| Description |
Translation (Rita Seng Mai)
This story is about a widow. The widow had three daughters and left them at home while she was going to the farm. She went to clean the weeds everyday. Although she cleaned daily, there were more and more weeds. Then, she said, "I will give one of my daughters to anyone who helps me clean the weeds." A snake heard what the widow said. Then the snake cleaned all the weeds from the farm when the widow returned back to her house. The next day, the snake transformed into a man and went to the widow's house. He said, "I cleaned your farm last night. Can you give me one of your daughters?" The widow said, "You can choose anyone you like. You can choose the elder who has the marks on her face." He said, "I want the girl from the middle. She is more beautiful." She said, "Take her then." He took the girl and went to the river. When he went into the river, he turned into a snake again. He was the king of the snake as well. He went into the hole in the water. He told the girl, "I am going to go into the water now. Hold my tail tight." He took the girl there. After some time, they arrived home under the water. He took her everywhere. She saw that everything was gold. After few years, they got a baby. They went to the widow to show the baby. After staying there a few days, they went back to their house. After they had spent some time living in the house under the water, the girl said, "It's been a long time I live here. I want to go back to my mom." And she went to her mother and stayed there. Then, her elder sister told her to go to the forest to pick orchids together. Her elder sister carried her baby and told her to climb the high tree. Although she reached higher, her sister told her to climb higher and higher since the baby When she reached at the top, the elder sister cut the tree down and killed her. Then she went back home with the baby. The snake thought it was a long time that his wife went back to her parent's house. So, he went there to take his wife and baby back. The snake asked, "How did you get those marks on your face?" Then the elder sister answered, "It's because the ants bit me while I was sleeping somewhere on the mountain." When the younger sister heard the voice of her husband, she called, "My husband and my baby." The snake said, "If you are really my wife, come and suck the saliva from my hand." When the younger sister came to suck that, they killed her. They ate her fleshes and threw the bones on the ground. Then, the rats ate those bones and them into the dried bottle gourd. They did some work although they stayed at wife's parent's house. When they came back from work, there was always delicious meal. They ate those meals when they came back from work. They always ate those foods for a long time. One day, he tried to look inside the dried bottle gourd. He pretended to go to the farm in the morning. But he came back again and checked the bottle. He saw a beautiful woman inside it. When he broke the bottle, there were only bones. He thought it wasn't right. So, he brought the elder sister who pretended like his wife and his baby back to their house under the water. When they reached home, she didn't know where the bedroom was. She didn't also know where to take a bath, where to cook or where the kitchen was. The snake had to show her everything. He had to cook the food together with her. And he said, "Give me the food that you cooked a few days ago. Where is the food?" But she didn't know where the food was. Then, the snake knew that she might be the elder sister. But he didn't say anything to her, and just showed her where the food was. After some months, they got a baby. They lived happily there. One day, his mother-in-law came to them. But she couldn't go into the water. She was about to go back. When the snake heard that, he went there to pick his mother-in-law up. He told her, "Hold my tail tight." At that time, she said, "Oh! You are not a human! You are just a snake! You transformed a human in the daytime and came to us as a human. I am scared." Then, she went back to her house. In the future, the snake and his wife didn't need to go to her parent's house and lived happily in the end.
Transcription (Lu Hkawng)
Gaida jan a lam, gaida jan gaw num kasha masum lu ai da. Lu na ndai num kasha ni gaw nta tawn da re na nga nga re yang she, shi gaw shani shagu yi magang sa dai ni magang tim hpawt ni bai sa shawng na pyi n ngut shi yang hpang na bai laja, shawng na pyi n ngut yang hpang bai laja rai jang she, dan re jang she, ''E nye yi magang kau ya ai wa hpe gaw nye num kasha langai mi ra ai ya kau ya na law ngu na bai tsun re yang she, lapu gaw dai na la re na she, bai gaidan jan gaw jan du wa jang nta bai wa mat lapu gaw shana bai sa buk bak ma hkra sa magang kau ya rai jang she hpang shana gaw lapu wa gaw shinggyim masha tai nna gaida jan nta bai sa wa mayu jan nta bai sa wa rai jang she ''E ni nang mana ngai hpe e yi magang da ya sai le na kasha gara rai tim mung ya rit le'' nga yang she ''Nang ra ai lata la u htaw kana wa gaw man hkahka re lata la kau u'' ngu tsun yang she, ''Ndai laprang na wa grau tsawm ai ndai wa woi mat wa na re'' ngu jang ''Woi mat wa u'' ngu jang woi wa sai da. Wa sai da, htaw luphka kaw shang wa jang lapu tai mat sai da. Lapu tai mat lapu hkawhkam re ai da, dai hku shang mat jang she ''Ndai nye ning mai kaw ja ja re jum u yaw shang mat wa na rai sai'' ngu na dun shang mat wa rai yang she, shi nta kaw bai du re yang gaw gara de mung woi sa da, ja hkrai da, shat shadu sha na mung ja hkrai, hpa sha yang mung ja hkrai rai jang nga nga nga rai jang gaw kasha bai lu kasha bai lu nna nga nga jang gaw mayu nta de mayu dinggai hpe ma hpe sa madun na bai woi ba wa da. Woi ba wa nna wa nga nga yang she, mayu dinggai nta nga ai nau na wa jang shanhte nta bai wa mat da, wa mat na she bai wa nga na she, ''E ya gaw loi bai na sai nu hpang de bai wa na re'' nga bai wa mat rai jang she wa yang she dai kaw wa nga nga re yang she kana jan man hkahka wa gaw da, wa madai pan di sa ga nam de ngu na sa kanau a ma gaw shi kana wa ba kau wa madai pan pu ai rai jang htaw grai tsaw ai de lung sai ngu tim naw lung u, ma mahti jahkrap nna ma n hkraw nga ai ngu na bai lung shangun jang ntsa kaw du jang she, kana wa gaw hpun bai kyan daw kau nna sat kau rai jang she shan nu tung ni nta bai wa mat rai jang she ndai lapu la wa gaw grai na mat wa na she bai hkan nang sa wa sai da. Ma ba la nga ai da, shi du na ''Koi nan nu ni a mang gaw hpa na hkahka rai mat ai rai nga wa yang gaw oh ga bum kaw wa yup mat nna rai nga Uhkun sha kau ya ai re'' ngu bai tsun dai la wa nsen na rai jang she dai mi na num wa gaw ''Ma hkan wa ni e'' ngu na wa shaga rai jang she shi gaw ''Nye num rai yang gaw ndai lata lahpan kaw na ma-nyeng sa chyu rit'' ngu bai shaga rai jang she lata lahpan kaw bai sa chyu nna bai lu rim la sa chyu jang shi bai lu rim la rim la nna shanhte gaw bai sat sha kau sat sha kau jang she dai nra dai ni gaw shanhte gaw sha sha rai jang she npu de bai jahkrat kau jahkrat kau rai jang she Yu ni bai hta sha Yu ni hta sha na she Tauba hta bai shingchyut kaw na Tauba hta bai du mat re na she dai kaw na she shanhte gaw dai mayu nta rai tim amu bai galaw sa rai jang she dai shat ni amu mu bai shadu da ya rai jang she wa sha wa sha rai yang hpang jahtum e rai jang gaw wa sha sha re na nga nga re yang she dai nau mung na wa rai jang she Tauba kaw she yu yu ai da. Ndai kaw na shana yi sa wa na jahpawt e, shi yi de sa wa masu su na bai nhtang na ndai Tauba ndai kaw mi mahkawn tsawm rawng ai gaw ngu na she bai adup yu yang gaw nra sha bai rai mat rai jang ''E ndai n jaw sai'' ngu na she ndai ma hkan nu ni hpe nta bai woi mat wa sai da. Kanu tung rai tim shi num, num lai rai sai gaw ngu na woi mat wa rai yang she, yup gawk mung nchye da, nta shat gawk mung nchye shat shadu sa wa na mung nchye hka shin na mung nchye ndai lapu la wa gaw ndai gaw ndai kaw re, ndai gaw dai re, oh ra gaw shat gawk, namdum hka re dai ni re nga bai tsun shat bai woi sha, shadu nna shat bai woi sha re yang gaw ''Ma ni nang galaw da ai si mai ni gaw lahkawt jaw rit law taw, yambu yampau hkan ni na shat mai ni mahkawt jaw rit le'' ngu gara mung nchye sa hkawt jaw, gara mung nchye sa hkawt jaw jang she, dai la wa gaw kaning nga tim ndai kana re ngu tsun na she myit de dai hku rawng re na she shi bai hkawt hkrai hkan hkawt re na dai gaw dai re, oh ra gaw oh ra re ngu na bai atsawm re na bai e gawt jaw na bai nga nga jang she, ma langai bai lu ai da, ma dai langai bai lu jang she shan gaw grai kanawn pyaw na bai nga nga jang hpang e gaw kani wa bai sa wa yu yang gaw hka dai de gaw gara hku mung n mai shang wa gara hku mung n mai shang wa re na wa mat rai jang gaw lapu gaw dai bai na rai jang she, bai sa woi la rai yang she, dai hka naw shang wa na rai jang ''Ngai ngai na ning mai kaw noi yaw ni'' ngu jang ''E nang gaw shinggyim masha n re ai lapu wa mi she shana wa mi she masha tai shani gaw masha tai anhte kaw sa wa yang gaw dan rai ai hku rai nga'' ngu na ''E hkrit n-ngai'' ngu na she kani gaw dai kaw na nhtang mat wa rai jang she shan la ni gaw apyaw re na nga nna dai mayu nta ma n wa ga mat sai da. |
