Sâ-snî âbrâ nî khorâng.

The Story of the Seven Simpletons.

Sùrbâ âbrâ sâsnî dangman. Bîsùr sân se dâpseau onkhâtlâng-nai-au nâmâ-au-nù dùi-slùng bângai mannânai bîkhônù mâbrùi bâtgan hannânai khorâng zâlai-naise. Beaunù bîdâ gederâ bung­naise “Boibù zânzî khâphrâ-nânai bâtnù nângbai;” hannânai, boinùkhri bî âglâ zânânai, bînî khithîau sâse hom-hù-naise. Bebaidî-nù bînî zânziau bî, bînî zânziau bî homlainânai dùislungau sânsrilainaise. Beaunù âtheng-mani zerbâ-mâni sânsrinai-au thoi onkhâtlainaise. Phâre bebaidînù zenthen ùi bâtkhângnânai bîdâ gederâ sâse-se lângkhâtbai nung­nânai sân-naise. Sânânai sârå bùâ mannaise. Ârù unau bînî godâiâ sânnaise. Bî bù sâ-rå bùâ mannaikhai, sâfrimbù khonse khonse sânnânai sâṛå bùâ man­nai. Bînîkhai boibù sâse lâng­khâtbai hannânai zingâsî-nânai khorâng zâzlaibai thâdangman. Ereaunù bething Bâmun sâse thângnânai besùrkhô nunânai sùngnaise: “Gotho-fùr nung-sùrhâ mâ zâdang?” Bîsùr bung­naise “Âfâ, zangfùr bîdâ bîfong sâsnî man. Dâ be dùisâ bât-naiau zangfùrhâ sâse lângkhâtbai. Bînîkhai beaunù zangfùr zingâsi-lai-bai thâdang,” hannaikhai Bâmunâ srî srî sânnânai sâsnî khôbù nudang. Bînîkhai bî “Besùr âbrâ zânù nânggô” nungnânai, besùrkho khithânaise, “Gåthåfùr, nangsùr ângnî nåi-au bùibâ, âng nangsùrnî mânsùikhô dîhonnânai hùnù hâgan,” han­naikhai, bîsur mânthî zânaise. Unau Bâmun goe khândisnî khaunânai bîdâ gedernî âkhâiau hùnânai “Be goe-â-khândi bese dang, nang sân.” Hanbâ, bî sânnanai khândî snî mannâise. Beaunù Bamunâ bungnaise: “Nangsùr be goekhô rânlainânai zâ,” hanbâ, rânnai-au gâgai gâgai grup-gaglai-naise. Beaunù bîsur rong zânânai Bâmun-nî nåiau bùinò-lâgi Bâmun zang thâng-fâ-naise.

There were, once upon a time, seven simpletons. And once they were going down the road, and meeting a puddle, were in great distress as to how they should cross it. And the eldest said “I will go first, and you all follow, holding one another’s loin cloths.” So they held one another’s cloths and crawled through the puddle on their hands and knees, getting very muddy and dirty in doing so. But when they had fairly got across, the elder set to work to count; and, as he failed to count himself, behold, there was one missing. Then the next brother counted; and, as he, too, found one missing, they each in turn counted. And so it became clear that one was lost; and there they stood debating this deplorable business. Just then a wily Brahmin came up, and asked what was the matter. And they told him that they had been seven, but that in crossing the puddle, one of them had been lost. On which, the Brahmin, quickly counting them, found that they were still seven, and, judging them to be simpletons, said to them “My sons, if you will come to my house and work for me, I will find you the missing man.” To which with one accord they agreed.

Then the Brahmin split a betelnut into seven pieces and put them into the hand of the eldest. “Now count them,” said he, “and tell me how many there be.” And he counted and found that there were seven. “Now take each man a piece,” said the Brahmin, and, behold, to each piece there was a man. So in great joy and peace of mind they went to the Brahmin’s house to work.

Phâre bebaidînù sânnesù thâ­nânai sânse bîsùrkhô bâriau megong dângnù lâgi thin-nâise. Âru Bâmun-hâ sâse fisâtlâ dang­man. Bîkhôbu bîsùrzang hùnânai khithânaise, “ângnî fisâ­tlâ-iâ bù nangsùr zang megong dâng-thang, ârù un zâ-lâng-bâ bîkhô thutlun-thutlân lângfâ.” Erùi bungbâ bîsùr bâriau thâng­nânai megong dânghùidang. Phâre unau Bâmun-nî fisâtlâiâ un zâlâng-naise. Beaunù bîkhô nunânai bîsùr railainaise “Dùhùi bîfâ khithâ-dangman “gåthå un zâlângbâ bîkhô thutlun thutlân lâng,” hannânai, dâ-nî-au zang­fùr mâ khâmgan?” Beaunù bîdâ gederâ “Bebaidînù khâmnù nânggô,” hannânai, sâfrimbu bî khonse, bî khonse, megong dâng­nai sekhâr zang thunânai hùnânai. Bamun-nî gåthåkhô bùthâtnânai dinnaise. Phâre unau megong dângkhângnânai nåiau faibâ Bamunâ sùngnaiau khithânaise “nang khithânaibaidi zangfùr bîkhô sekhâr zang thunai-au bî thoinânai thâbai.” Phâre Bamu­nâ srî srî thânaise.

And then, one day, he sent the seven simpletons out into the garden to weed the vegetables, and with them he sent his only son, saying “If the lad is lazy and falls behind, shove him along and make him work.”

So they all went into the garden and began cutting the weeds with their knives; and presently the boy fell into the rear. On which they said “There is that Brahmin boy fallen behind. Did not his father say that we were to push him along? What is to be done now? But the elder brother said, “Do? Why, do as we were told.” On which each of them hit him with his weeding knife, so that presently he died. And when the weeding was quite finished, they went and told the Brahmin, saying “You told us to shove him along, and as we had our knives in our hands, we hurt him so that he died.” But the Brahmin was speechless, for they had but done as they were told.

Ârù sânse hâli oinù thinnânai bungnaise “Nangsùr gâbun simli sâ-i-au hâli oinù thângnù nânggan.” Phâre unau bîsùr fungzâni sikhângnânai nângal mosô fâgâ lânanai simlifâng guriau thângnânai, simli sâ-i-au khaise gâkhùnaise, ârú khaise hâ-i-au thânânai mosôkhô fâgâ zang khâ­nânai hùbâ, sâ-i-au thânaifrâ bù-khù-lâng-naise. Beaunù dîdung zå-i zå-i hâli snî mosô22 gâsenù thoi-thrå-naise. Unåu nå-i-au fainânai bîsùr Bâmunnù khithâ­naise “Zangfùr simlî sâ-i-au mosô dî-khâng-nù hâekai hâli oinù hâiakhuise.” Bamunâ “mosôfrâ mâ zâkhù?” Hanbâ, “thoi-thrâ-bai,” khithânaise. Bâmunâ unau mung-bô upai mane zânânai ârù mosô bainânai bîsùrkhô hâli oi-hù-naise.

Another day he told them to go and plough. “Take your ploughs up above the great simul tree,” he said. So they rose in the early morning, and, taking ploughs, cattle and ropes, went to the great simul tree. And some stayed below and bound the ploughs and cattle with the ropes, and others climbed the tree and hauled. But the ropes broke and the cattle were killed and the ploughs were smashed. And then they went and told the Brahmin that they had tried to plough above the simul tree and had failed. “And what of the cattle?” said he, “Oh! they fell down and were killed,” they replied. So, in despair, he bought other cattle and sent them out to plough afresh.

Phâre mai mannai-au mai hâ­nânai unau Bâmunâ dângri khaie khaie hùnânai bîsùrkhô rùgânù thinnaise. Beaunù bîsùr mai­khô mau dinnù hannânai sùng­bâ, Bâmunâ bungnaise “Bùrùiâ zerùi din-nù thin-ù, beau-nù din,” hanbâ, bîsùr thângnânai, bùrùi-khô sùng-hùi-naise. Bùrùiâ nå-nî hâbâfùr khâmnai-i-au monau brâpnânai thâdangman. Beaunù bî bungnaise “Mai din-nù thaùni manâbâ, ângnî khoro-au-nù dinfai!” hanbâ, bîsùr boibo mai bibân zang bùrùi-khô hù-sin-thrå-naise. Bîbaidî-nù gâsenù mai rùgânânai bînî sâiau dinnaise.

Phâre manâbâ Bâmun dublî nî frai fainânai bùrùi khô nâmaibâ bîsùr khithânaise “Ângnî khårå-au-nù mai din han-nai-khai zang­fur mai zang hu-sin-nânai din­dang.” Biaubù braiâ mungbô upai mane zânanai, bùrùi khô fopnù lâgi bîsurnù hoṭnaise. Phâre bîsùr bùrùi-khô khânânai oâ sing sing bageding-bagedâ bân-lâng-nai-au bùrùiâ oâ thânai-au nângnânai siri-lângnaise.

And when the harvest was ripe, they reaped the paddy, and, tying it in sheaves, brought it home and asked where they were to put it. And the Brahmin said “Put it where my old woman tells you to put it.” So they went and asked the Brahmin’s wife. But she was very busy, and only cried “Oh, bother you and your paddy! Put it on my head!” On this, they all took their sheaves, and heaped them on the old woman, so that she died. And when the Brahmin came from his work and asked for his old woman, they said they had buried her in the paddy, as she told them to. On which, being at his wit’s end, he bade them go and bury her. On this, they tied the corpse on a bamboo sledge and bumped it along through the bamboo-clump, so that it got knocked off by the way.

And when they came to some fallow land, they dug a grave, and then began looking about for the corpse. Now there was an old woman hard by herding cattle. “Cunning old wretch!” said they, “she is afraid of being buried, and is pretending to be somebody else.” So they got hold of her, and, in spite of her struggles, buried her.

Phâre besùr bâkor-bâreau23 thângnânai bîbânkhô dinnânai hâkhor zaunânai bùrùikhô fopnù lâgi naibâ, manekhai, bùrùi-khô nâmaibainaise. Sùrbâ bùrùi sâse khâthi-au-nù mai nebai thâdang­man. Bîkhônù nunânai bîsùr railainaise “Bâmun bùrùiâ bud­digrang fop-zânù gînânai, beaunù mai nebai thâ-thî-dang,” hannânai bîkhô homnânai lângnânai fopnâ­nai dinnânai fainaise. Bînî unau Bâmunâ monau bîsùrkhô gînânai bùthâtnù lâgi mon khâmnânai bîsùrnù khithânaise “Gåthåfùr, dinî zangfùr simlifâng gederkhô dân-hùi-nù nânggô,” hannânai, ruâ lânânai simlîfâng ni guriau thânglainaise. Thâng-nânai ruâ zang bongfâng khô såùi såùi bong­fâng gaglai-sî gaglai-sî zâbâ, Bâmunâ bîsurkhô bungnaise “Bongfâng gaglai-sî-sù gau-gan, nang-sùr boibù hom-thânu nânggô.” Khithânânai Bâmunâ saunânai hùnaise. Unau bong­fâng gaglai-sin-nânai sâsnî âbrâ thoinaise. Zapbai!

And the Brahmin, in fear of what they might do next, began to contrive means to get rid of them. So he said “Today, my sons, we will go and cut down the great simul tree.” So they took their axes and, going to the simul tree, began hewing with a will, and when the tree was tottering to its fall, the Brahmin said to them “If the tree falls down, it will be broken. Run under it and catch it!” And when they did so, the Brahmin gave the last strokes, and the tree fell on the seven simpletons and killed them. And that’s all!