Vineyards

kha danet bne-matet Zumallan k-odiva akkaruyta ki-zarriva ya-etvalun bakhchane karmane. ina ka-mashtetet danne bakhchane karmane majburiva talbiva miyya men-shakiyyate gure.

At a time when the inhabitants of the village of Zumallan used practice agriculture, they used to cultivate (the land) or they used to have kitchen gardens and vineyards. Now in order to irrigate these kitchen gardens and vineyards it was necessary for them to ask for water from large irrigation channels.

ita arbabet den-mavate gari aziva khazzivale etvale kha nasha meshtalana al-da shula kat ki-karivale mira. gari ka-arbab kmayutet kha zuyze yavvivalun ita o nashet akkaret dana yuvvuva gu-fellan yuma ya-fellan shabta gari men-kam-dana aviva zuyzu purriyye. ita k-azelva o-mira ki-khazzivale, ki-taniva ana zuyze yuvven ka-arbab, udyu nobet diyyila.

So, they had to go and see the landlord of those villages. He had a man who was responsible for this matter who was called the foreman. They had to give the landlord a certain sum of money. Now the man or the farmer to whom he had given (a deadline) on such-and-such a day or such-and-such a week had to have paid his money beforehand. So he used to go and see that foreman and say ‘I have paid the money to the landlord. Today it is my turn.’

ita men-tama baret miyya ki-patkhivala. a miyya balket k-oya tanuye kha kilometr, zoda basura, anne miyya ki-mayyivalun b-shakita hal de duket mamtivalun al-do-karmet bayyi mashtile ya al-de mazrayet bayyi mashtila.

Then, from there they would open the sluice gate of the water. The water— perhaps it may be said that they brought the water more or less a kilometre by irrigation channel and brought it up to that place, to the vineyard that they wanted to irrigate or tothe cultivated land that they wanted to irrigate.

ita al da-hajat et-dana k-aviva plashe. khazzetva kha akkara khishele ka-mayetet miyya ina plishele men-mira u-adiyya gnayet may vitela lela mahlem. bedmayela mira m-kha khina bush zoda zuyze shkilele, e-danet ka-fellan-kas gari yavvelvala yuvvole ka-kha khita.

Now, for this reason at times there were fights. You would see a farmer who has gone to bring water but he has argued with the foreman but now whose fault it was is not known. It seems the foreman has taken more money from another when he should have granted it (the water right) to so-and-so and he has given it for another (field).

atkha plashe shule k-aviva. ahaze kha tkharele kat ana betkharun balket khamshi shenne kam adi gu-matet Zumallan ana a shula khezyun u-shemyun.

So there were fights and so forth. This is a memory I have, maybe fifty years ago in the village of Zumallan I saw this and heard it.