1 T“RZ“NA KAZA, T“MAKU D“K “BJL“M (T”rz”na Gabade, pages 10 ...

T“RZ“NA KAZA, T“MAKU D“K “BJL“M
[THE TALE OF A CHICKEN, A SHEEP AND A HYENA]
(T”rz”na Gabade, pages 10-11. Potiskum: Ajami Press for the Yobe Languages Research Project, 2003
T1G_KTB
000 T“RZ“NA KAZA, T“MAKU D“K “BJL“M THE TALE OF A CHICKEN, A SHEEP AND A HYENA
001 T”z”nako! - Saksaka! Here’s a tale! – Let’s hear it!
002 Kaza biya ta yawi uktlila nda ta dami p”a d”k sida ta kagzali Now a hen hatched out her children and one finished them all off by
gai.
slaughtering and one remained.
003 Wuci atu ta tli atu tfinale pata atu ta v”li kug baga. Then she arose, and when she had gone off into the bush, she came out
behind the town wall.
004 ìNatf”na i pata wun gafa Mawunya kaz”ako, “I have gone off into the bush (because) you caught daughter chicken,
005 Kalva dawo yi wun gafa Mawunya kaz”ako, When a turbaning came, you caught daughter chicken,
006 Sadaka dawo yi wun gafa Mawunya kaz”ako.î When alms giving came, you caught daughter chicken.”
007 Yoa t”maku ta tlai, atu yi d”k wunyatk”la gai. Likewise a sheep arose, she with her single daughter.
008 ìNatf”na i pata wun gafa Mawunya t”maku, “I have gone off into the bush (because) you caught daughter sheep,
009 Kalva dawo yi wun gafa Mawunya t”maku, When a turbaning came, you caught daughter sheep,
010 Sadaka dawo yi wun gafa Mawunya t”maku.î When alms giving came, you caught daughter sheep.”
011 Aksi ta tli tatfinaksi pata. They arose and went off into the bush.
012 Aksi ”tfu yoa, aksi tagamu d”k ”bjl”m, When they had entered (the bush), they met up with a hyena,
013 za ìNdu, wun a ne an?" and she said, “Oh, where are you going?
014 ìJatfanaje pata.î “We are going into the bush.”
015 ìAaa, wun atfe pata kwa? Gwatfa dawun.î Oh, so you are going into the bush? Let’s go together.”
016 Aksi ta tli tafi patawu, tan tadbi aksi. They arose, went into the bush, and they set up their dwelling place.
017 “dbu aksi yoa ni, Kaka tatki am, aksi ta ni z”g”m. When they had set up their dwelling, it rained, and they went to plant.
018 Tazgmai, ta v”lai, aksi ta ni luwi. They planted, they came back in, they went to cultivate.
T”rz”na Kaza, T”maku d”k “bjl”m 1

019 Kaza yi d” wunyatkla gai, t”maku yi d” wunyatk”la gai,
”bjl”m yi d” wunyatk”la gai.
The hen had her one daughter, the sheep had her one daughter, the hyena
had her one daughter.
020 Aksi a luwai aksi a luwai ni, nda ta wani kaza mama, They were farming and farming, and one sent the chicken saying,
021 ìA ji maduwa za, ka d”igwa uktlingwa.î “Go home and give water to our children.”
022 Kaza ta tlai. The hen arose.
023 Kaza dawo a, ika mamatk”la ni, When the hen came and (the chick) saw her mother,
024 ìDada, Dada, Dada, Dada! Na z”nig”m bi, na z”nig”m kani bi? [Western dialect] “Momma, momma, momma, momma! Might I tell
you, might I tell you mine [my view of things]?
025 Ago t”maku tagvi ”zg”r”n dago ”bjlam”n kumus, kumus!î On the one hand, the sheep has fallen on a foot, on the other the hyena is
going crunch crunch. [There must be an idiom here. The intention
clearly is to note that the hyena is showing evil intentions with respect to
the sheep, but we know that nothing has (yet) happened to the sheep.]
026 ìAaa! Gwa tla gwa nagwa! Gwa tla gwanagwa!î “Ah! Let’s get up and get out of here ! Let’s get up and get out of here!”
027 Aksi ta tli ta lawinksi. They arose and ran away.
028 T”maku d”k ”bjl”m a luwai a luwai, The sheep and the hyena were farming and farming.
029 aksi aiku s”ryuwwa, kwa aksi ta tlai, t”maku ta nai kumayi. When they heard nothing [when they saw silence], again they arose and
the sheep came.
030 Kum atu t”maku dawo za, ika mamatk”la yoa, When the sheep came and (the lamb) saw her mother,
031 ìDada, Dada, Dada, Dada! “Momma, momma, momma, momma!
032 Dada, na z”neg”m bi, n” z”neg”m kani bi? Dada, might I tell you, might I tell you, might I tell you mine?
033 Kanik wunyatk”m bi? Mine [my view of things] of your daughter?
034 Ago t”maku tagvi ”zg”r”n kago ”bjl”m kumus, kumus!î (see line 025)
035 ìAaa! Gwa tla gwanagwa!î “Ah! Let’s get up and get out of here!”
036 Wuci nda talmidu ”bjl”m damala. So the hyena was left in the bush by herself.
037 “bjl”m a luwai a luwai ta batidu t”nna, atu tatlai. The hyena was farming and farming, and (when) she had enough of it,
she arose.
038 Atu dawo yoa, tasu ndau bai, lawanaksi. When she came back, she didn’t find the others, they had run off.
039 Atu yi ta gafi wunyatk”la tatfinale pata. She grabbed her daughter and they went off into the bush.
T”rz”na Kaza, T”maku d”k “bjl”m 2

040 T”z”na dunku”k! The tale is finished!
T”rz”na Kaza, T”maku d”k “bjl”m 3