[p. 147]
84 Birahās vi [Paramaribo, 1965]
Alcārī: the woman with a roving eye avoiding the Gaunā
I.
mora muṛavā nā bānho näuniyā, e bhaiyā
II.
aba hama gäune na jāb
III.
are gavane ke laḍüā savere köī khäihaį, alabelā
IV.
aba ciräi däihaį hamār
V.
are calī jāta gorī hiri phiri cita mę, alabelā
VI.
aba naynā milegā roy
VII.
naynā baṛā kharāba, ai bhäiyā
VIII.
aba saba se karata pirīt
IX.
are eka choṛi ke hajār karatu hai, alabelā
X.
aba yahi mūrukha kā rīt
I.
Oh näunī, tie not the (hair on) my head, oh brother.1
II.
Now, I shall not go (to my marital home in the) gaunā.2
III.
Somebody else will eat3 the laḍḍūs (of the occasion of) gaunā.
IV.
(They) will give my (portion) to the birds.
V.
- Go (along), fair one, with (some) turn of the mind;4 (won't you?).3
VI.
(If I go), the eye will meet a cry,5 oh brother;1
VII.
The eye is very bad -
VIII.
(It) falls in love with (any and) all.
IX.
It leaves one and makes (with a) thousand -
X.
This is the custom of a fool.
1Only a stobha.
2The bride's final farewell to the parental home to go to her husband's house, after she has been there once for a short while and returned to the parents' home. Cp. de Klerk (51: 182) and under Dongā (ibid.: 186).
3Alabelā, a swain; here, a stobha.
4Hiri phiri cita mę: after turning the matter this way and that in (your) mind.
5The wording in the text is rather free; naynā milegā roy: ‘(?) the eye will cry out’.
