A34 The Fisherman and the Princess

Nancy George of Babari in Turlock, California

xa yala babu myátələ. xa yəmma sota váyulə. ʾa márəla k̭atu ʾádiyya xina ⁺gura viyyət. c-⁺amsət ʾazət palxət. ʾa yala bərrə́šxələ pəlxánələ hal ⁺berašə. xa ducta ⁺matrúsəna batə, lēn ⁺bəddá, xač̭č̭a ⁺šulanə ʾatxa. mara yəmmi ʾana ʾa ⁺šula lé-⁺ʾamsən ʾodənnə. ⁺bayyən k̭a-gani palxən. mara mu ⁺bayyət ʾodət? mara ⁺bayyən ʾazən nuynə mayyən, nuynə zabnən. nuynə dok̭ən. k̭édamta ʾazən nuynə dok̭ən, mayyən zabnənnun. ʾa bərrə́šxələ nuynə bədvák̭ələ. máyələ gu-mdita zabunelə, laxxa ⁺tamma ⁺šulə ʾatxa. nixa nixa ⁺xarta bərrə́šxələ xa-ducta bəxzáyələ, xač̭č̭a ⁺bəxdárələ, bəxzáyələ xa ⁺ʾamarat ⁺raba ⁺gurta ⁺ramta ⁺šulə. bak̭úrələ ʾaha mu꞊ila laxxa. mara ʾaha betət málcələ. ʾa ganu taxmúnələ, mara dáxila ʾana lablən laxxa gu bēt-malca ʾannə zabnənnun? buš xa məndi zoda b-yavvi k̭ati. ʾo yuma xina bərrə́šxələ nuynə šap̂irə ⁺gurə bədvák̭ələ máyələ. ⁺tama bədráyələ k̭alə k̭at ʾana, ʾé-⁺dana məndi zábniva gu-⁺ʾalula gari k̭alə dáriva, ʾaxnan nuynə zabunəx. bərrə́šxələ k̭am do-⁺tarra. bəcláyələ márələ k̭at ʾana nuynə ʾətli k̭a-zabuna. xátəna. taza mən-miyya dvik̭ḗn. ⁺raba šap̂írəna, basíməna, ʾatxa. ⁺tarra ptáxula xa-palaxta, ⁺k̭aravaš. ptáxəla, ⁺várəla gaváy, mara xa yala nuynə zabúnələ. brāt-malca mara ⁺k̭rilə ʾatə gaváy melun. nuynə bəxzayela. bəxzáyəla ʾa yala ⁺raba šap̂írələ. mara cut-yum k̭a-diyyan nuynə mayyə. cut-yum nuynə labúlələ k̭a-dannə. ʾa-brata márəla k̭a-ʾaxuno tani k̭a-babi ʾana ʾa yala maǧǧubun. babi balcət yavvəlli k̭a-daha. ʾaha márələ k̭a-babu babi xati k̭a-dá yala ⁺byáyəla k̭at-nuynə zabúnələ. xob mara xazzax mujjur yálələ. ⁺bək̭ráyuna xa yuma beta. hamzúməna mənnu mu vadət? ⁺šulux mu꞊ilə? ʾaha mara ʾa nuynə ci-dok̭ən, ci-lablən zabnənnun. mara ʾaxnan b-yavvax zuyzə k̭atux ʾatən se xa dəccana matti. ʾita duk̭ palaxə ʾazi nuynə dok̭i, mayyi gu-dəccana, našə ʾati mən-⁺tama zonilun. xina la xuš gu-⁺ʾalulanə zábənnun ʾannə. mara ʾávitun basimə k̭a-mu la. ʾaha ⁺raba ⁺ṱyantət mənta vádələ. ⁺ʾavva yala ⁺bəddáyələ ʾina ʾayya brata k̭atu ⁺byáyəla. ʾa ⁺raba bərrəšxa bitáyələ ⁺šulə. malca yávələ k̭atu zuyzə. ʾe brata zuyzə yávəla k̭atu mara xuš k̭a-ganux xa-beta ⁺matrəs ⁺gura ʾatxa max da-betət babi. bərrə́šxələ ⁺matrúsələ xa beta ⁺šulə. yəmmu꞊da xa-baxta sótəla. ⁺ʾavun꞊da mattúyolə gavu ⁺šulə. ʾa-yala našə cullə mara ʾa-yala mut xá-ʾaxča muntíyyələ ⁺šulə ʾatxa. dəccananə꞊da vídələ ⁺ʾarp̂á xamšá dəccananə cullə ⁺tama múttələ. ham nuynə zabúnələ, ham ⁺busra zabúnələ, ham nixa nixa ʾa bəznisu jəns bədvák̭əla. ⁺bar hada ʾa brata꞊da hamzúməla mənnu, hamzúməna, mara ʾana ⁺byayən k̭a-diyyax. ganu márələ. ʾannə ⁺byayəna ⁺ʾúydalə. malca bratu yávolə k̭a-daha. bəgvárəna, ⁺xluyla, maraca m-axxa ⁺ʾal-⁺tamma, labúlolə gu-dó beta, betu. ⁺hala hə́č-məndi la va, bəšvárələ b-rišo k̭at našək̭la. ʾayya꞊da mara k̭atu ʾaha lela tabak̭ət nuynə ⁺ʾal-rišux ʾicət … cú-məndit ⁺bayyət ʾodət. ʾaha bratət xa sultā́n꞊ila. mu marət ʾatən? ʾana gvirən k̭a-diyyax. ʾat baxtət díyyivat. hi ʾamma lela ʾatxa ʾatən k̭emət ʾatxa ʾodət. márələ xob bas ʾana mənnax le dok̭ən. ʾatən brāt-malcət, ʾana zabnanət nuynə. ba ʾana mənnax le dok̭ən xina. ʾaha bərrə́šxələ. bərrə́šxələ. ⁺pláṱələ mən-beta bərrə́šxələ. ʾa brata pyášəla b-nošo. bitáyəla k̭a-babo mara k̭at ʾatxa vila. babo márələ ʾatən gnayax vítəla. k̭a-mú ʾatxa mərtət? mara ʾina ʾana p̂ṱ-azan mačxannə. ʾa brata bərrə́šxəla ⁺bəxdárəla gu-dá mdita k̭at-ʾaha mačxalə, lela mačuxu. ʾina ʾaha lelə hamzumə xina. cú-məndit mənnu ⁺bak̭úrəna lelə hamzumə. mara ʾana ⁺lalən. ʾaha bətyávəla gu-gami bərrə́šxəla b-gami ⁺ʾora ⁺ʾal-dá gibət ⁺ʾatra. ʾaha bərrə́šxəla, xa ducta ⁺bəsláyəla k̭at ʾoya xa hotél. bərrə́šxəla gu do-hotél k̭at ⁺xa-⁺ramša ʾaxla. máyəna nuyna k̭ato. ʾayən nuyna ⁺bixáləla mara ⁺raba basəmta núynəla. mara ʾannə xa-yala laxxa ci-davək̭lun bašəllun. ʾina ʾa-yala ⁺lálələ. ʾaha bəxzáyəla k̭a-daha. mara ʾaha lelə ⁺lala. ʾani márəna la ʾaha ʾannə cma šənnə laxxa pəlxánələ, ʾa tre ⁺ṱla šənnə pəlxánələ laxxa, ʾa-yala ⁺lálələ. mara la lelə ⁺lala. mara marj dok̭ax mənnax ⁺ʾal-xá-ʾaxča davə. ʾaha ⁺lálələ. mara k̭atu hamzəm! marj dvík̭əna ⁺ʾal-xá-ʾaxča davə. ⁺ʾavva mara la ʾana ⁺lalən, le hamzəmmən. ⁺xarta davə prák̭əna. mara ⁺ʾal gamiyyi ʾana … b-gami títəla ⁺ʾal-de-gamiyyi ʾana marj bədvak̭ən k̭at ʾa-yala ⁺lala lelə. mədrə mara k̭atu hamzəm! gami p-šak̭lila mara la ʾana ⁺lalən, lá-⁺ʾamsən hamzəmmən. ⁺xarta mara ʾana ⁺ʾal-riši k̭avvulən ʾən ʾa la humzəmlə ríšət-diyyi prúmulə. ʾannə꞊da ⁺bək̭ráyəna xa məndi lena ⁺bəddaya ʾa bratət málcəla. ⁺byáyəna … xa mīr-⁺k̭azzab bitáyələ k̭at ríšət-daha parəmlə. mara riši ⁺byáyəna parmilə. b-hamzəmmət yan la? k̭ala lelə vada. ⁺ʾavva bəšk̭álələ ʾo-sepa p̂-idu mara ʾaha lelə … məndi … siniyyət nuynə lela ʾaha. ʾaha rišət brāt-málcələ. lá-⁺ʾamsət parməttə. ʾe-⁺dān hamzúmələ xina ʾaha cullə ʾan-məndyanət ⁺muk̭rəmmeva yavena k̭atu mattúyula gu-gami máyula bitáyəna xina. ʾé-⁺dana márələ ʾana dok̭anət núynəvən. ʾatən brāt-xa-málcəvat. ʾayya c-⁺amsax ʾaxnan? ʾé-⁺dana ⁺maxleta bəṱlábəla mənnu mara la xina ʾatən꞊da xətnət málcəvət. xina bərrə́šxəna, ⁺šarúyəna b-xayyuté.

A boy—his father dies. He has an old mother. She says to him ‘Now you have grown up. You can go and work.’ The lad goes and works until evening, in a place where they build houses, I don’t know, jobs like that. He says ‘Mother, I cannot do this job. I want to work for myself.’ She says ‘What do you want to do?’ He says ‘I want to go and bring fish, sell fish. (I want) to catch fish. In the morning (I want) to go to catch fish and bring them back and sell them.’ He goes and catches fish. He brings them to the town and sells them, and the like. Gradually, later, he goes to a place and sees, he wanders around a little, he sees a building that is very big and high, and so forth. He asks ‘What is this here?’ They say ‘This is the house of the king.’ He thinks to himself and says ‘How about I take them here into the house of the king and sell them? They will give me something more (for them).’ The next day he goes and catches beautiful big fish and brings them. There he cries ‘I’—at that time when people sold something in the street they had to cry out—‘We are selling fish.’ He goes to the door. He stands and says ‘I have fish for sale. They are fresh. I have just caught them from the water. They are very nice and tasty,’ and so forth. A worker, a servant, opens the door. She opens and goes inside, saying ‘A lad is selling fish.’ The daughter of the king says ‘Invite him to come inside and bring them.’ She sees the fish. She sees that he is a very handsome lad. She says ‘Let him bring us fish every day.’ He brings fish to them every day. The girl says to her brother ‘Tell my father that I love this lad. Perhaps my father will give me to him.’ He says to his father ‘Father, my sister loves the lad who sells fish.’ ‘Well,’ he says ‘Let’s see what kind of boy he is.’ They invite him home one day. They speak with him ‘What do you do? What is your work?’ He says ‘Well, I catch fish and take them to sell them.’ He says ‘We shall give you money. Go and open a shop. Then employ workers to go to catch fish, then bring them to the shop, so that people will buy them from there. Do not go any more to sell them in the streets.’ He says ‘Many thanks. Why not?’ He expresses his great gratitude. The lad knows that the girl loves him. He comes and goes a lot, and so forth. The king gives him money. The girl gives him money and says ‘Go and build yourself a house, big like this, like the house of my father.’ He goes and builds a house, and so forth. His mother is an old woman. He puts her in it, and so forth. Everybody says how much the lad has been successful, and so forth. He has opened shops, four or five shops, and has established them all there. He sells fish and he also sells meat. Gradually his business takes hold well. Afterwards, the girl speaks with him, they speak. He says ‘I love you.’ He says it himself. They love each other. The king gives his daughter to him. They get married, a wedding, a big occasion, from here to there. He takes her into the house, his house. Before anything else, he jumps on her to kiss her. But she says to him ‘This is not a plate of fish on your head where … you can do whatever you like. This is the daughter of a ruler.’ ‘What are you saying? I am married to you. You are my wife.’ ‘Yes, but it is not proper for you to behave like this.’ He says ‘Fine, but I shall not stick with you. You are the daughter of a king, but I am a seller of fish. I shall not stick with you any longer.’ He goes away. He goes away. He leaves the house and goes away. The girl remains by herself. She comes to her father and says that such-and-such has happened. Her father says ‘You were at fault. Why did you say this?’ She says ‘I shall go and find him.’ The girl goes and looks around the town to find him, but she does not find him. But he does not talk any longer. Whatever they ask him he does not speak. He says ‘I am mute.’ She sits in a boat; she goes in a boat to cross to the other side of the land. She goes and alights at a place where there is a hotel. She goes to the hotel in order to eat dinner. They bring her a fish. She eats the fish and says ‘It is a very tasty fish.’ They say ‘A lad here catches them and cooks them. But this lad is mute.’ She sees him and says ‘He is not mute.’ They say ‘No, he has been working for several years, he has been working here for two or three years, the lad is mute.’ She says ‘No, he is not mute.’ They say ‘We shall make a bet with you on such-and-such an amount of gold coins. He is mute.’ She says to him ‘Speak! They have made a bet on such-and-such an amount of gold coins.’ He says ‘No, I am mute, I shall not speak.’ Then the gold coins run out. She says ‘On my boat—she has come by boat—on my boat I bet that this lad is not mute.’ She says again to him ‘Speak! They will take the boat.’ He says ‘No, I am mute, I cannot speak.’ Then she says ‘I promise on my head, if he does not talk, cut off my head.’ They call a thing … They do not know that she is the daughter of the king. They want … an executioner comes to cut off her head. She says ‘They want to cut off my head. Will you speak or not?’ He does not make a sound. (But then) he takes the sword (of the executioner) in his hand and says ‘This is not … she is not a tray of fish. This is the head of the daughter of the king. You cannot cut it off.’ When he speaks again, they give him all the things he had lost. She puts him in the boat and brings him back, and they come back. Then he says ‘I am a fisherman. You are the daughter of a king. Can we (make this work)?’ Then she asks for forgiveness from him and says ‘No more, you are also the son-in-law of the king.’ So they go off and begin their life (together).