| Description |
Translation (by Seng Pan)
I'm going to tell cat and rat story. Once upon a time, there were a cat and a rat. The cat said, "Rat, I am going to eat you. Yes, I will. But I won't eat you for no reason. Let's play a match. If you lose, I will eat you." "OK. Deal," the rat replied. As the cat planned to exploit the rat, he said, "Let's compete counting stars! I will give you the chance to do it first. You count at night. And I will count in the morning. You do it first. If you cannot count anymore, then I will continue." When it was getting dark, there appeared the stars in the sky. Then the cat said, "Start counting now!" The rat also started counting, "One, two, three......" "There are more at the back," the cat shouted. "Four, five,....." the rat continued counting. The more it's getting dark, the more stars appeared. So, the rat couldn't count them anymore. "Oh! you can't count anymore. Then I will start counting now. If I can count, I will eat you," the cat said. It was at the dawn when the cat started counting stars. "One..." The more it's getting light, the more stars disappeared. "Two, three, four, five, six, See! I could count them. So, I will eat you now," the cat said and ate the rat. The rat lost to the cat in counting stars. Depending on this story, a saying, "Knowledgeable person will discriminate ignorant person. A person who can think well exploits a confused person" was told by our elders when we were young. Other people also have different understanding that the cat ate the rat because the rat didn't teach him how to walk on a string. Till today the rats do know how to walk on a string but the cats don't know. That's why the rats became the cats' prey.
Transcription (by Lu Hkawng)
Ya nyau hte yu hkai na re, Nyau hte yu moi gaw nyau hte yu gaw nga sa, re gaw nyau gaw yu hpe tsun ai da, bai nang hpe ngai sha na ngu ai da, dai majaw nang hpe ngai sha na rai tim nang hpe ngai majoi n sha ai nang hte an lama mi shingjawng ga, nang sum yang nang sha aw nang hpe ngai sha na ngu tsun ai da, mai ai yu mung nyau gaw yu hpe masu sai hku nga maw sai dai majaw grai shagan hti shingjawng ga ngu da, re gaw nang hpe shawng ngai ahkaw ahkan jaw na ngu masu na hku nga ahkaw ahkan jaw masu she nang gaw shana maga hti u ngai gaw jahpawt ma ga hti na nang shawng hti u nang hti n ji ai shaloi she ngai hti na, shana jan du loi rim wa ai shaloi she shagan nnan she, loi sin sin di grai htoi ai shagan n nan she kra re wa bai wa hti shanu yu ngu da. Yu langai lahkawng masum htaw shing du de nga nga ai le ngu mali manga nsin sin magan shagan gaw law magan, n sin sin magan shagan gaw law magan yu gaw n lu hti mat na hku nga rai jang n lu hti mat ai, e nang n lu hti sai re yaw ya ngai bai hti yang hti lu yang nang hpe ngai sha na yaw ngu, jahpawt n htoi htoi ni mahka htoi chyi htoi mat wa loi hpran hpran nga wa ai shaloi she nyau gaw dai shaloi hti ai hku nga langai dai shaloi nhtoi gaw htoi wa magan nhtoi hta jan a shingkan pru law magan shagan gaw yawm magan lahkawng masum mali kru dai yu ngai lu hti sai, ngai lu hti sai dai majaw nang hpe ngai sha na ngu na nyau gaw yu hpe sha ai re da, nyau shagan hti ai kaw sum mat ai dai majaw ndai bawnu machye machyan chye ai gaw machye machyan n chye ai wa hpe dan sha na sawng chye ai gaw nsawng chye ai hpe dan sha na ngu ai hpe anhte hpe kaji yang anhte hpe hkai ai maumwi re. Langai gaw bai dai yu hte nyau sha re aw n kau mi ning mu langai hku tsun ai bai rai yang gaw, sumri gau sharin ai n gau nsharin ai majaw sumri gaw yu gaw dai ni du hkra gau chye ai, nyau gaw n chye gau ai nang dai hpe ngai hpe n sharin ai majaw nang hpe sha ai re ngu na sha ai re da. |
