A53 The Bird and the Fox

Maryam Gwirgis of Canda, Georgia in Canda, Georgia

ʾətva lətva xa səppərta. hi səppərta ʾə́tvala ⁺zayə. və́dtəva xa danta buda k̭a-gano beta. ʾēn-⁺zayə, biyyə muttila, ⁺zayə brile. cut-yum cut-yum cut šita, cut-yum, cut-yum, ʾe səppərta ʾēn ⁺zayo c-ativa xa məndi c-⁺axə́lvale, c-azəlva. c-atyava ʾe məscənta səppərta gášk̭ava lət ʾannə ⁺zayə gu-da beto. mədrə ⁺ʾal-dé šita xita mədrə ʾatxa biyyə muttila, mədrə ⁺zayə viyyale. mədrə tila, mədrə ⁺xəllə, gašk̭a ʾēn ⁺zayo lət, ⁺xilelə. ⁺va mu꞊iva ⁺janəm ʾaha mu ⁺bixalelə? mədrə šitət ⁺ṱla mədrə ʾa səppərta muttila biyyə, mədrə viyyala ⁺zayə. ⁺xarta har ⁺byáyəva ʾēn ⁺zayo ʾátiva ⁺ʾaxə́lvale. la tani ⁺tala víyyələ. ⁺tala lipəl bi-dani. bitayəl ʾēn biyyət dēn ⁺zayət de səppərta ⁺hayvan ⁺bixalḗl. ⁺xarta xa ⁺sedači bərrə́ššəva, bərrə́ššəva ⁺bar ⁺sedu xina. gašək̭ni ʾina ʾa ⁺tala bəsyák̭ələ ⁺ʾal-ʾilana. bəsyák̭ələ ⁺ʾal-ʾilana, ʾita ʾo ⁺sedači ⁺sədlə k̭a-dá ⁺tala. mərrə xa xazzən mu vádələ. gašk̭i ʾina ʾannə ⁺zayə sira siré, ⁺vəsta ⁺vəsté ⁺hayvanə bə́xyəna, č̭arč̭úrəna. k̭alé ⁺šmilə ʾa ⁺sedači xəšlə gašək̭ ʾina ʾani ʾən ⁺ʾaxəlle, šak̭əl ʾa tupi darə biyyu k̭a-dá ⁺tala munpəllə, mxilə ⁺k̭ṱəllə. ⁺k̭ṱəllə k̭a-dá ⁺tala. ⁺xarta tila ʾe yəmma ʾu-ʾé gašk̭a yan-ʾḗn ⁺zayo ṱ-i p̂urtəcle ʾexa šita xina. ʾatxa ⁺razuyta viyyala mən-dá ⁺sedači ⁺roba ʾatxa duváy yuvvəlla k̭atu. xdila ⁺psəxla ʾa səppərta. šk̭əlla ʾēn ⁺zayo muttela ⁺ʾal-xaso. ⁺ṱəryela prəxla. xəšla gu-xá malcuyta xita. xina ⁺xdarto, munyəxla mən-dá ⁺tala. ba ʾatxa. vila prək̭la ʾa məttəlta ʾatxa. hənnə cli tanyannux. parta ⁺tama, k̭amxa laxxa. ⁺marran tušnak̭an ⁺tama, xubba xədyuyta laxxa. ʾatxa ʾatxa prək̭la ʾa məttəlta.

Once upon a time there was a bird. Yes, the bird had young. She had made a nest, a home for herself. The young—she laid eggs and young were born. Every day, every year, every day something used to come and eat the young of the bird and go away. The poor bird would come back and see that the young were not in her home. Again the next year she again laid eggs and she had young again. She came back again, again it ate (the young). She sees that the young are not there, it ate them. Oh dear, what was it? What was it that was eating them? Again in the third year the bird laid eggs and had young again. Then it still wanted to come and eat those young of hers. What do you know, it was a fox. The fox is used to (eating) them. He comes and eats the eggs of the young of bird, poor creature. Then a hunter was going after his prey. He sees that the fox is going up the tree. It is going up the tree, then the hunter hunted the fox. He said ‘Let me see what he is doing.’ He saw that the young are yelling and whining, the poor creatures are crying and screaming. The hunter heard their voice. He went to look whether it is eating them. He takes the rifle and shoots it. He brought down the fox. He shot him and killed him. He killed the fox. Then the mother returned and sees that her young have survived that year. She was so pleased with this hunter and offered him her warmest gratitude. The bird was happy and joyful. She took her young and put them on her back. She drove them (onto her back) and flew off. She went to another kingdom. So, it turned out that she was relieved of the fox. Well, that is it. The story finished like that. But wait I’ll tell you. Chaff there, wheat here. Our illness and suffering there, love and joy here. The story ends like that.