A52 A Frog Wants a Husband

Maryam Gwirgis of Canda, Georgia in Canda, Georgia

ʾətva lətva xa-p̂ək̭k̭a. ʾe-p̂ək̭k̭a k̭a-gvárəva cut-yum cut-yum sak̭lava, bak̭lava c-oyava bərrəšša ndaya ndaya. yan mačxava xa ⁺gora k̭a-gano. ⁺xarta ṱ-iva xá-yuma xá-yuma p̂ək̭k̭a suk̭əlla buk̭əlla ⁺pləṱla xəšla ⁺xdara, tpək̭lə xa ⁺buk̭rači biyyo. mərrə ʾay p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺boci ʾica bərrəššət? ʾana bərrəššən rk̭ada rk̭ada, švari švari bərrəššən garə mačxan ⁺gora gorana. ʾita mírəva ta mənni ʾana b-gorənnax ʾa-⁺buk̭rači mírəva. ʾita mírəva ʾən carbitən, bi-mú b-maxətti? mírəva bi-dá k̭esi maxənnax ho. ʾay day mu-jura bi-dá k̭esi ʾu-⁺k̭əṱma b-rišux! suyla b-rišux! mə́rtəva le gorannux ʾana. xəšla p̂ək̭k̭a. xəšla. ⁺ʾal-dó-yuma xina mədrə ⁺pləṱla. vila mədrə p̂ək̭k̭a ndaya ndaya bərrəšša. xa ʾərbači biyyo ʾa-spar ʾərbači tpək̭lə biyyo. ⁺xarta ʾərbači꞊da ⁺buk̭ərrə mərrə ʾica bərrəššət p̂ək̭k̭á ⁺boci? ʾatxa suk̭əlta buk̭əltət. mə́rtəla bərrəššən gvari gvari, švari švari garət ʾana mačxán xa ṱliba k̭a-gani gorana. hi ⁺spay ʾita mərrə ʾana b-gorənnax, p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺boci. ʾita mə́rtəva k̭atu ʾən gorətti, ʾərbači bi-mú maxətti? bi-mú maxənnax? mərrə bi-dá k̭esi maxənnax. di si! ⁺k̭əṱma b-rišux mə́rtəva ʾana le gorannux. p̂ək̭k̭a mədrə xə́štəva. xə́štəva mədrə xina yumət ⁺ṱla p̂ək̭k̭a mədrə ⁺pləṱla. xəšla mədrə gu ndaya ndaya. xəšla p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺boci tpək̭la xa danta ⁺ʾak̭ubra biyyo. ʾak̭ubra mərra p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺boci ʾica bərrəššət? mə́rtəla bərrəššən k̭a-švari švari k̭a-gvari gvari. garə goran mačxan xa-danta ṱliba k̭a-gani goran. hi mərra ʾita ʾana b-gorənnax. ʾita mərra ʾən gorətti, bi-mú maxətti? mə́rtəva pək̭k̭a ʾa ṱup̂ri b-maxənnə gu-k̭amxa, hi b-⁺šešənnə gu-⁺xasax. hi mə́rtəva gorannux! k̭a-gani dūn mučəxta ⁺ṱliba, b-gorannux. hi tila ʾa p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺boca ham꞊da ʾo ⁺ʾak̭ubra gvərre ⁺ʾúydalə. vədle ⁺xluyla, xa zmara, xa rək̭da, xa švara p̂ək̭k̭a ham꞊da ⁺ʾak̭ubra gvərre. gvərrə ⁺ʾúydalə. hi, ⁺vərra ⁺dana ʾannə p̂ək̭k̭a ham꞊da ʾak̭ubra viyyelə yāl-sū́r. yāl-sū́r, ʾita xá-yuma ⁺xluylət brūn-málcəva. ʾadiyya rīš-šita꞊da bitáyəla. ʾadiyya həč məndi lətle. p̂ək̭k̭a ham꞊da ⁺ʾak̭ubra mu ʾətle? k̭a-dannə yāl-surə mu garə bašli? mu bani? mu ⁺maxlile? ⁺xarta mírəva la-⁺zdi baxta. ʾatən tuy beta. velə ⁺xluylət brūn-málcələ. ʾana p̂ṱ-azən xač̭č̭a xač̭č̭a dak̭ta mak̭ta b-⁺jammina mayyina. k̭a-dannə yāl-surə p̂ṱ-odax xa zak̭usk̭a k̭a-yāl-surə, rīš-šita p̂ṱ-oraxla. hi꞊da xəšlə, ʾak̭ubra xəšlə. xəšlə ʾa ʾak̭ubra. ⁺tama ⁺xəllə, štilə, ⁺rvilə. ⁺k̭əṱma b-rišət ⁺ʾak̭ubra tilə pəšlə dməxlə ⁺tama. ʾa p̂ək̭k̭a꞊da ⁺ʾayno ⁺ʾal-ʾúrxəla clítəla ⁺ʾal-dá ⁺ʾak̭ubra, lət ⁺ʾak̭ubra. ⁺ṱavvúyəla laxxa, ⁺ṱavvúyəla ⁺tamma. ⁺bak̭úrəla mən-dá, ⁺bak̭úrəla mən-⁺davva lət ⁺ʾak̭ubra. lena xəzyu həč naša. ʾaza xazza gašk̭a ⁺ʾak̭ubra ʾina vēl gu-xluylət brūn-malca hi꞊da ⁺xarta ⁺ʾak̭ubra šk̭əlla cut-jur ṱ-iva muyyila beta. ⁺xarta ʾat ta k̭u ʾak̭ubra. ʾa ṱ-iva bitaya beta, ⁺raváyəva ʾak̭ubra, p̂ək̭k̭a ṱ-iva mayu, pəlla gu-ʾak̭lət calla ʾa p̂ək̭k̭a pəlla gu-ʾak̭lət calla. pəlla gu-⁺ṱina ʾu-hada pəlla ⁺tama. cma꞊t vádəla, cma꞊t vádəla, lela ⁺myasa ʾa p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺palṱani. ⁺xarta ⁺ʾak̭ubra vádələ k̭ato ta mela ʾida garšənna. ʾayən mara si si mənnux čərtən. ⁺ʾavun har márələ ta me laxxa ʾidax garšənna, p̂ək̭k̭a ⁺boci. ʾayən mara si si mənnux čərtən. čərtət꞊da čərtət, mxilə xa ⁺rapsa꞊da har xa-ca꞊da buš muṱmərralə gu-de-⁺ʾarra. švək̭lə. ʾo-⁺ʾak̭ubra tilə. tilə cəs-yalu. ʾe p̂ək̭k̭a švik̭alə gu-dé ʾak̭lət calla. hi ʾatxa prək̭la ʾa məttəlta.

Once upon a time there was a frog. The frog was ready for marriage. Every day she used to dress herself beautifully and used to go leaping, leaping, in order to find herself a husband. Then, when one day the frog dressed up beautifully and went out wandering about, a cattle-herder met her. He said ‘Hey, sister frog, where are you going?’ ‘I am going, dancing and leaping, I am going in order to find a husband to marry.’ Then he said ‘Come with me, I shall marry you,’ the cattle-herder said. The she said ‘If you get angry, what would you beat me with?’ He said ‘I would beat you with this stick, OK?’ ‘Oh dear, what do you mean with this stick! Ashes be on your head! Manure be on your head!’ She said ‘I shall not marry you.’ The frog went off. She went off. The next day she again went out. The frog again went leaping. This time a shepherd, a shepherd met her. Then the shepherd asked, he said ‘Where are you going sister frog? You are dressed so beautifully. She said ‘I am going in order to get married, leaping, leaping. I must find myself a husband to marry.’ ‘Oh good’ he then said ‘I shall marry you, sister frog.’ Then she said to him ‘If you marry me, shepherd, what would you hit me with?’ ‘What would I hit you with?’ He said ‘I would hit you with this stick of mine.’ ‘Go away! Ash be on your head,’ she said ‘I shall not marry you.’ The frog went off again. She went off again and on the third day again went out. She again went leaping, leaping. Sister frog went off and a mouse met her. The mouse said ‘Sister frog, where are you going?’ She said ‘I am going leaping, leaping, in order to marry. I must marry, find myself a husband to marry.’ ‘Yes,’ it said ‘then I shall marry you.’ Then she said ‘If you marry me, what would you beat me with? It said ‘Frog, I would put this tail of mine in flour and shake it on your back.’ ‘Yes,’ she said ‘I shall marry you! I have found a husband, I shall marry you. Yes, sister frog came together with the mouse and they got married. They held a wedding, with singing, dancing, leaping, the frog and the mouse got married. They got married. Yes, time passed and the frog and the mouse had children. (They had) children, then one day it was the wedding of the son of the king. Now, New Year is approaching. Now they have nothing. What do the frog and the mouse have? What should they cook for those children? What (food) can they prepare? What can they feed them? Then he said ‘Don’t be afraid, wife. You sit at home. It is now the wedding of the king. I shall go and gather a few little pieces and so forth and bring them back. We shall make a snack for the children and spend New Year (like that).’ Yes, he went off, the mouse went off, the mouse went off. There he ate, he drank and got drunk. The accursed mouse came, stayed and went to sleep there. The frog has her eye on the road and is waiting for the mouse, but there is no sign of the mouse. She searches here, she searches there. She asks this one and asks that one, but there is no sign of the mouse. Nobody has seen him. Then she goes and looks, she sees that the mouse is at the wedding of the son of the king. Then she takes the mouse and in one way or another she brought him home. Then (she said) ‘Come on, get up mouse.’ When he was going home, the mouse was drunk, when the frog was bringing him back, she fell into the hoof print of a buffalo, the frog fell into the hoof print of a buffalo. She fell in the mud, she fell like that there. However much she struggles, however much she struggles, the frog is unable to get out. Then the mouse says to her ‘Come give me your hand so I can pull it.’ She says ‘Go away, I am upset with you.’ He keeps saying ‘Come, give me your hand here and I shall pull it, sister frog.’ She says ‘Go away, I am upset with you.’ ‘If you are upset, then stay upset.’ He gave a kick and buried her more in the ground. He left (the scene). The mouse came back. He came back to his children. He left the frog in the hoof print of a buffalo. Yes, the story has ended like that.