A49 The Man Who Wanted to Complain to God

Sophia Danielova من Arzni, Armenia في Arzni, Armenia

ʾətva lətva xa naša ʾo ⁺ʾarp̂á yāl sūr ʾə́tvalə. cu-dax vádəva, leʾva ⁺myasa riša xamiva. mara k̭emən k̭a-ʾazən k̭a-⁺marya ʾalaha xaltana šəccayat ʾodən. hi. ʾa ʾazən šəccayat ʾodən, mərrə. xač̭č̭a bərrə́ššələ, ⁺raba bərrə́ššələ. ⁺ʾata-⁺baba mírəna ʾicət yuma bəgnáyələ, ⁺tama puš, la xuš. móriša b-k̭emət, ṱ-azət. bərrə́ššələ, gašúk̭ələ xa dana naša jəns jullə ʾətlə, ⁺ruppelə rišət ⁺k̭aravat. ⁺tamma laxma pyáyəna. har mara ⁺havā́r, ʾálaha, mətli. cpinən, pnili. ⁺ʾamma ⁺bəzdayəl laxma ʾidu maxila ⁺ʾal-laxma ⁺ʾaxəl. mən dan p̂ərc̭ac̭ə ⁺jammuyə ⁺bixálələ. mərrə ʾa naša ʾatxa ⁺marra víyyulə, m-axxa. mərrə ʾáxuni ʾica bərrəššət? mərrə bərrəššən k̭a-ʾalaha šəccayat ʾodən. lēn ⁺myasa xayyən. xač̭č̭a bərrə́ššələ, ⁺raba bərrə́ššələ, ⁺mṱáyələ cəs xa ʾilana. ⁺ʾavun váyələ ʾilanət pərdesa. cut-yā́l sūr lēl vayu, gabúyələ mənnu ⁺bixala, váyulə yāl surə. cut꞊da váyələ ⁺mərya, mən-dó xabuša gabúyulə, ⁺bixálələ, ⁺marru, bərrəššəl, parpusəl. mən-ʾalaha ʾita. ʾa sapar mən-⁺tama bərrə́ššələ. ⁺ʾamma ʾa ʾilana xa dana ⁺ʾallu le pāšva ⁺ʾamma ⁺ṱinəl piləl ⁺ʾal-⁺ʾarra, xa dana xabuša m-⁺allu lēl npala. mənnu k̭ala ⁺pláṱələ, mara ha ⁺bar-naša, ʾicət bərrəšša? ʾana bərrəššən k̭a-ʾalaha šəccayat vada. bás-diyyi꞊da hak̭i. bás-diyyi꞊da hak̭i. cma šənnə c-ativa gabiva xa dana ⁺ʾalli le pāšva. ʾadiyya ʾana dūn ⁺mumrəlla, ⁺mayra viyyən xina. ʾa sapar mən-⁺tama xač̭č̭a bərrə́ššələ, ⁺raba bərrə́ššələ, bətpák̭ələ bi-xá dana diva. diva. ⁺ʾamma cullə garmu m-⁺allu ⁺plíṱəna. dmíxələ. mən-ʾalaha ʾita k̭ala bitáyələ, hamzúmələ diva, mara ⁺bar-naša, ʾicət bərrəšša? mərrə k̭a-ʾalaha šəccayat vada. bás-diyyi꞊da tani k̭a-ʾalaha. mən-⁺tama ⁺plaṱa bərrə́ššələ. xač̭č̭a꞊da bərrə́ššələ. l-o-yba bərrə́ššələ gašuk̭əl xa dana yala, ⁺ʾuxča šap̂írələ. hal laxxu píšələ gu-cipa. bə́xyələ, ⁺sosúyələ ʾálaha, ⁺marya, ya šk̭ulli ya šk̭ulli metən, yan ʾatxa la ⁺janjərrən párək̭li. ʾica bərrəššət? cəs-ʾalaha. bas diyyi꞊da hak̭ət. ʾaha bərrə́ššələ. ⁺marya ʾalaha xaltana mən-⁺tama talmidu ⁺šadúrulə mírələ k̭atu mu p-tanət k̭a-dá naša. talmidu ⁺šadúrulə. bitayəl, mara ʾana ʾaláhəvən. mu marət? ʾatxa lēn ⁺myasa xayyən ʾatxa. mərrə ʾatən m-axxa p̂ṱ-azət. xá-dana ⁺k̭usarta dava xut do xabū́š pərdesa ⁺tama ʾəttən. gnavta vítəla mumrəllə ʾo-xabuša. ʾatən ʾay ⁺palṱətta b-lablət xayyət diyyu. k̭a-dó naša k̭at-gu-cípələ tanət ⁺ʾavun hal-dunyə ʾoya nuxama ⁺ʾav garəc pāš gu-cipa. gu-pā́t baba yəmma ⁺raba k̭ímələ. hada k̭ímələ gu-pā́t baba yəmma xina lé-ʾoya tanuyə. ⁺ʾav ʾatxa pāšni. m-axxa p̂ṱ-azət mərrə k̭a-dó našət k̭at jullu šulxelə, laxma lēl ⁺myasa ʾidu ⁺pašəṱla, laxma. ⁺ʾavun ⁺šūl ⁺saṱánələ, xa dana č̭apula la ⁺yaṱṱən maxət mən gu-pummu, ʾo-⁺lā́m ⁺saṱana mən gu-pummu ⁺paləṱ. k̭ām jullu b-lávəšlun, laxma p̂ṱ-⁺axəl. parək̭ ʾo-naša. bitayəl ⁺mṱáyələ cəs-diva. mara ⁺hala davə bəšk̭alḗl, ⁺paluṱḗl, mattuyḗl lab-dó naša mara ʾazən k̭a-diva ⁺juvvab lablən. ʾay ⁺babam k̭am k̭a-diva ⁺juvvab lablət? ⁺ʾav dívələ. cul xa-naša honu ⁺tayyar lelə. ʾa sapar mən-⁺tama bitáyələ cəs-diva. mara ʾáxuni mu mərrə ⁺marya ʾalaha xaltana k̭a-diyyi? mara ta-xač̭č̭a k̭urba. lēn ⁺bəšmaya. xina mara ⁺xlapux c-avən, mu mírələ? mara ta-k̭urba, lēn ⁺bəšmá. bərrə́ššələ k̭urba, ʾidu ⁺rappuyol mən-gu-cisu. ⁺marya ʾalaha xaltana mírələ ʾatən ṱ-azət k̭a-diva p-tanət xá-dana ʾaxmak̭ naša p-tapək̭ ⁺ʾal-ʾidux. ṱ-⁺axləttə, p̂-k̭emət ⁺ʾav ṱ-odət. mən-cəpnu lēl ⁺myasa k̭ām mən-⁺tama. ʾa sapar ʾa naša c-atə. tunilə k̭atu, ʾa xəšlə k̭a-diva tanuyə ta k̭urba, ta k̭urba. ʾidu ⁺ruppalə mən-cisu ⁺priṱalə. ʾo naša ⁺xəllə. mərrə mənnux꞊da ʾaxmak̭ naša lətva. ⁺rast títəva ⁺ʾal-ʾidux, švik̭a xiša beta nafarux xumyu. ba-k̭a-diva ⁺juvvab ci-mayyi? cisu tupxalə k̭atu ⁺xəllə. ʾan-davə꞊da pəšlun k̭a-dó našət k̭at ⁺lām ⁺saṱana mən-gu-pummu ⁺pləṱlə. ʾaha ʾatxa masala. ʾa xa.

Once upon a time there was a man who had four children. Whatever he did, he was not able to make ends meet. He says ‘I shall set off to go and make a complaint to the Lord God Almighty. Yes, I shall go and complain,’ he said. He goes a little, he goes a lot. The ancestors have said ‘Where the sun sets, stay there, do not go further. You should get up in the morning and go.’ He goes and sees a man. He has fine clothes. He threw them onto a bed. They are baking bread there. He keeps saying ‘Help, God, I am dying. I am hungry. I am finished.’ But he is afraid to lay his hand on the bread to eat it. He gathers the crumbs and eats. He says ‘This man has such an illness (far be it from here).’ He (the ill man) said ‘My brother, where are you going?’ He said ‘I am going to make a complaint to God. I cannot live.’ He goes a little, he goes a lot and arrives at a tree. It is a tree of paradise. Whoever does not have children picks (fruit) from it and eats, then he has children. Also whoever is ill, he picks from the apple tree and eats, then his illness goes away and is eliminated—it is from God. Then he goes from there. But not one (apple) was remaining on the tree. He lifted it up and it fell on the ground, but not one apple falls from it. A voice comes from it saying ‘Hey, man, where are you going?’ ‘I am going to complain to God.’ ‘Tell about me also. Tell about me also. For so many years people came and picked (fruit) and not one remained. Now I have become bitter, I have become bitter.’ Then from there he goes a little, he goes a lot and meets a wolf, a wolf, but all of his bones are sticking out. He is asleep. Then a voice comes from God and the wolf speaks, saying ‘Man, where are you going?’ He said ‘To God in order to complain to him.’ ‘Tell God also about me.’ He sets off from there. He goes a little. He goes to one side and sees a boy, who is so beautiful. He is (stuck) in a stone up to here on him. He is weeping. He is begging ‘Lord God, either take me, take me to die, or save me so I do not suffer torment like this. Where are you going?’ ‘To God’ ‘Tell him also about me.’ He goes off. Lord God Almighty sends his disciple from there and told him what he should say to this man. He sends his disciple. He comes and says ‘I am God. What do you say?’ ‘I cannot live like this.’ ‘You should go from here. Under the apple-tree of paradise there is a pot of gold. There has been a theft and the apple-tree has become bitter. You should take it out and take away its life. To the man who is in the stone you should say that until the world reaches Judgement Day he must stay in the stone. He has very much disrespected his father and mother. He has disrespected his father and mother in such a way that it cannot be spoken about. He will remain like that. You will go from here,’ he said ‘to the man who has stripped off his clothes and is unable to stretch out his hand to bread. This is the work of the devil. Give him a slap, I don’t know what, on his mouth, the accursed devil will come out of his mouth. He will get up and put on his clothes, he will eat bread. That man will be saved.’ He comes and reaches the wolf. Then he takes the gold coins, he takes them out and places them by the man. He says ‘I am going to give an answer to the wolf.’ ‘Oh, my dear, why will you give an answer to the wolf? He is a wolf.’ ‘The mind of every man is not perfect.’ Then he comes from there to the wolf. It says ‘My brother, what did the Lord God Almighty say regarding me?’ He says ‘Come a little closer, I do not hear.’ He then says ‘I am your substitute, what has he said?’ He says ‘Come closer, I do not hear.’ It goes closer. He releases his hand from his stomach. ‘The Lord God Almighty has said “You should go and say to the wolf: a stupid man will meet you. You should eat him. You should get up and do that.’ On account of his hunger he is unable to rise from there. Then the man comes. He said to him, he went to the wolf and says ‘Come closer, come closer.’ He released his hand from his stomach and he (the wolf) tore it open. He ate the man. He said ‘There was never a man more stupid than you. Good fortune had come into your hands. You should have left well alone and gone home to look after your family. But does one bring an answer to a wolf?’ He attacked his belly and ate him. The gold coins remained for the man from whose mouth the accursed devil came out. This is a story. This is one.