A56 Star-Crossed Lovers

Maryam Gwirgis of Canda, Georgia in Canda, Georgia

ʾətva lətva xa malca ʾo malca ʾə́tvalə xa bruna. hi ʾo brunu ⁺roba xošu c-atyava ⁺seda ⁺xdarta. təvlə ʾo brūn-malca ⁺ʾal-suysa šk̭əllə ⁺k̭aravašu꞊da mənnu xəšle ⁺ʾal-seda. ṱ-iva xəšle ⁺ʾal-seda, gašk̭i ʾal-xá ʾilana tə́vtəla xa šap̂ərta max ⁺šra bəllaya brata. ʾayən brīt ⁺casibə vítəva. ⁺xarta ʾe brata ṱ-iva təvta ⁺ʾal-ʾilana ⁺roba ⁺rədyalə ʾa brūn-malca. ⁺rədyalə, ⁺xarta xəšla, tlək̭la xəšla ʾe c̭əč̭č̭ə. ⁺xarta la mərrə k̭ato mərrə talax, gorənnax. mə́rtəva la ʾatən brūn málcəvət, ʾana brūn ⁺casíbəvan. ʾana mú-jurra goran k̭a-diyyux. mə́rtəva la, la. ʾayən ṱ-iva britət ⁺casibə, ⁺ʾavun brūn-malca, leva bəšvak̭o cəs-⁺davun. yəmmu babu ⁺razi la vile bi dayən. mərre ʾatən didari꞊vət, ʾayya ⁺casəb꞊la. ⁺xarta pəllə ⁺mrilə brūn-malca. pəllə ⁺mrilə mərrə tani ʾe c̭əč̭č̭ə xuš ʾatyani, ʾē ṱ-īn ʾana ⁺byayo, ʾana ⁺spay ṱ-avina. xəšle ʾēn ⁺k̭aravašu, ⁺šudrelə cəs de-c̭əč̭č̭ə ʾe ⁺casəb ṱ-iva. ʾay xina tila, tila. vila mən da-ybu mən do-ybu, mak̭yumu, mattuyu, madmuxu, ⁺dərmananə maštuya k̭atu. maynts ⁺ʾavun har ⁺mə́ryəva pəllə gu-jul-maxə. cu-jur ṱ-iva, ⁺xartət ⁺xarta ʾo brūn-malca mən-xəššu, mən-dardu, mən nervu yan babu yəmmu ⁺razi la vile bi de brata casəb, pəllə ʾa brūn-malca mətlə. mətlə, ʾe c̭əč̭č̭ə꞊da ṱ-i ⁺ʾavun ṱ-i-mətlə, ʾayən꞊da gano ⁺k̭ṱilala. šk̭əlla ⁺dərmana gano ⁺k̭ṱilala. i turve m-⁺úydalə muttelə ʾo brūn-malca ham꞊da ʾe calu ṱumrelə m-⁺uydalə. ʾita ⁺xarta mərre m-axxa l-o-yba xina ʾatxa k̭alattə lé-ʾavi. brata yala ⁺bayyi ⁺ʾúydalə ʾusa le ⁺báyyini, ⁺casəb꞊na ʾusa ʾən marət davə́ltəna ʾusa brūn-málcələ ʾannə həč naša b-⁺aralləǧé la ⁺vurun. i šuk̭un gori ⁺ʾúydalə xadi bi ⁺ʾúydalə. mən de-ga la-yba xina užé ʾatxa ⁺šulanə xina leva vaya. la baba la yəmma həč naša leva ⁺bəxvaṱa xina gu-⁺šulət brata ham꞊da yala. ʾani bəšvak̭eva ʾatxa goriva ⁺ʾúydalə xina. užé ʾayya tamba vila k̭até tamba vila gu-dé mata. ⁺xarta ʾayən cullə gu-cullə mdiyáy xəšla yan yan brata yala ṱ-ina ⁺byaya ⁺ʾúydalə ʾani garət hámmaša ʾavi cəs-⁺ʾúydalə gori k̭a-⁺ʾúydalə.

Once upon a time there was a king. That king had a son. Yes, that son of his very much liked to go hunting. The son of the king sat on a horse, took servants with him and went off hunting. When they had gone hunting, they saw sitting on a tree a beautiful girl shining like a lantern. She was the daughter of poor folk. Then the son of the king took a great fancy to the girl, who was sitting on the tree. He took a fancy to her, then she went off, the girl disappeared. Then ‘No’ he said to her, he said ‘Come, I shall marry you.’ ‘No, you are the king’s son and I am the child of paupers. How can I marry you?’ She said ‘No, no.’ Since she was the daughter of paupers and he was the son of a king, they did not allow her near him. His father and mother were not pleased with her. They said ‘You are rich but she is poor.’ Then the son of the king fell ill. He fell ill and he said ‘Tell that girl to come, the one I love, then I will get better.’ His servants went off, he sent them to the girl, the one who was poor. Well, she came, she came. She was on this side of him, on that side of him, raising him up, putting him down, settling him to sleep, administering medicines for him. Nevertheless he was still ill and bed-ridden. Anyhow, in the end, the son of the king died from his grief, from his being upset that his father and his mother were not pleased with the poor girl. He died and also the girl, when he died, killed herself. She took poison and killed herself. They placed the two of them together, they buried the son of the king and the bride together. Then they said ‘From now on such mistakes will not be made. If a girl and a boy love each other, or do not love each other, whether they are poor or rich, or the son of a king, nobody must come between them. They must let them marry each other and be happy together.’ From then onwards these things did not happen again. No father, no mother, nobody interfered again in the affairs of a girl and boy. They let them get married. So this was a lesson for them, it was a lesson for that village. Then it went out to all the towns that a girl and boy who love each other must always be together and marry each other.