The Dead Rise and Return

kha-bakhta etva. talma, talma beddayet muile? miyya dari gavu. talma, etvale katta khola. mattival al-rushane bakhtate, k-aziva men-shakita miyya garshiva ka shteta. ayya talma tenna al-khaso, kheshla al-shakita, miyya mayya.

There was once a woman. A pitcher—you know what a pitcher is? They put water in it. A pitcher has a handle of rope. Women would put it on their shoulders and go to draw water from the stream for drinking. She put a pitcher on her back and went to the stream to fetch water.

p-urkhet shakita shamasha, kato atkha vedle, atkha vedle, ayna kesle. hi atkha vedle kato. o-yuma khina kheshla, ina kasha atkha vedle. a-bakhta raba narahat vayela. yumet tla khzila abuna gura ayna kesle kato sabab raba shaperteva.

On the way to the stream a deacon did this to her, did this, he winked, yes, he did this to her. On the next day she went and a priest did the same. The woman becomes very uncomfortable. On the third day she saw that a large bishop winked at her, because she was very beautiful.

bitayela ka-goro marela, mara kat-atkhela kessat. ana kheshli miyya mayyan shamasha ayna mekhyanne u-kasha ayna mekhyanne u-abunaaynamekhyanne. ahamutmatela? amutatrele? ananarahativan. goro marele la, la, narahat la-vi. hallun dana ati beta. mara dakh k-oya ana mayyannun beta? mara at melun beta la-avilakh shula.

She comes to her husband and says, she says ‘The story is like this. I went to fetch water and a deacon winked at me, a priest winked at me and a bishop winked at me. What kind of village is this? What kind of land is it? I am uncomfortable.’ Her husband says ‘No, no. Do not be uncomfortable. Give them an appointment to come to the house.’ She says ‘How is it possible for me to bring them home?’ He says ‘Bring them home and you will not have any trouble.’

ka-shamasha tani saat eshta ate. jalde derrang la-ate. saat eshta ate ave gu-beta. ka-kasha tani saat eshta palge. ka-abuna tani saat shavva. hallun dana. men-dayya zoda la yavvat dana. ka-shamasha tani kat-saat eshta ana bet-hadran atet.

Tell the deacon to come at six o’clock, early, not to come late. At six o’clock he should come and be in the house. Tell the priest half past six. Tell the bishop seven o’clock. Give them a time (to come). Do not give them more time. Tell the deacon ‘At six o’clock I shall be ready for you to come.’

mara raba spay. berrekhshela. shamasha ayna bekyasole. mara khob, raba spay, bayyetli? mara myaten katakh. mara khob b-saat eshta atet. beti pellan duktele. shamasha bitayele kat-har kharde b-kdalo, nashekla, mara la la, la-malyez! kam malyuzet? ana bushelten, buniten, miz sukelten katukh kat-akhlakh khachcha shatakh. ita kharta khina-ana diyyukhvan gori lele lakhkha.

She says ‘Very good.’ She goes. The deacon winks at her. She says ‘Well, very good. Do you want me?’ He says ‘I am dying for you.’ She says ‘Good, come at six o’clock. My house is in such-and-such a place.’ The deacon comes (and makes to) embrace her neck and kiss her, but she says ‘No, no, do not rush! Why are you in a hurry? I have cooked, I have prepared (food), I have decorated the table for you so we can eat and drink a little. Then afterwards I am yours. My husband is not here.’

anne betyavena, bikhalena. shamasha khedyele. kha-b-kha-ga saattet eshta-palge vayela, kasha mkhayel al-tarra. mara ay-ketma b-rishi gori tile. mu-oden?! mu-oden?! goroze mireva mattatlun gu-bushk nuyta. bushka, anne bushke beddayet bushka muila? bushke kat-nuyta-gave gure. merre mattatle tama. merra letli kha-duka, letli kha-duka ketma b-rishi adi p-katellukh ku-vur gu-bushka. varel gu-bushka.

They sit and eat. The deacon is happy. Suddenly it is half past six and the priest knocks on the door. She says ‘Oh woe! My husband has come.’ ‘What should I do? What should I do?’ Her husband had said ‘Put them in an oil barrel, a barrel.’ Barrels, do you know what a barrel is? Barrels, in which there is oil and they are large. He said ‘Put him there.’ She said ‘I have no place (to put you). I have no place, oh woe! Now he will kill you. Get into a barrel.’ He gets into a barrel.

kasha bitayele. kasha bush-kherba, bitayele kat … mara la la ana a-supra kakh vettun. yatvakh akhlakh, shatakh kharta khob-ana atenivakh kha-nasha liten. beddayet gorida khishele karibuyta. mara raba spay. betyavena, bikhalena, beshtayena. vayela saat shavva.

The priest comes. The priest is worse (than the deacon), comes (and makes) to … she says ‘No, no. I have laid this meal for you. Let us sit, eat and drink, then, well, it is (just) you and me, there is nobody. You know my husband has gone abroad.’ He says ‘Very good.’ They sit, eat and drink. It becomes seven o’clock.

saat shavva vayela. tarra mkhayena, abuna bitayele. mara ay-ketma b-rishi gori tile ana lenva-bedda pt-ativa. avvada mattuyula tama. abuna varel. abuna men-dani bush-kherba. ka-davva mara khachcha spur khachcha vud hala la-hamzume tarra mkhayuna. tarra gu-mkheta, mara ketma b-rishi, gori verre. adi p-katellukh.

It becomes seven o’clock. There is a knock at the door. The bishop comes. She says ‘Oh woe, my husband has come. I did not know he would come back.’ She puts also him there. The bishop enters. The bishop is worse than the others. She says to him ‘Wait a little, make a little (wait).’ Before he could speak, there is a knock at the door. When there is a knock on the door, she says ‘Oh woe! My husband has entered. Now he will kill you.’

mu-oden?! mu-oden?! ana abuna! abuyri t-aza! kulle nashe beddayina. mara ku-vur gu-do bushka. varel gu-bushka, bekhzayele ina shamasha tama, kasha tama. tarra mattuyuna. goro varel. goro varele ayna vadul, mara lakhkhena? mara hi.

‘What should I do?! What should I do?! I am a bishop, my reputation will be lost! Everybody knows me.’ She says ‘Come on, get into this barrel.’ He gets into the barrel and sees that the deacon and priest are there. They put on the lid. Her husband enters. Her husband enters and gestures with his eye. He says ‘Are there here?’ She says ‘Yes.’

raba kuya hamzumele men-bakhtu kat-ani shammi. mara bakhta beddayet muila masala? mara la. mara nuyta raba raba viyyele tima. ana ad-lele gari damkhen, yatven al-do-bushket nuyta kat-la-ati ganvile. betyavele al-do bushket nuyta khob-kulle myatena. abuna myatele. kasha myatele. shamasha myatele. adi anne mu-odi? tulvunte mitena tama gu-bushka.

He speaks very loudly with his wife so that they can hear. He says ‘Wife, do you know what the story is?’ She says ‘No.’ He says ‘Oil has become very very expensive. Tonight I must sleep sitting on the barrel of oil so that people do not come and steal it.’ He sits on the barrel of oil. Well, they all die. The bishop dies. The priest dies. The deacon dies. Now what could they do? The three of them are dead, there in the barrel.

mara karakh nashe ati mitan tamrilun. bekhyena bektalona gane kat nanunti metla, masalan, savuni metle. mattuyuna atkha yarikha gu-sanduyku. nashe bitayena kat-labli tamrile. marena khzi aha mitet diyyan ki-kam, ki-ate. mattimunle raba eltekh. tre metreva mita ki-mattitunle vudunle tla metre, yukhsa a-mita pt-ate medre.

He says ‘Let’s call people to come to bury our dead.’ They weep. They lament in anguish (saying), for example, ‘my grandmother has died,’ ‘my grandfather has died.’ They weep. They put him long like this, like this in his coffin. People come to take him away and bury him. They say ‘Look, this dead of ours rises and comes back. Put him very deep (in the grave). (If) it is two metres that you normally place the dead body, make it three metres, otherwise this dead man will come back again.’

labuluna avva nasha mat-tuyuna gu-tre metre. upra bedrayena b-rishu tamuruna. bitayena zuyze shakli. bekhzayena ina o-kasha muttuna tamma. mara akhnan katokhun merran aha b-dar t-ate. dule lakhkha.

They take that man and put him two metres deep. They put earth on him and bury him. They come back to take (their) money. They see that they have laid out the priest there. They say ‘We told you that he would come back. Here he is here.’

beshkalu labuluna medre, mattuyuna gu-arpa metre. bekkarena, bekkarena, mattuyuna gu-arpa metre. makkusuna, bitayena kat zuyze shakli. bekhzayena et-d-tlada tamele. maret mita raba narahat vayele mara ana katokhun merri kha-ga merri. akhtun akhchi tiyyetun bar zuyze. ana katokhun merri kat-mitet diyyan ki-kemi k-ati. dule tile. tumrutun dul medre tile.

They take him off again and put him four metres deep. They dig and dig and put him four metres deep. They cover him and come back to take (their) money. They see that the third one is there. The relative of the dead man becomes very upset and says ‘I told you, I told you once (and for all). You have come only for money. I told you that our dead rise and come back. Look he has come back.’

anne takhmunena mu-odi mu-la-odi khina-la tamrile. aha lablile maskile raba al-kha-tuyra, al-kha-tuyra raba rama. men-tama rappile eltekh. le-bayyi tamrile. labuluna anne ka-da masukena al-tuyra ukhcha ramele. masukuna, masukuna, masukuna. ukhcha shurshiyyena. men-tama byayena rappile eltekh.

They ponder what on earth they could do so that they do not have to bury him anymore. They would take him away and take him high up a mountain, onto a very high mountain. From there they would throw him down. They do not want to bury him. They take him away and take him up a mountain, which was very high. They take him up and up and up. They are so exhausted. From there they want to throw him down.

kha men-meshshelmane dast namaz beshka-leva tama. idu aklu khalluleva khut-tuyra gu-miyya. beddayet dast namaz muila-khina? ide khalli, akle khalli, besmella, besmella vada. tama idu aklu khalluleva gu-miyya, bekhzayele dule kha-mendi bita b-rishu. bekyama berrakele. bekyama berrakele. anne mara le-bayyakhla. akhli rishe. zuyzeda ganeda akhnan le-bayyakh, azakh. hala avva al-arra la-kyata, vel-berraka. le-bayyakhle. o-nasha kemle berraka. bekhzayele mendi bitaya b-rishu, berraka. anne khshevlun mitele. mara hala avva la-kyata al-arra, vele bekyama rekle, kheshle. akhnan le-bayyakhlun, la zuyze bayyakhlun lada mite tamrakhlun. beshvakena, berrekhshena. .

A Muslim was performing ablutions there. He was washing his hands and feet under the mountain with water. Do you know what ablution is? They wash their hands, they wash their legs, saying bismillāh, bisimillāh. He was washing his hands and feet there and sees that something is coming on top of him. He gets up and flees. He gets up and flees. ‘We do not want this. Let them rot. We do not want either their money or they themselves, let’s go.’ Before he (the dead man) touches the ground, he (the Muslim) flees. ‘We do not want him.’ That man got up and flees. He sees something coming on him and flees. They think that he is a dead man. They say ‘Before he touches the ground, look he is rising.’ He fled and went on his way. ‘We do not want them. We do not want their money nor shall we bury their dead.’ They leave (the scene) and go on their way.