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Translation (Maran Seng Pan & Keita Kurabe)
Now I will tell the story of "The Man Who Searched for a Stronger Man." Long ago, there lived a husband and wife. The husband thought he was very strong, and said to his wife, "I am the strongest in this world." "There is no one stronger than me." "Go and find someone stronger than I am," he boasted. Day after day, he beat his wife, and their marriage grew unhappy. The wife, in tears, set out to search for someone stronger than her husband. She thought that if she found someone stronger than him, then her husband would stop beating her. So the wife went searching everywhere, but she could not find anyone stronger than her husband. While she wandered in tears, a chameleon by the roadside saw her and asked, "Hey, young lady, why is your face all wrinkled with tears?" She said, "Mr. Chameleon, my husband says he is the strongest of all." "He tells me to find someone stronger than him," "and he beats me every day." "That is why I am searching for someone stronger than my husband." The chameleon said, "What a pitiful girl you are." "I will help you." "Go and bring your husband here." She gladly went to her husband and said, "I have found someone stronger than you," and she brought her husband along. Thus, the man who trusted in his own strength came before the chameleon. The chameleon said, "I have heard you are very strong." "Let me see how strong you really are." "Hold tightly to my tail." The chameleon turned his tail toward the man. When the man grasped the chameleon's tail with all his might, the chameleon gave his tail a powerful flick. And the man was hurled away as far as seven villages. Looking at the place where he was thrown, he saw people building a huge dam in a vast sea. And what amazed him was that the people were pounding the great timbers using only their feet. Looking further nearby, he saw a giant man fishing. When he saw that the man was fishing with an elephant as bait, the man who trusted in his own strength was even more astonished. "Ah, it was wrong for me to say I was the strongest." "There are so many stronger than I am." The man changed his heart, and from that day on he no longer beat his wife, and peace returned to their household. So one must never think oneself the greatest or the strongest in this world.
Transcription (Lu Awng & Sumlut Gun Mai)
Ya tsun dan na maumwi gaw "N-gun Ja Ai La Tam Ai Lam" nga ai maumwi re. Moi shawng de, madu jan madu wa nga ai da. Madu wa gaw tinang na tinang n-gun grai ja dum ai hte madu jan hpe mung "Ngai gaw n-gun ja dik ai wa rai sai." "Ngai hta n-gun grau ja ai gaw n nga sai." "Ngai hta grau n-gun ja ai la tam yu u," ngu grai gumrawng let tsun ai hte madu jan hpe mung shani shagu gayat hkrai gayat, abyen hkrai abyen rai nna dai dinghku gaw let hte let grai n pyaw mat wa ai. Dai majaw, madu jan gaw hkrap let shi na madu wa hta grau n-gun ja ai la hkan tam hkawm sai da. Shi madu wa hta grau n-gun ja ai la hpe lu tam yang she shi na madu wa shi hpe n gayat mat na ngu nna hkan tam ai. Dai zawn rai nna madu jan gaw grai hkan tam hkawm tim shi na madu wa hta grau n-gun ja ai la tam n mu ai da. Dai zawn rai nna shi gaw matut nna hkrap let tam hkawm nga yang, lam kaw singnyen lagai mi gaw dai num hpe mu ai hte san ai. "E... num kasha e, nang hpa majaw rai na dai ram myi man n tsawm let hkrap hkawm nga nta?" ngu san ai da. Dai shaloi dai num gaw "E, Singnyen e, ngai na madu wa gaw shi na shi n-gun ja dik ai wa re nga na" "shi hta grau n-gun ja ai la hpe tam u nga tsun na" "shani shagu ngai hpe gayat abyen ai majaw" "ngai na madu wa hta grau n-gun ja ai la hpe tam hkawm ai re," ngu tsun yang shingnyen gaw "E, dai hku nga yang, nang hpe ngai grai matsan dum sai." "Nang hpe ngai garum la na." "Nang na madu wa hpe shaga dat u," ngu dat ai da. Dai shaloi, dai num wa mung grai kabu ai hte shi na madu wa hpe "Nang hta grau n-gun ja ai wa ngai mu tam sai," ngu tsun let wa woi la sai da. Dai zawn rai nna, dai grai n-gun ja dum ai la wa singnyen nga ai shara kaw du ai shaloi, singnyen gaw "Nang grai n-gun ja ai nga tsun ai." "Nang kade ram n-gun ja ai kun yu yu ga." "Nang ngai na maitsan kaw grai ngang hkra jum yu u," ngu tsun nna dai la wa maga maitsan hpe yawng dat ya ai da. Dai la wa mung singnyen na maitsan hpe aja wa jum da ai shaloi, singnyen gaw shi na maitsan hpe aja wa galang dat ai ngu yang, dai la wa gaw maren kahtawng sanit matsat daram tsan ai shara de wa hkrat ai da. Dai zawn grai tsan ai de hkrat ai shara kaw yu dat yu ai shaloi, masha ni wa panglai kaba law ai hpe hpun grai kaba ai rau madim galaw taw ai wa dai hpun kaba law ai ni hpe lagaw rau sha adit adit di nna galaw taw ai majaw grai mau kajawng mat wa sai da. Dai kaw na makau de bai matut yu dat ai ngu yang, la langai mi wa nga myek taw ai wa, shi na nga myek ju kaw nga shat ngu na hku na magwi hpe shajoi nna nga myek taw ai hpe mu yang dai myi n-gun grai ja dum ai la wa gaw grau nna grai mau kajawng mat wa sai hte "Aw... ngai gaw n-gun ja dik ngu shadu ai gaw shut sai." "Ngai hta grau grau rai na n-gun ja ai ni grai naw nga ahka," ngu myit malai lu ai hte, dai shani kaw na madu jan hpe mung galoi mung n gayat n abyen sai hte dinghku mung grai ngwi pyaw mat wa ai da. Dai majaw, mungkan ntsa hta ngai gaw byin dik, n-gun ja dik ngu nna n mai myit ai da. |
