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ZHISTOUÈ PIMENT.
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PIMENTO STORY.
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Té ni yon manman qui té ni en pile, en pile yche; et yon jou y pa
té ni aïen pou y té baill yche-là mangé. Y té ka
lévé bon matin-là sans yon sou: y pa sa ça y té
douè fai,—là y té ké
baill latête. Y allé lacaïe macoumè-y, raconté lapeine-y.
Macoumè baill y toua chopine farine-manioc. Y allé
lacaill liautt macoumè, qui baill y yon grand trai piment.
Macoumè-là di y venne trai-piment-à, épi y té pè
acheté lamori,—pisse y ja té ni farine. Madame-là di:
"Mèçi, macoumè;" —y di y bonjou'; épi y allé
lacaïe-y.
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There was once a mamma who had ever so many children; and one day
she had nothing to give those children to eat. She had got up
very early that morning, without a sou in the world: she did not
know what to do: she was so worried that her head was upset. She
went to the house of a woman-friend, and told her about her
trouble. The friend gave her three chopines [three pints] of
manioc flour. Then she went to the house of another female
friend, who gave her a big trayful of pimentos. The friend told
her to sell that tray of pimentos: then she could buy some
codfish,—since she already had some manioc flour. The good-
wife said: "Thank you, macoumè,"—she bid her good-day, and then
went to her own house.
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Lhè y rivé àcaïe y limé difè: y metté
canari épi dleau assous difé-a; épi y cassé toutt
piment-là et metté yo adans canari-à assous diré.
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The moment she got home, she made a fire, and put her canari
[earthen pot] full of water on the fire to boil: then she broke up
all the pimentos and put them into the canari on the fire.
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Lhè y oue canari-à ka bouï, y pouend baton-lélé, epi y lélé
piment-à.: aloss y ka fai yonne calalou-piment. Lhè calalou-piment-là
té tchouitt, y pouend chaque zassiett yche-li; y metté calalou yo
fouète dans zassiett-là; y metté ta-mari fouète, assou, épi ta-y.
Épi lhè calalou-là té bien fouète, y metté farine nans chaque
zassiett-là. Épi y crié toutt moune vini mangé. Toutt moune vini
metté yo à-tabe.
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As soon as she saw the canari boiling, she took her baton-lélé,
and beat up all those pimentos: then she made a pimento-calalou.
When the pimento-calalou was well cooked, she took each one of
the children's plates, and poured their calalou into the plates
to cool it; she also put her husband's out to cool, and her own.
And when the calalou was quite cool, she put some manioc flour
into each of the plates. Then she called to everybody to come
and eat. They all came, and sat down to table.
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Pouèmiè bouchée mari-à pouend, y rété,—y crié: "Aïe! ouaill! mafenm!"
Fenm-là réponne mari y: "Ouaill! monmari!" Cés ti manmaille-la crie:
"Ouaill! manman!" Manman-à. réponne:—"Ouaill! yches-moin!" …
Yo toutt pouend couri, quitté caïe-là sèle,—épi yo toutt tombé larviè
à touempé bouche yo. Cés ti manmaille-là bouè dleau sitellement jusse
temps yo toutt néyé: té ka rété anni manman-là épi papa-là. Yo té là bó
lariviè, qui té ka pleiré. Moin té ka passé à lhè-à;—moin ka mandé yo:
"Ça zautt ni?"
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The first mouthful that husband took he stopped and screamed:—"Aïe!
ouaill! my wife!" The woman answered her husband: "Ouaill! my
husband!" The little children all screamed: "Ouaill! mamma !"
Their mamma answered: "Ouaill! my children!" … They all ran
out, left the house empty; and they tumbled into the river to
steep their mouths. Those little children just drank water and
drank water till they were all drowned: there was nobody left
except the mamma and the papa, They stayed there on the river-bank,
and cried. I was passing that way just at that time;—I
asked them: "What ails you people?"
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Nhomme-là lévé: y baill moin yon sèle coup d'piè, y
voyé moin lautt bo lariviè-ou ouè moin vini pou conté ça
ba ou.
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That man got up and gave me
just one kick that sent me right across the river; I came here at
once, as you see, to tell you all about it. …
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