A Frog Wants a Husband

etva letva kha-pekka. e-pekka ka-gvareva kut-yum kut-yum saklava, baklava k-oyava berreshsha ndaya ndaya. yan machkhava kha gora ka-gano. kharta t-iva kha-yuma kha-yuma pekka sukella bukella pletla kheshla khdara, tpekle kha bukrachi biyyo. merre ay pekka boki ika berreshshet? ana berreshshen rkada rkada, shvari shvari berreshshen gare machkhan gora gorana. ita mireva ta menni ana b-gorennakh a-bukrachi mireva. ita mireva en karbiten, bi-mu b-makhetti? mireva bi-da kesi makhennakh ho. ay day mu-jura bi-da kesi u-ketma b-rishukh! suyla b-rishukh! merteva le gorannukh ana. kheshla pekka.

Once upon a time there was a frog. The frog was ready for marriage. Every day she used to dress herself beautifully and used to go leaping, leaping, in order to find herself a husband. Then, when one day the frog dressed up beautifully and went out wandering about, a cattle-herder met her. He said ‘Hey, sister frog, where are you going?’ ‘I am going, dancing and leaping, I am going in order to find a husband to marry.’ Then he said ‘Come with me, I shall marry you,’ the cattle-herder said. The she said ‘If you get angry, what would you beat me with?’ He said ‘I would beat you with this stick, ok?’ ‘Oh dear, what do you mean with this stick! Ashes be on your head! Manure be on your head!’ She said ‘I shall not marry you.’ The frog went off.

kheshla. al-do-yuma khina medre pletla. vila medre pekka ndaya ndaya berreshsha. kha erbachi biyyo a-spar erbachi tpekle biyyo. kharta erbachida bukerre merre ika berreshshet pekka boki? atkha sukelta bukeltet. mertela berreshshen gvari gvari, shvari shvari garet ana machkhan kha tliba ka-gani gorana. hi spay ita merre ana b-gorennakh, pekka boki. ita merteva katu en goretti, erbachi bi-mu makhetti? bi-mu makhennakh? merre bi-da kesi makhennakh. di si! ketma b-rishukh merteva ana le gorannukh.

She went off. The next day she again went out. The frog again went leaping. This time a shepherd, a shepherd met her. Then the shepherd asked, he said ‘Where are you going sister frog? You are dressed so beautifully.’ She said ‘I am going in order to get married, leaping, leaping. I must find myself a husband to marry.’ ‘Oh good’ he then said ‘I shall marry you, sister frog.’ Then she said to him ‘If you marry me, shepherd, what would you hit me with?’ ‘What would I hit you with?’ He said ‘I would hit you with this stick of mine.’ ‘Go away! Ash be on your head,’ she said ‘I shall not marry you.’

pekka medre kheshteva. kheshteva medre khina yumet tla pekka medre pletla. kheshla medre gu ndaya ndaya. kheshla pekka boki tfekla kha danta akubra biyyo. akubra merra pekka boki ika berreshshet? mertela berreshshen ka-shvari shvari ka-gvari gvari. gare goran machkhan kha-danta tliba ka-gani goran. hi merra ita ana b-gorennakh. ita merra en goretti, bi-mu makhetti? merteva pekka a tupri b-makhenne gu-kamkha, hi b-sheshenne gu-khasakh. hi merteva gorannukh! ka-gani dun muchekhta tliba, b-gorannukh.

The frog went off again. She went off again and on the third day again went out. She again went leaping, leaping. Sister frog went off and a mouse met her. The mouse said ‘Sister frog, where are you going?’ She said ‘I am going leaping, leaping, in order to marry. I must marry, find myself a husband to marry.’ ‘Yes,’ it said ‘then I shall marry you.’ Then she said ‘If you marry me, what would you beat me with?’ It said ‘Frog, I would put this tail of mine in flour and shake it on your back.’ ‘Yes,’ she said ‘I shall marry you! I have found a husband, I shall marry you.’

hi tila a pekka boka hamda o akubra gverre uydale. vedle khluyla, kha zmara, kha rekda, kha shvara pekka hamda akubra gverre. gverre uydale. hi, verra dana anne pekka hamda akubra viyyele yal-sur. yal-sur, ita kha-yuma khluylet brun-malkeva. adiyya rish-shitada bitayela. adiyya hech mendi letle. pekka hamda akubra mu etle? ka-danne yal-sure mu gare bashli? mu bani? mu makhlile?

Yes, sister frog came together with the mouse and they got married. They held a wedding, with singing, dancing, leaping, the frog and the mouse got married. They got married. Yes, time passed and the frog and the mouse had children. (They had) children, then one day it was the wedding of the son of the king. Now, New Year is approaching. Now they have nothing. What do the frog and the mouse have? What should they cook for those children? What (food) can they prepare? What can they feed them?

kharta mireva la-zdi bakhta. aten tuy beta. vele khluylet brun-malkele. ana pt-azen khachcha khachcha dakta makta b-jammina mayyina. ka-danne yal-sure pt-odakh kha RzakuskaR ka-yal-sure, rish-shita pt-orakhla. hida kheshle, akubra kheshle. kheshle a akubra. tama khelle, shtile, rvile. ketma b-rishet akubra tile peshle dmekhle tama. a pekkada ayno al-urkhela klitela al-da akubra, let akubra. tavvuyela lakhkha, tavvuyela tamma. bakurela men-da, bakurela men-davva let akubra. lena khezyu hech nasha.

Then he said ‘Don’t be afraid, wife. You sit at home. It is now the wedding of the king. I shall go and gather a few little pieces and so forth and bring them back. We shall make a snack for the children and spend New Year (like that).’ Yes, he went off, the mouse went off, the mouse went off. There he ate, he drank and got drunk. The accursed mouse came, stayed and went to sleep there. The frog has her eye on the road and is waiting for the mouse, but there is no sign of the mouse. She searches here, she searches there. She asks this one and asks that one, but there is no sign of the mouse. Nobody has seen him.

aza khazza gashka akubra ina vel gu-khluylet brun-malka hida kharta akubra shkella kut-jur t-iva muyyila beta. kharta at ta ku akubra. a t-iva bitaya beta, ravayeva akubra, pekka t-iva mayu, pella gu-aklet kalla * a pekka pella gu-aklet kalla. pella gu-tina u-hada pella tama. kmat vadela, kmat vadela, lela myasa a pekka paltani.

Then she goes and looks, she sees that the mouse is at the wedding of the son of the king. Then she takes the mouse and in one way or another she brought him home. Then (she said) ‘Come on, get up mouse.’ When he was going home, the mouse was drunk, when the frog was bringing him back, she fell into the hoof print of a buffalo, the frog fell into the hoof print of a buffalo. She fell in the mud, she fell like that there. However much she struggles, however much she struggles, the frog is unable to get out.

kharta akubra vadele kato ta mela ida garshenna. ayen mara si si mennukh cherten. avun har marele ta me lakhkha idakh garshenna, pekka boki. ayen mara si si mennukh cherten. chertetda chertet, mkhile kha rapsada har kha-kada bush mutmerrale gu-de-arra. shvekle. o-akubra tile. tile kes-yalu. e pekka shvikale gu-de aklet kalla. hi atkha prekla a mettelta.

Then the mouse says to her ‘Come give me your hand so I can pull it.’ She says ‘Go away, I am upset with you.’ He keeps saying ‘Come, give me your hand here and I shall pull it, sister frog.’ She says ‘Go away, I am upset with you.’ ‘If you are upset, then stay upset.’ He gave a kick and buried her more in the ground. He left (the scene). The mouse came back. He came back to his children. He left the frog in the hoof print of a buffalo. Yes, the story has ended like that.