Two Wicked Daughters-in-law

etva letva kha dana yemma kha bruna etvala. mara a bruno k-azelva Rna-primer k-azelva henna Rbiznes shakelva mendi shule k-azel b-dava ki-makhlepva. kha yarkha le-ativa beta. mara ay yemmi ganakh jens khamyatta ana berreshshen kha yarkha le-aten. mara bruni beddayet mu-iten? kulle gvirena. kulle etlun navegge mattuvvena al-berkake. atenda mara gur kalu avili. sebartela. navegge pt-avili. hi b-khazyan khina b-khadyan. t-atet kelpet beta iten.

There was once upon a time a mother, who had a son. They say this son of hers used to go, for example, he used to go for business. He would take things and exchange them for gold. He would not come back home for a month. He says ‘Oh mother, take good care of yourself, I am going away and shall not come back for a month.’ She says ‘My son, do you know what? Everybody is married. Everybody has grandchildren whom they put on their knees. You also’ she says ‘Get married so I can have a daughter-in-law. It would be companionship. I would have grandchildren. Yes, I would see them and be happy. You would come back and there would be a family at home.’

mara yemmi bezdayen. ka-mu bruni? mara bezdayen jens la khamyalakh. mara la-zdi. kam khu-lela janavar khu-le akhlali. hi aha yemmi khukitola. mamet diyyi khukitola. aha beshshele begvarele. mavele kha dana shaperta bakhta. mattuvvole keslo mara yemmi jens khamyatta. ha bi-yemmi, alaha d-la-aved, kha-mendi tpekla, p-katkettennakh, b-rappennakh. mara hi ba mu-tar! ana yemmukh jens b-khamyanna.

He says ‘Mother, I am afraid.’ ‘Why my son?’ He says ‘I am afraid that she would not look after you well.’ She says ‘Do not be afraid. Why, she is surely not a beast, she would surely not eat me.’—Yes, my mother told this (story). My uncle told it.—He goes and gets married. He brings back a beautiful wife. He settles her with her (the mother). He says ‘Take good care of my mother. If anything happens to my mother, God forbid, I shall cut you to pieces, I shall throw you out.’ She says ‘Well, of course! I shall take good care of your mother.’

aha beshkalele hennu mu-tar tanyana? karvanu kheshle. kheshle RbiznesR vada kha yarkha le-ate. aha berreshshele, aha kha shabta khamuvvola. bar kha shabta mavela kha dana sala gura. mlayela biyye, mat-tuvvola al-biyye. mara darek aten zaye paltat. a bakhta pyashela matal.

He takes his …, how shall I say? His caravan set off. He went to carry out his business and would not return for a month. He goes off and she looks after her for a week. After a week she brings a large basket. She fills it with eggs and puts her (the mother) on the eggs. She says ‘You must produce chickens.’ The woman is dumbfounded.

kut esra yumane kha palutola kha kaparta marta yavola. a bakhta pyashela atkha. lakhmada lela yavo. anne shvave lena bekhzayo, hech-mendi, a muila? bitayela kha kha tla arpa yumane pyashele, makkumola, bekhyapola, msayola, malvushola, mattuvvola tamma.

Every ten days she brings out some crockery and so forth and gives it to her. The woman becomes (thin) like this. She is not even giving her food. The neighbours do not see her, nothing. What is the matter? She comes when some three or four days remain (before the son’s return) and gets her up, washes her, launders her (clothes), dresses her, and puts her there.

bitayele marele mama? mara a muila? a yemmi khanem yemmi kam atkha vitela? ba la-avetva mara! mriteva. pnili Rskoraya pomashR mava. pnili dukhtore mava atkha mriteva. men-shvave bakurele mara RshtotaR mara kha mendi iten. a yemmi muila tpekta biyyo? mara har lekh khezyo. lekh khezyo. yemmi mara muila vita ka-diyyakh? tani khazzen? mara hech mendi. dakh hech mendi ba kha-b-kha yemmi kam atkha vitet? lakhkha kha mendi beshkalel ukhcha mkhayole, mkhayole, khakuvvela atkha vetten. vettet? katkutol, mattuvvol gu-mesha. labul rappuvvol. yemmi mara bas henna la-odat. ka-diyyi gvara liten. b-katlilakh anne. aha kha shita, tre shenne tla shenne mara bruni len myasa. ayya atkheva, ba e-khita atkha khu-le-oya. gur khina. ayya leva spay, e-khita jens pt-oya. may yemmi mara bezdayen mennakh akher, ana bezdayen.

He comes back and says ‘Mother’ he says ‘What is the matter? This mother of mine, the lady my mother, why has she become like this?’ ‘Well, if only you had not asked! She was ill. I was exhausted bringing ambulances. I was exhausted bringing doctors, she was so ill.’ He asks the neighbours saying ‘Something’ he says ‘There is something (wrong). What has happened to this mother of mine?’ They say ‘We have not seen her at all.’ ‘Mother’ he says ‘What has happened to you? Tell me so I can know.’ She says ‘Nothing.’ ‘What do you mean “nothing”? But why have you suddenly become like this?’ Here he takes hold of something and beats her so much, he beats her and she speaks ‘This is what I have done.’ ‘You have done this?’ He cuts her to pieces and puts her in the forest. He takes her and throws her away. ‘Mother’ he says ‘Do not … There is no marriage. It is not for me. They will kill you.’ After one year, two years, three years she says ‘My son, I cannot (go on like this). That (wife) was like that, but another one will surely not be the same. Marry again. She was not good, another will be good.’ ‘Oh, mother’ he says ‘but I am afraid for you, I am afraid.’

bitayele begvarele. mara khzi kha menne kutketton. alaha d-la-aved, mshikha la-katev al-yemmi kha lakka khzili, parzennakh. vay ba-atkha shula ki-tani. aha shkelle medre karvanu kheshle. kheshle. aha gashukela a kalu gu-tarra tiyyena meymun zonane, mey-mun zonane.

He comes and marries. He says ‘Look, I have cut one to pieces. May God forfend, may he Messiah not decree, but if I see a mark on my mother, I will tear you apart.’ Well, they say such things. He again took his caravan and went away. He went away. She, the bride, sees that monkey-buyers have come to the door, monkey-buyers.

marani man zabunele meymun? mara ana etli. khmato zabunola b-meymun, b-shop meymun. shemmet alaha, yavola mara khush ka-diyyi let lazem. labulona. lublalun a nasha bitayele bi karvanu. yarkha temle, bitayele. gashukele gu-kha mata ukhcha alma jemyel ukhcha alma jemyel. yala mara a mut talta? kha-azen khazzen. avvo nashada raba atkha yattuvva nasha, parmiyyana. beshshele zabunele, vadele, parmetu gurta, khazzen muila.

They say ‘Who is selling a monkey?’ She says ‘I have one.’ She sells her mother-in-law as a monkey, instead of a monkey. Oh dear, she gives her and says ‘Go, I have no need of you.’ They take her away. They took her away and the man returns with his caravan. The month has come to an end and he comes back. He sees in a village a great many people gathered together, a great many people gathered together. The young man says ‘What game is this? Let me go and see.’ That man was a very knowledgeable and astute man. He travels and sells, he carries out (business), with great knowledge. ‘Let me see what it is.’

yala mara gashukele kha dana bakhta ukhcha bgertelada, ina har bezmarela. mkhayona b-kamchi bezmarela. zuyze jammuvvena. RbiznesRla khina. zuyze jammuvvela. alma mkhayona. a bezmarela, nata bedvakele. mara medre lishan hosharela mara Azqabakhchan arvat … altimma jüje chıkhadim. mara Azyumurta qoydi jüje chıkhadim, sora arvat meymun eledi.

The young man sees a woman who has become very skinny, but she is nevertheless singing. They hit her with a whip and she sings. They collect money. Well, it is business. They collect money. The people hit her. She sings and he listens. She says, again in the Muslim language, she says: ‘The first time the woman … under myself I produced a chick.’ She says ‘She put an egg, I produced a chick. Afterwards the woman made me a monkey.

meymun vet-tila mara. et-kamta mara biyye muttila khuti, mara zayeze paltat. e khita mara tila meymun vidanna, zubnanna. har bezmarela aha beklayele tamaze mara kore menni, yemmet diyyi kamta atkha vettela b-risho. a khita k-oya meymun zubentola yemmi vettola? mara la anne Rmozhetbit.R

She has made me a monkey. The first woman’ she says ‘put eggs under me and says “Produce chicks.” The other one came and made me into a monkey and sold me.’ She goes on singing and he stands there and says ‘Oh dear me, the first one did such-and-such to my mother. Is it possible that the other has made my mother into a monkey and sold her?’ He says ‘Such things are not possible.’

mara b-kha dakika khamimunla mara a zurnokhun kha-klimun. yemmu gu-kesso etva shamma, atkha shamma. beshkalele koso tamma gashukele shammet yemmula. aha. mara a meymunokhun ana b-zonenna. mara mu yavven b-da meymunokhun? yemmu kalu vettola meymun. mu yavven b-da meymun?

He says ‘Hold your flute for a minute, stop.’ His mother had a mole on her forehead, a mole like this. He moves aside her hair and sees that the mole of his mother is there. He says ‘I shall buy this monkey of yours.’ He says ‘What should I give for this monkey of yours?’ The daughter-in-law has turned his mother into a monkey. ‘What should I give for this monkey?’

marani kha akh yukro dave gu-maseta mattakhla. mattuvvona gu-maseta betkala. kha akh yukro dave yavele, yemmu beshkalol. mavole, labulole hammam. khyapona. mesyona, tammez julle mulveshshol lakhumta. mavol tashuvvol yemmu.

They say ‘Gold in accordance with her weight. Let us put her onto the scales.’ They put her on the scales and weigh her. He pays gold in accordance with her weight and takes his mother. He brings her back and takes her to the bathroom. They wash her. Having laundered her (clothes) and dressed her in clean clothes, she is beautiful. He brings his mother and hides her.

bitayele varele mara kela yemmi? mara yemmukh bet-babukh la-kherba, shvave tani. yemmukh ukhcha mrila mrila, metla. lubelton tumerton. mu-odan? mara la-mesli khamyanvala. beklayele atkha pakurele. en ana azen yemmi mayyenna, ba at mu b-tanyat? bet-babukh la-kherba! bakht-ave rishukh! kela yemmukh? mettela yemmukh. kulle vena shvave khush tani. nikha yemmu beshkalol, mavole. mattuvvol, mara gash yemmi dula. aha yemmi bekhzayot? brazela la kala vadela lada vay. ayda katkutol, mayole gu-mesha, labulo rappuvvo. ka-yemmu mara ka-diyyi gvara let hal at la metat, tamrennakh. ka-diyyakh tamren kharta ana goren ana lipen yarkha kha-ga azen ana henneven, RbiznesR vadele, labule mendi shule, zabunel, dava shule makhlupele. ArmuremesArm kalu bektalola ana mu? ayya atkhada. yemmu khumyale. la gverre. navegge la khzile. surta khukyali ayya ka-diyyukh.

He comes and enters. He says ‘Where is my mother?’ She says ‘Your mother—may your father’s house not be ruined—the neighbours will tell you, your mother became so ill, became so ill and died. I have taken her away and buried her. What should I do? I was not able to keep her (alive).’ He stands and looks like this. ‘If I were to go and bring my mother, what would you say?’ ‘May your father’s house not be sealed! May you have good fortune! Where is your mother? Your mother is dead. All the neighbours are there, let them tell.’ Slowly he takes his mother and brings her. He sits her down and says ‘Look, here is my mother. Do you see this mother of mine?’ She dries up. She does not utter a sound or an ‘alas.’ He cuts her too into pieces and brings her to the woods. He takes her and throws her away. He says to his mother ‘Marriage is not for me until you die and I bury you. I shall bury you and then I shall get married. I have the custom of going away once a month.’ He carries out business, he takes things and sells them, exchanges them for gold and so forth. So, he kills the daughter-in-law. What can I do? The story is like this. He looked after his mother. He did not get married. He did not see any grandchildren. I have told you this in a short version.