Thornkiller

[Francisc Czobor]

  Klahowya again,
   
  In the same book where I took from the Djoha story (Gotthelf Bergsträsser: “Einführung in die semitischen Sprachen”, Max Hueber Verlag, München, 1977), there is another funny story that looks to me as being relatively easy to translate in Chinuk Wawa. It is in the Urmian Neo-Aramaic dialect (spoken by an ethnic group living scattered in Kurdistan [= SE Turkey + N Iraq] and Azerbaijan) with German translation and it is entitled “The Thornkiller” (“Der Dornentöter” in German). I made the translation in CW and in English.
  Hopefully I don’t bore you too much with my translating attempts, but I don’t have anybody else to share them.
   
  Francisc
   
  THE THORNKILLER
   
  Anqati ixt man yatq’ix munk nanich khapa yaLuchmEn pus yaka skukum man, pus uk LuchmEn yachaku k’was khapa yaka.
   
  Long time ago, one man wanted to show to his wife that he is a strong man, so that the woman would become afraid of him.
   
  Khanawi san laXw san yaqhwetL ya’iktas pi yamunk k’aw ixt uptsax pi Latwa khapa thipsu ili’i.
   
  Every day at sunset he put on his clothes and tied a knife (to his girdle) and went on the field.
   
  Khanawi qhaX yat’Lap thipsu kipwEt, yaLk’up khapa ya’uptsax.
   
  Everywhere he found thorns, he cut them with his knife.
   
  Alta yachaku haws pi wawa: “LuchmEn, makEmtEks ikta qhata? Ukuk pulakli namunk mimlus hayu man. Nanich, naya’im khapa mayka, pi mayka wik maya’im khapa Laksta!”
   
  Then he came home and said: “Woman, do you know what happened? This night I killed many men. Look, I told this to you, but you don’t tell to anybody!”
   
  Khakwa khanawi san yaLatwa khapa uk thipsu ili’i pi chaku haws pi hayash wawa khapa yaLuchmEn: “Manak’i man namunk mimlus.”
   
  So every day he went out on the field and came home and boasted before his wife: “More men did I kill.”
   
  Ixt san yaLuchmEn yatEmtEm: “Pus dret wawa pus naman yamunk mimlus manak’i man, alaxti khanawi man chaku hilu khapa khanawi ukuk ili’i; qhata aLqi?”
   
  One day his wife thought: “If really my husband kills more men, then all men should disappear in this world; what to do?”
   
  Qhanchi khakwa kwansEm yaman yaLatwa LaXani khapa thipsu ili’i, uk LuchmEn wEXt yaqhwetL man iktas pi Latwa khimta yaman, pi yaLushnanich pus yaman wik yananich yaka.
   
  When, as usually, her man went out on the field, the woman also put on men’s clothes and went behind her man, but very carefully, so that her man would not see her.
   
  Alta yaman yaq’u’ qhaX hayu thipsu kipwEt, pi yamunk Laqw ya’uptsax pi chxi yaLk’up ukuk thipsu kipwEt.
   
  Now her man reached a place with many thorns, he seized his knife and began to cut those thorns.
   
  Alta uk LuchmEn yakEmtEks qhata yaman yaskukum.
   
  Now the woman understood how strong her man was.
   
  Yaka wEXt yamunk Laqw ya’uptsax pi kuli khapa yaman.
   
  She also seized her knife and ran upon her man.
   
  Uk man yachaku k’was pi ilEp yakuli pus LaX ukuk “skukum man. ”
   
  The man became scared and began to run to escape this “strong man.”
   
  Pi uk LuchmEn yaq’u’ haws ilEp pi mash uk man iktas.
   
  But the woman reached the house before him and put off the men’s clothes.
   
  Alta yaman yachaku, dret k’was pi skukum tutu: “LuchmEn, makEmtEks ikta qhata?”
   
  Then her man came, very scared and tremendously trembling: “Woman, do you know what happened?”
   
  “Wik, man.” “U, wik mawawa ikta, SaXali Tayi yamunk ilan nayka ukuk pulakli.”
   
  “No, man.” “Oh, don’t say anything, God helped (saved) me this night.”
   
  “Qhata? Lush ayaq maya’im, natq’ix kEmtEks!”
   
  “How? Tell me at once, I want to know!”
   
  “MakEmtEks, ukuk pulakli chaku salEks wawa, pi na’iskam na’uptsax pi nakaqshEt tEnEs hayu Lastayi. Ayaq nananich, pi ikta?
   
  “You know, this night occured a quarrel, and I seized my knife and struck some of their leaders. Suddenly I saw, but what?
   
  Ikt hayash skukum tEnEs man, yuLqat uptsax khapa yalima, yachaku khapa nayka.
   
  A big strong young man, a sword in his hand, fell upon me.
   
  Khapit khapa mayka naya’im, pi wik maya’im khapa Laksta: XawqwaL namitxwit ilEp yaka pi chxi nakuli LaX.
   
   I tell it only to you, but you don’t tell it to anybody: I was not able to stand before him (= to resist him) and I began to run to escape.
   
  Ukuk masachi man yakuli khimta nayka khapa yakwa.”
   
  That enemy has followed me until here.”
   
  Uk LuchmEn ilEp yahihi khapa yaka.
   
  The woman began to laugh on him.
   
  “U, khakwa pi khakwa mayka! Wik saya natEmtEm yat’LEX pus k’was, pi mayka, wik makilay pus nayka, ayaq mahihi khapa ukuk ikanum?”
   
  “Oh, so and so (are) you! My heart was almost broken from fear, and you, you don’t pity me, rather you laugh about this story?”
   
  Uk LuchmEn yak’ilapaywawa: “Man, wik mak’was! Ukuk tEnEs man yachaku khapa mayka, wik yaka manak’i skukum pus nayka.”
   
  The woman replied: “Man, don’t be afraid! That young man who fell upon you was not stronger than me.”
   
  “Mayka hilu t’amanawas, wik mayka piltEn?”
   
  “You unlucky, are you not crazy?”
   
  “Wik nayka piltEn, pi wik skukum makEmtEks. Nayka ukuk tEnEs man yakuli khimta mayka.”
   
  “I am not crazy, but your understanding is weak. It was me that young man that has followed you.”
   
  Alta aLqi uk yakaqshEt thipsu kipwEt XawqwaL yamunk k’was yaLuchmEn.
   
  Since then the thornkiller was no more able to frighten his wife.
   


		
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