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English translation (by Rita Seng Mai)
I'm going to tell a story about a kind-hearted widower and a bad, cold, selfish and impudent widow. We call "story" as "abum" in the Gauri dialect. Long long ago, there were a good and kind-hearted old widower, and a bad, cold, selfish and impudent old widow in a village. That good, kind-hearted old widower always fed food to sparrows and small birds every early morning. Many birds from the nearest forest came to eat food every day so it was always filled with noises like birds' chirping near their houses. But, that widow didn't like to hear those birds' chirping every morning and she swore at him. She swore "Uhh, old man, you always make noises by feeding food to those birds every early morning." One day in early morning, she woke up first before that old widower woke up, and fed some food to those birds. When she fed, those birds from that nearest forest came to her to eat food like they came for food to that kind-hearted old widower. As usual, those small birds were being noisy while they were eating food. That cruel widow caught one by one and cut their tongues, while they were eating. Then, the old widower woke up and fed some food as usual but no bird showed up. He wondered where these birds went so he went to find them by taking a packet of cooked rice. He kept finding and finding them. There were many sparrows on a big banyan tree on the way and they saw that old man, and called him,"Hello! grandpa, where are you going?" The old man answered that he came to find them. Then, those birds invited him, "Come in grandpa, come in!" Then, those birds let that old widower come into the big hole inside that banyan tree where they lived in. They told to that old man, "Grandpa, sleep here. We will go to the forest to find fruits." He fell asleep soon. When he woke up, he saw many kinds of fresh fruits from the forest right in front of his face and those birds let him eat those fruits. Then, they said, "Grandpa, eat a lot! Eat till you're full! When you go home after you've eaten, you'll see one big basket and one small basket on your way home. You can take what you like, Grandpa." He said, "Okay." Then, he said goodbye to those birds and went back home. He saw that there was surely a big basket and a small one on his way home. He thought that he would just take a small one as he was old and wasn't strong enough. Then, he took a small basket and set forth his way back home. Those birds requested him, "Grandpa, when you take that basket, don't look inside it on the way. Just look inside it when you arrive home!" That old man took that basket without sneaking a bit inside it on the way. When he arrived home, he opened and looked inside it. At that time, he saw lots of gold inside it. He didn't want to give some gold to his neighbours and didn't want them know when he got lots. But that cold, cruel old widow saw that and she asked him,"Hey, old man, where did you get those?" Then, that old man answered to her, "The birds that you cut their tongues gave these to me," and told what had happened to him. After hearing that, she thought of a plan to find those birds like that old widower. And she also went to find them by taking a packet of cooked rice. When she arrived the place where that old man was called by the birds, those birds saw her and called her as well. They asked, "Grandma, where are you going?" Then she replied them, "I come to find you all." They invited that old widow to come inside. They treated her as they treated to old kind-hearted man and told her to sleep for a while as they were going to find some fresh fruits in the forest. When she woke up, she saw many fruits right in front of her face. Those birds told her to eat those fruits till she was full. Then, she also ate till she was full and those birds told her, "Grandma, you'll see one big basket and one small basket on your way back home. You can take what you like." She said goodbye to those birds and went back home. There were actually a big basket and a small basket on the way. As she was greedy and impudent, she wanted to get much more than the old widower and took a big basket to home. She had to go across rough ground and also needed to go by the path of the fields on her way home, and she fell over again and again. Then, she kept saying bad words and swear. She thought that what kind of basket is that they didn't let me open and look inside it and what there would be. As she was annoyed and angry, she opened that basket and looked inside it. As soon as she opened it, she saw an evil spirit coming out from that basket. She shouted, "Kyiii.....!" because she got a very big shock. At last, she died of shock right in that place. In Kachin, when women are in shock, they shouted "Kyiii......". That word "Kyiii...." comes from that story. When sparrows speak, it sounds like "chirp, chirp,..." We have a saying that it's because that old widow cut their tongues.
Jinghpaw transcription (by Lu Awng)
Ya ngai hkai na a bum gaw myit grai kaja ai shingkra la wa hte myit gai n kaja ai grai matse ai gaida jan na lam re nga ai. Anhte gauri ni gaw maumwi hpe a bum nga na tsun ma ai. Moi a shawng de e grai myit kaja ai shingkra dingla langai mi hte grai myit n kaja ai grai matse ai gaida jan langai mi nga ai da. Dai shingkra la wa gaw jahpawt jau jau rawt na gaw u shat ni gat jaw dat yang she oh nam hkan na u ni u tsa ni dai ni shi nta de sa na she u shat ni sa hta sha re na jahpawt shagu garu kachyi garu kachyi nga na garu kachyi rai jawm nga nga re nga ma ai da. Dai she gaida jan gaw shi gaw dan re manap jau jau u ni hte garu kachyi nga n kam madat nna she shi dai shingkra dingla hpe e matsa ai da shi gaw. Aga dingla nang gaw manap jau marau dan re na u ni hpe e dan re u ni hte e garu kachyi nga na galaw law re gaw ngu na matsa jaw a ngun re da. Dan re hpang she shi gaw lahpawt mi gaw dingal wa re n rawt shi yang she shi madaw she jau jau rawt na she u shat gat jaw ai da. Gat jaw dat yang gaw shawoi na hte maren oh ra dingla wa kaw sa ai zawn zawn u ni bai sa re na she nam hkan na u ni bai sa re na she dai kaw u shat ni sa sha kachyi kachyaw nga na kachyaw taw ai hku rai re nga ai. Shaloi she dinggai jan gaw u tsa dai ni she langai mi rim la shinglet matep di ya, langai mi na rim la shinglet matep di ya re da. Grai re na she yahkring la wa bai rawt wa rai na shi u shat gat jaw dat yu yang gaw u ni mung langai mung n gale mat, u ni nsa mat re na she shi gaw ga a u ndai ni gara de wa sa mat sai i ngu nna she shi gaw shat makai gun re na she u dai ni hpe e hkan tam mat wa ai da. Tam chyu tam rai hkawm mat wa yang she hto lam kaw lagat hpun kaba law ai kaw na she u tsa dai ni gaw dingla e mu na she ji gara de sa n ta gara de ta ngu san yang she dingla dai gaw e ngai nanhte hpe tam hkawm ai law nga yang she a ji shang wa rit shang wa rit nang de shang wa rit ngu na she. Shing rai na she shanhte ni u ni nga ai dai lagat hpung krawng kaba law kaw she dingla hpe woi la re na dai kaw dingla wa e she a ji nang nang kaw yup taw yaw. Oh nam de namsi nam saw ni naw sa tam la na ngu tsun kau da ai da. Shing nrai dingla wa yup pyaw mat wa re yang she shi bai hpang re yu yang she shi man hkan she htyo nam hkan na namsi namsaw a myu hkum hkra dai kaw di tawn da ya re na she sha shangun ai da. Re na she dingla dai mung sha sha na she u tsa dai ni gaw aji nang hkru hkru sha u hkru hkru sha ngut re yang yahkring nang wa re yang e hto lam kaw shingnoi kaba law ai hte shingnoi kaji law ai shadun da ya ai yaw. Dai aji nang ra ai gun mat wa u ngu tsun ai da. Shaloi she dingla wa mung e e ngu na u tsa ni e she naw wa sa na ngu shakram kau da re na wa mat ai da. Wa re yang she kaja wa hto lam kaw du yang ma shingnoi kaba law ai hte shingnoi kachyi sha law dung taw ai da. Shaloi gaw shingnoi dai e she um ngai gaw dingla sai n gun n rawng sai ngai gaw ndai kaji ai madaw she gun mat wa na re ngu na shi gaw kaji ai gun mat wa ai da. U tsa ni gaw shi e htet dat ai da. A ji nang ndai shingnoi dai gun mat wa ai shaloi lam hkan ne kachyi pyi hkum hpaw yu yaw nta du wa yang she hpaw yu u yaw nta du wa yang she hpaw yu yaw ngu ai da. Chye na dingla wa mung lam kaw kachyi mung n hpaw yu ai dan re gun wa na she nta du re na wa hpaw dat yu yang gaw shingnoi kaw wa she wat ja she hpring re taw ai da. Rai na she ja dai ni lu re yang shi gaw htingbu htingpyen ni hpe n kam jaw re yang dan re yang oh ra gaida jan gaw bai mu la re na she hay dingla wa e nang gaw kanign re wa ta? dan ngu tsun yang she dingla dai gaw e nang ma ni u shinglep matep di dat ya ai utsa ni jaw dat ai rai nga le ngu na she shi byin mat wa ai lam ni hpe tsun dan ai hku rai re nga ai. Shaloi she dai gaida jan gaw e re sai re sai ngai mung naw hkan tam na re ngu na she shi mung shat makau gun re na bai rawt mat wa sai da. Rawt mat wa re yang she mi dingla wa e shaga ai shara kaw du yang she u tsa ni bai a woi nang gara de sa nta ngu tsun dat yang she dinggai dai gaw e ngai nanhte hpe tam hkawm ai lo ngu tsun ai da. Shaloi she u tsa ni shang wa rit shang wa rit nang de wa rit ngu na shaga la ai da. Shaga la na shi e mi na hte maren a woi nang nang kaw na yup taw yaw anhte hto nam de namsi nam saw ni naw sa tam la na ngu na she gumgai jan e dai hku shayup da re na namsi ni sa di rai na bai wa rai na dinggai jan mung shi yup ai kaw na yup hprang rai wa yang she dai utsa dai ni a woi ndai hkru hkru sha u hkru hkru sha u yaw ngu tsun ai da. Shaloi shi mung hkru hkru sha na ya a woi nang wa yang e hto lam kaw shingnoi kaba law hte shingnoi kachyi law ai shadun da ya ai yaw a woi nang ra ai la mat wa u ngu ai da. Shaloi she dinggai jan mung e lol e lo ngu na u tsa ni hpe shakram da re na wa mat sai da. Wa mat re yang gaw hto lam kaw du yang gaw kaja wa shingnoi kaba law ai hte shingnoi kaji law ai nga nga na hku rai re nga ai. Shi gaw gumgai dai gaw lawhpa ai hte matse ai hte rai na she um ngai gaw ndai dingla wa hta grau jan lu hkra ngu na she shingnoi kaba dai hpe lata gun mat wa ai hku rai re nga ai. Dan re gun mat wa re yang gaw hto lam hkan lam n shawp n hkap hkan a grawp si re na oh hkauna ginbawng ni lai di ra re yang gaw ginbawng hkan na di hkrat si re yang gaw shi gaw matsa chyu matsa. Ya u ndai ni gaw kaning rai na me lam kaw me n mai hpaw ai nga shingnoi gaw kaning re shingnoi re kun kaning re rai wa rawng ai kun ngu na masin nau pawt na shi gaw shingnoi dai hpaw dat na hku rai re nga ai. Dai hpawt dat re yang she wat dai shingnoi kaw na she wat jahtung nat dingla langai mi pru wa na har nga pru wa yang wat shi gaw kyi ngu na kyek ngu na numla she dam na she dai kaw si mat wa ai da. Dai majaw anhte num ni kajawng yang kyi nga kyek ai gaw dai shaloi kaw na hpang ai re da. Rai na u tsa ni u shaga yang n prat ai tarek nga na n prat ai dai gaw dai gumgai jan shinglet matep di ya na re nga na tsun ma ai. |
