A54 The Old Man and the Fish

Maryam Gwirgis of Canda, Georgia in Canda, Georgia

ʾətva lətva ʾətva xa naša sava. ʾətvāl xa čulluxta ʾə́tvalə xa bruna ham꞊da ganu baxtu ʾu-hám꞊da ʾo-brunu bəxxáyəva gu-dé čulluxta. xa ⁺čolə ʾə́tvalə beta sura. ʾita ʾo naša sava c-azəlva hammaša ⁺ʾal-yama. ci-davək̭va nuynə. bi hada rišé ci-xamívalə, c-⁺axliva xa tica laxma. hi꞊da di xa-ca xəšlə. tre-ca xəšlə. ⁺xarta xá-yuma vila mu jura vila, ʾalaha rxəmlə ⁺ʾallu. tilə dvək̭lə xa nuyna smuk̭ta. nuyna smuk̭ta ba-dvik̭alə, ⁺xarta ʾe nuyna xa b-xa hamzamta pəlla biyyo lišana vila hamzuma. ⁺xarta mərra ʾoyan ⁺xlapux ʾoyan nədrux k̭a-do naša sava mərra, la lábəlli. šuk̭li. ʾana ʾən mújjura ⁺xləsla ⁺ʾallux, talux ṱlub mənni cu-m ṱalbət ʾana b-yavvannux, ṱ-odannux. hi꞊da ʾa naša ⁺xṱito tila ʾe nuyna šk̭əllə ⁺ruppalə gu-yama xəšla. xəšla, ⁺xarta xəšlə k̭a-baxtu huk̭ilə. mərrə ʾay ʾatxa ʾatxa ⁺šúlova. ʾa baxtu crəbla, vila ⁺sara vila bəndá, vila bətyava, ʾay k̭a-mu ⁺ruppalux? ⁺k̭əṱma b-rišux suyla b-rišux, k̭a-mú ⁺ruppalux? muyyo! mírəva xina ⁺ruppali. xina m-ica ʾana ʾazən mačxən mayyənna? ⁺xarta mara mərra k̭a-diyyi ʾatxa, ʾatxa, ʾe ⁺danta mərra si. di-sí ʾən ʾatxa tunitux꞊la, si xa məndi b-yavvalux. xəšlə ʾa naša sava mədrə ⁺tama ʾicət ʾe nuyna ṱ-i dvik̭alə. xəšlə ⁺tama. hi tunilə k̭ato nuyna, hay nuyna smuk̭ta talax. ʾana ʾətli xa hamzamta mənnax. mərra mu ⁺byayət? tani naša, sava naša, jīs naša, mu ⁺byayət? mírəva ʾatxa ʾatxa vádəla b-riši baxti, mən-beta ⁺rappúyila, ⁺p̂lášəla. ⁺bayyət le-⁺bət, ʾa beti sura vudlə ⁺gura. hi mə́rtəva la-⁺zdi. silux beta. betux užé yacca p̂ṱ-avini. məjjət꞊da ʾa naša xəšlə, gašək̭ ʾo betu sura víyyəva xa yacca max bətət malcə víyyəva. hi꞊da di ⁺spay. ⁺xarta ʾa baxtu bi-dó beta꞊da ⁺razi leva vita. mə́rtəva ba ʾana mən da꞊da yacca beta ⁺bayyan. mən da꞊da yacca beta ⁺bayyan, jīs darta ⁺bayyan, ʾilanə, vardə, čučaga ʾoya mlita. vay may ʾa naša pəšlə mədrə čor, ⁺pašima, mu ʾodən ʾana? m-ica ʾazən? ʾuže bənxápələ ʾo naša yan cut-yum cut-yum ʾazəl k̭a-da nuyna, k̭a-dá nuyna cut ⁺dana zahmat garəš ⁺ʾallo yan ʾana mú-jurra ʾazən mədrə ⁺ṱalbən mənno? xina cut-jur ṱ-ila ʾa naša sava xəšlə. xəšlə, mədrə ⁺k̭rilə k̭a-dé nuyna. ʾe nuyna tila. mərrə baxti xina mətli gu-ʾido, har ʾatxa ⁺bəṱlábəla, ⁺razi lela bi-dó beta, mədrə ⁺byáyəla mən-⁺davva꞊da yacca beta. hi ⁺spay la-⁺zdi mara, silux. ʾati silux beta. hal ṱ-azət beta, uže ʾo-betux ⁺ʾəsra hada beta ṱ-avə yacca. hi xəšlə, ʾa naša sava gašək̭ ʾina məjjət꞊da ʾo beta xa꞊va ⁺ʾəsra hada beta yacca. nuyna və́dtəva k̭atu. hi xdila, ⁺psəxla ʾe baxtu. ⁺k̭aravašə dvək̭la. xa sak̭ulə bak̭ulə bi payṱún ⁺bəxdara xa cu-maraca vada. ⁺xarta mədrə, mədrə ⁺razi lela vita bi day ʾana ⁺byayən ⁺ʾavva ʾana ⁺byayən ʾatxa. ʾa naša xina mətlə xəšlə gu-ʾido. xina cu-jur ṱ-iva xəšlə. ṱla-ca꞊da mərrə ṱ-azən b-⁺jarbənna. xəšlə mərrə ʾatxa ʾatxa baxti márəla. mə́rtəva si la-⁺zdi. silux. cul məndi p̂ṱ-oyani. ⁺xarta ʾa naša sava xəšlə gašək̭ni yan ʾe betu max malca xəšlə. har ʾe čulluxta tpək̭la biyyu, ʾe ⁺čolə surṱa tpək̭la biyyu, ʾe baxtu ⁺tama təvta gu-dé ⁺čola. ʾay mərrə ʾatxa ⁺byáyətva? xub ⁺bəxzáyəvat ⁺razi la vilax bi dēn dvarətsí. ʾadi mədrə tuy gu-dá ⁺čola surṱa. pəšle ʾēn sava sota biyya bi do-yala sura. mədrə hada pəšle gu-de-⁺čola vilə hada casəb bəxxaya. ʾo sava mədrə har hada c-azəlva max k̭amta nuynə ci-davək̭va, c-ativa rišé xamúyəva bi-dḗn nuynə. ʾatxa vərre ʾēn xayyé ʾatxa c-⁺oriva ʾēn ⁺gora baxta. ʾatxa xina mú-jurra ci-tani? parta ⁺tama, k̭amxa laxxa. ⁺marran tušnak̭an ⁺tama, xubban xədyuytan laxxa k̭a-diyyan, k̭a-diyyoxun k̭a-diyyan.

Once upon a time there was an old man. He had a hut. He had a son. He and his wife and also his son used to live in that hut. They had a cabin, a small house. Now, the old man always used to go to the sea. He used to catch fish. In this way he sustained them and they used to eat some food. Now, he went off once. He went off the second time. Then one day it happened, it happened in some way, God had mercy on him. He came and he caught the red fish, then it suddenly started to speak, it started speaking a language. It said ‘May I be your substitute. May I be your offering,’ it said to the old man, ‘Do not take me. Leave me. If you are in any difficulties, come and make a request from me. Whatever you ask, I shall give you, I shall do it for you.’ Yes, the man felt sorry for it. He took the fish and threw it into the sea and it went off. It went off. Then he went and told his wife. He said ‘This was the story about it.’ His wife became angry. She starting cursing, she started jumping up and sitting down. ‘Oh, why did you throw it away? Ash be on your head, manure be on your head, why did you throw it away? You should have brought it!’ He said ‘Well I threw it away.’ ‘Where can I go and find it and bring it back?’ Then he says ‘It said to me such-and-such.’ ‘Then,’ she said ‘Go, go. If it told you that, it will give you something.’ The old man went off again to there where he caught the fish. He went there. Yes, he said to it ‘Fish, oh red fish, come here. I have something to say to you.’ It said ‘What do you want? Tell me, man, old man, good man, what do you want?’ He said ‘This is what my wife is doing to me. She is throwing me out of the house. She is arguing. If you want or not, make this small house of mine big.’ Yes. It said ‘Do not fear. Go home. Your house will be huge. Indeed the man went off and sees that his small house had become huge, it had become like the house of kings. Yes, that was very good. But then his wife became discontented with that house. She said ‘Well, I want a house bigger than this one. I want a house bigger than this one. I want a nice garden, full of trees, flowers and blossoms. Oh dear, the man became again upset and sad ‘What should I do? Where I should I go?’ The man is already ashamed to go every day to the fish, to trouble the fish every time (and he said) ‘How can I go and again make a request from it?’ Well, one way or another, the old man went. He went and called the fish. The fish came. He said ‘I am again dying at the hands of my wife. She keeps making demands, she is not satisfied with the house. She again wants a bigger house.’ ‘Yes, fine. Do not be afraid,’ it says ‘Go, you go home. By the time you get home, your house will be already ten times bigger.’ Yes, the old man went and looks and indeed the house had been one (size) and the house (was now) ten times bigger (than this). The fish had done it for him. Yes, his wife was happy and joyful. She took on maidservants. She dressed beautifully and went around in a carriage, making quite a hullabaloo. Then again, again she became dissatisfied with that. ‘I want that, I want this.’ The man again was dying in her hands. Again, in one way or another he went. For the third time he said ‘I shall go and test it.’ He went and said ‘My wife says such-and-such.’ It said ‘Don’t be afraid. Go. Everything will be fulfilled.’ Then the old man went and sees that his house that was like (that of) a king had gone. Only that hut appeared to him, that small cabin, appeared to him, with his wife sitting there in the hut. ‘Oh’ he said ‘Is this what you wanted? Well, you see, you were not satisfied with those palaces. Now sit again in this small hut’ The old man and woman remained with the child. They again ended up in that hut and he began to live poorly. The old man again in the same way as before went to catch fish, and he came back and sustained them with those fish. Their life went by like that. This is how that husband and wife spent (their life). So, what do they say? Chaff there, flour here. Our illness and suffering there, our love and joy here for us, for you and for us.