The Old Man and the Fish

etva letva etva kha nasha sava. etval kha chullukhta etvale kha bruna hamda ganu bakhtu u-hamda o-brunu bekhkhayeva gu-de chullukhta. kha chole etvale beta sura. ita o nasha sava k-azelva hammasha al-yama. ki-davekva nuyne. bi hada rishe ki-khamivale, k-akhliva kha tika lakhma. hida di kha-ka kheshle. tre-ka kheshle. kharta kha-yuma vila mu jura vila, alaha rkhemle allu.

Once upon a time there was an old man. He had a hut. He had a son. He and his wife and also his son used to live in that hut. They had a cabin, a small house. Now, the old man always used to go to the sea. He used to catch fish. In this way he sustained them and they used to eat some food. Now, he went off once. He went off the second time. Then one day it happened, it happened in some way, God had mercy on him.

tile dvekle kha nuyna smukta. nuyna smukta ba-dvikale, kharta e nuyna kha b-kha hamzamta pella biyyo lishana vila hamzuma. kharta merra oyan khlapukh oyan nedrukh ka-do nasha sava merra, la labelli. shukli. ana en mujjura khlesla allukh, talukh tlub menni kumtalbet ana b-yavvannukh, t-odannukh.

He came and he caught the red fish, then it suddenly started to speak, it started speaking a language. It said ‘May I be your substitute. May I be your offering,’ it said to the old man, ‘Do not take me. Leave me. If you are in any difficulties, come and make a request from me. Whatever you ask, I shall give you, I shall do it for you.’

hidaanasha khtitotila e nuyna shkelle ruppale gu-yama kheshla. kheshla, kharta kheshle ka-bakhtu hukile. merre ay atkha atkha shulova. a bakhtu krebla, vila sara vila benda, vila betyava, ay ka-mu ruppalukh? ketma b-rishukh suyla b-rishukh, ka-mu ruppalukh? muyyo! mireva khina ruppali. khina m-ika ana azen machkhen mayyenna? kharta mara merra ka-diyyi atkha, atkha, e danta merra si. di-si en atkha tunitukhla, si kha mendi b-yavvalukh.

Yes, the man felt sorry for it. He took the fish and threw it into the sea and it went off. It went off. Then he went and told his wife. He said ‘This was the story about it.’ His wife became angry. She starting cursing, she started jumping up and sitting down. ‘Oh, why did you throw it away? Ash be on your head, manure be on your head, why did you throw it away? You should have brought it!’ He said ‘Well I threw it away.’ ‘Where can I go and find it and bring it back?’ Then he says ‘It said to me suchand-such.’ ‘Then,’ she said ‘Go, go. If it told you that, it will give you something.’

kheshle a nasha sava medre tama iket e nuyna t-i dvikale. kheshle tama. hi tunile kato nuyna, hay nuyna smukta talakh. ana etli kha hamzamta mennakh. merra mu byayet? tani nasha, sava nasha, jis nasha, mu byayet?

The old man went off again to there where he caught the fish. He went there. Yes, he said to it ‘Fish, oh red fish, come here. I have something to say to you.’ It said ‘What do you want? Tell me, man, old man, good man, what do you want?’

mireva atkha atkha vadela b-rishi bakhti, men-beta rappuyila, plashela. bayyet le-bet, a beti sura vudle gura. hi merteva la-zdi. silukh beta. betukh RuzheR yakka pt-avini. mejjetda a nasha kheshle, gashek o betu sura viyyeva kha yakka makh betet malke viyyeva.

He said ‘This is what my wife is doing to me. She is throwing me out of the house. She is arguing. If you want or not, make this small house of mine big.’ Yes. It said ‘Do not fear. Go home. Your house will be huge.’ Indeed the man went off and sees that his small house had become huge, it had become like the house of kings.

hida di spay. kharta a bakhtu bi-do betada razi leva vita. merteva ba ana men dada yakka beta bayyan. men dada yakka beta bayyan, jis darta bayyan, ilane, varde, chuchaga oya mlita. vay may a nasha peshle medre chor, pashima, mu oden ana? m-ika azen? RuzheR benkhapele o-nasha yan kut-yum kut-yum azel ka-da nuyna, ka-da nuyna kut dana zahmat garesh allo yan ana mu-jurra azen medre talben menno?

Yes, that was very good. But then his wife became discontented with that house. She said ‘Well, I want a house bigger than this one. I want a house bigger than this one. I want a nice garden, full of trees, flowers and blossoms.’ Oh dear, the man became again upset and sad ‘What should I do? Where I should I go?’ The man is already ashamed to go every day to the fish, to trouble the fish every time (and he said) ‘How can I go and again make a request from it?’

khina kut-jur t-ila a nasha sava kheshle. kheshle, medre krile ka-de nuyna. e nuyna tila. merre bakhti khina metli gu-ido, har atkha betlabela, razi lela bi-do beta, medre byayela men-davvada yakka beta. hi spay la-zdi mara, silukh. ati silukh beta. hal t-azet beta, RuzheR o-betukh esra hada beta t-ave yakka.

Well, one way or another, the old man went. He went and called the fish. The fish came. He said ‘I am again dying at the hands of my wife. She keeps making demands, she is not satisfied with the house. She again wants a bigger house.’ ‘Yes, fine. Do not be afraid,’ it says ‘Go, you go home. By the time you get home, your house will be already ten times bigger.’

hi kheshle, a nasha sava gashek ina mejjetda o beta khava esra hada beta yakka. nuyna vetteva katu. hi khdila, psekhla e-bakhtu. karavashe dvekla. kha sakule bakule bi paytun bekhdara kha ku-maraka vada. kharta medre, medre razi lela vita bi day ana byayen avva ana byayen atkha. a nasha khina metle kheshle gu-ido. khina ku-jur t-iva kheshle. tla-kada merre t-azen b-jarbenna.

Yes, the old man went and looks and indeed the house had been one (size) and the house (was now) ten times bigger (than this). The fish had done it for him. Yes, his wife was happy and joyful. She took on maidservants. She dressed beautifully and went around in a carriage, making quite a hullabaloo. Then again, again she became dissatisfied with that. ‘I want that, I want this.’ The man again was dying in her hands. Again, in one way or another he went. For the third time he said ‘I shall go and test it.’

kheshle merre atkha atkha bakhti marela. merteva si la-zdi. silukh. kul mendi pt-oyani. kharta a nasha sava kheshle gashekni yan e betu makh malka kheshle. har e chullukhta tfekla biyyu, e chole surta tfekla biyyu, e-bakhtu tama tevta gu-de chola. ay merre atkha byayetva? khub bekhzayevat razi la vilakh bi den Rdvaretsi. adi medre tuy gu-da chola surta.

He went and said ‘My wife says such-and-such.’ It said ‘Don’t be afraid. Go. Everything will be fulfilled.’ Then the old man went and sees that his house that was like (that of) a king had gone. Only that hut appeared to him, that small cabin, appeared to him, with his wife sitting there in the hut. ‘Oh’ he said ‘Is this what you wanted? Well, you see, you were not satisfied with those palaces. Now sit again in this small hut’

peshle en sava sota biyya bi do-yala sura. medre hada peshle gu-de-chola vile hada kaseb bekhkhaya. o-sava medre har hada k-azelva makh kamta nuyne ki-davekva, k-ativa rishe khamuyeva bi-den nuyne. atkha verre en khayye atkha k-oriva en gora bakhta. atkha khina mu-jurra ki-tani? parta tama, kamkha lakhkha. marran tushnakan tama, khubban khedyuytan lakhkha ka-diyyan, ka-diyyokhun ka-diyyan.

The old man and woman remained with the child. They again ended up in that hut and he began to live poorly. The old man again in the same way as before went to catch fish, and he came back and sustained them with those fish. Their life went by like that. This is how that husband and wife spent (their life). So, what do they say? Chaff there, flour here. Our illness and suffering there, our love and joy here for us, for you and for us.