vegetables. The more she thought about her sons, the sadder she became, and finally, she cut the various baskets she had brought, made wings, and flew away. The youngest son said, "Mother, you're so good at flying." "Fly even more." Hearing this made her even sadder. She flew higher and higher, until she flew very far away, and in the end, she became a cicada. That is why, if you look inside a cicada's belly today, you'll find nothing inside. This is because cicadas are born from a mother who flew away, saddened and without food. In the end, her foolish sons became a monkey, became a frog, or became a snake.
Transcription (Lu Awng)
Ya tsun dan na maumwi gaw "Kanu Hkra Byin Mat Ai Lam" nga ai re. Moi shawg de, kasha 3 lu ai kanu langai mi nga ai da. Shan nu ni sha na matu yi galaw ai da. yi hkyen ra ai aten hta yi hkyen, hkai ra ai aten hta hkai rai nna, shi na yi kaw gaw mam ni hte kaga hkai nmai ni hkai da sai da. Dai zawn hkai da rai nna, mam myin wa ai aten du ai shaloi gaw, shi gaw shi kasha ni hpe "Ma ni e, yi kaw na mam myin sai kun?" "Sa yu mu," ngu tsun ai shaloi dai kasha ni gaw jahkring mi sa yu masu nna she "Nu, mam n myin shi ai." "Naw gawn ra ai." "Wa hpawk ni ma naw galaw ra ai," ngu wa tsun ai da. Kasha ni dai hku tsun ai shaloi gaw kanu gaw "Nye kasha ni grai myit su ai." "Rai yang, matut na yi sa gawn gawn di u yaw." "Mam ni hpe nga dumsu ni kaga dusat dumyeng ni n sha hkra" "atsawm wa gawn gawn di u yaw," ngu tsun ai da. Dai hku rai nna, nta kaw nga ai n-gu ngam ni sha shadu sha rai nna, loi na ai hpang e, kalang bai san ai da. Shi kasha ni hpe bai sa yu shangun yang mung kasha ni gaw "Mam n myin shi ai," sha ngu bai tsun tsun re da. Hpang jahtum shadu sha na n-gu n nga wa ai shaloi gaw, kanu gaw kasha ni hpe shaga la nna yi de sa yu ai shaloi gaw shi a yi kaw na hkai nmai ni gaw hpa mung n tu mat sai da. Kanu gaw grai mau let, kasha Ma Gam hpe "Ma e, an nu ni a mam gaw gara de rai mat sai kun?" ngu san yang, kasha Ma Gam gaw "Ah Nu, yi shingnawm de sa yu u," ngu tsun dat ai da. Kanu gaw mam nga ai shadu nna grai kabu let sa yu yang nam dum sa da ai masat shabat sumpum sha she nga taw ai da. Bai wa nna kasha Ma Naw hpe bai "Mam gara de du mat ai kun?" ngu san yang, kasha Ma Naw gaw "Ah Nu, yi baw kaw na wa hpang pawt kaw sa yu u," ngu tsun dat ai da. Kanu gaw dai de bai sa yu yang mung, nam dum maza sumpum sha bai nga taw ai da. Hpang jahtum kaji htum ai kasha hpe bai san yang she, kasha kaji htum ai wa gaw "Ah Nu, anhte ni ndai yi kaw sha yawng wa shadu sha kau kau re ai re," ngu tsun ai da. Dai shaloi, kanu gaw kasha ni myit n su ai hpe chye mat nna grai yawn mat ai da. Myi shi yi sa wa ai shaloi gaw mam ni, namlap namlaw ni gun wa na matu ngu nna la sa wa ai shingnoi nga ai da. Kanu gaw kasha ni a lam myit magang yawn magang rai nna, hpang jahtum gaw shi la sa wa ai shingnoi kaji kaba yawng hpe kahtam ga kau nna, singkaw galaw la nna pyen ai da. Kasha kaji wa gaw "Ah Nu, pyen ai grai tsawm ai." "Matut pyen u, matut pyen u," ngu tsun yang, kanu gaw grau yawn let grau nna pyen pyen rai nna hto grai tsaw ai de pyen mat wa ai hte hpang jahtum gaw hkra tai mat ai da. Dai majaw, dai ni hkra na kan kaw baw yu yang, hpa mung n rawng ai gaw, hpa lu sha mung n lu sha nna grai yawn ai hte pyen mat wa ai kanu kaw na tai wa ai majaw re da. Dai zawn myit n su ai kasha ni mung hpang jahtum gaw woi tai ai gaw tai, shu tai ai gaw tai, lapu tai ai gaw tai rai nna byin mat wa ai da. |
