Headless Crabs

Transcription and translation
Storyteller
Kwakuga Goka (S)
Audience
Pupils from Seva Primary School (A)
SYoo, vinyewo mielia?
My children, are you present?
AEe
Yes
SMiawo ya, mietsi o ɖe!; nusiwo teƒe miekpɔe kpɔ o
You are immature!; the things we experienced, you have not experienced them
Mienya aleyi wotoa gliea?
You know how to tell stories?
AEe
Yes
SKe miatui masea
Then will you tell it for me to hear
AAo
No
SKe nuka nage miala hafi mato glia na mi?
Then what are you going to give me before I tell you a story?
Mi egbeviwo miega ame bum o ɖe.
You children of today, you no longer respect, do you?
Minya be yewo megale ame bum oa
Do you know you are no longer showing respect?
Kpa nané le afiya ɖe
There is something here
Mado gbe ɖa, ne mato gli na mi sia
Let me pray then I tell you a story
(He takes the drink and the glass)
Oo! Ɖevi menoa aha o hee
A child does not drink, you hear
(He starts to say libation prayer, pouring little drops of the local drink on the ground)
Ee,
Yes
Oh tɔgbiwo, mamawo,
Oh forefathers, foremothers
ao ɖe, ãa miatu xo vi aɖe na ɖeviwo le Seva afiya woatsɔ srɔ̃ nu ɖe ŋu etsɔ megbe.
No at all, we want to tell things of old to the young ones in Seva here so that they can learn from it for the future
à eglia ame tsitsiwo ƒe nu wo nye.
Stories are the preserve of the old
Ame tsitsiwo,
Ancestors,
mia ahae yi
This is your drink
miava xɔ keŋkeŋ
that you should take all
Alebe susu nava miato gli na ɖeviwo woadze fiató adze ga to
For knowledge to tell stories to children properly
woazɔ ɖe eŋu etsɔ sia
to serve as a guide for them in the near future
Aha meƒoa aɖe o
Liquor is not used when one wants to make a speech
Miatɔe nye fafa
Yours is peace
Dzɔge tɔwo tɔe yi, amesiame tɔe ma, keŋkeŋ
That one is for people far away, that is for everybody, all of you
Nye ŋutɔ me ɖeka zi ge fia ɖe hã
I my own, I will take one
Ɖeviwo migawɔe o hee
Children, don't do it eh!
AEe
No
SEwɔgea?
Are you taking?
(He invites one of his friends to drink)
BSue aɖe
A little
(They drink)
SKe wo ŋutɔ lee ɖe asi
Then you hold it yourself
Nenɔ axa dzi afi yi nɛm
Let it be on my side here
Ɖeviwo miase o ɖe
Children listen
Mise gli loo!
Listen to the story
AEgli neva
Let the story come
SMiga see ake!
Listen to the story again!
AEgli neva!
Let the story come!
CHafi miadze gɔmea
Before we start
Miabiɛ tso miasi be
We ask of you
Miadzi ha ɖeka
To sing one song
Hafi Papa nato glia na mi
Before Papa tells you the song
Yoo, akpe na mi
Okay thank you
AYoo
Yoo (they clap)
CEvɔ eha neva
Okay let's have a song
Note
Musical interlude with dancing
Fetridetsi akplea na vivi
Chicken soup with porridge sweet
Dahumetɔwo gbɔna
People from Dahome (Benin) are coming
Fetridetsi akplea navivi
Okro soup with porridge sweet
Ga ene me tɔwo gbɔna
Four o clock people are coming
SƉevi ɖeviwo
Children!
ATɔɖia
Uncle!
SƉeviwo miele aƒea mea
Children, are you in the house
AEe
Yes
SMato gli aɖe nami e
Let me tell you stories
Edo dzidzɔ na mia?
Is it pleasing to you?
AEe!
Yes!
SMienya nuita eta mele agalã si oɖoa?
Do you know why a crab has no head?
AAo
No
SÃ magblɔ eƒe nya nami miase sea eye mato gli tso eŋu na mi hee.
I want to say the words for you to hear and I tell the story about it for you
AEe.
Yes
SEgli tso υuu edze lãwo dzi
Story moves and lands on animals
AWodze wo dzi
It lands on them
SWo dze tɔmelãwo dzi
It moves for long and lands on aquatic animals
AWodze wo dzi
It lands on them
SDze aƒemelãwo hã dzi
It moves for long and lands on domestic animals
AWodze wo dzi
It lands on them
SMienya nusi va dzɔa?
Do you know what happened?
AAo.
No
SGbeɖekagbe wo li a,
One day they were there
SLã ɖesiaɖe lia, ta mele esi o.
Every animal that existed did no have a head
ɖeko wo li nogo ko
They were there, headless
Hukae dzɔ ta mele lãwo si o háà?
Why did animals not have a head?
Eva dze agbagba
He tried
Agalã tɔgbia va dze agbagba kakake
The grandfather of crab tried
esrɔ kabita dɔ
He learnt carpentry
enɔ nu kpam
He was carving/making things
Ko ekpana ta ná lã ɖesiaɖe
He was carving heads for every animal
eyi wonɔ ta kpam na lã ɖesiaɖea, ele be woadzrae
As he was carving heads for every animal, he had to sell them
etsɔ via, ebua ame, Agalã ebua tɔgbia nyuie
He took his child, he is respectful, he respected his grandfather very much
ye wotsɔ eta de asi nɛ
And he entrusted the heads to him
AGbemagbe mele eteƒe
On that day, I was present
SNeva mise
Let it come for us to hear
Note
Musical interlude with dancing
Fetridetsi akplẽa na vivi
Okro soup the porridge tastes good
Ga ene me tɔwo gbɔna
Four o clock people come around
AKpɔ aɖe
Look your tongue (Its your turn)
SGbemagbea woe nye Agalã tɔgbia
On that day, you are grandfather crab
Ke Agalã tɔgbuia tsɔ Agalã
Then grandfather crab appointed crab
be nenɔ tawo dzram na wo tɔwo
that he should be selling the heads to his peers
Ko lã ɖesiaɖe ne ehia eta ko eva na Agalã gbɔ.
Then when every animal needs head he comes to crab
Evɔ ta mele agalã ŋutɔ si haɖeke o.
However, crab himself has not got a head yet
Tɔgbia gblɔe nɛ be ɖe
The grandfather told him
benedze agbagba woaɖo ŋku eɖokui,
that he should try and keep this in mind
Wo he be yoo.
And he said: yes
Koa, Tɔgbia nɔ ta kpam
Then, the grandfather was carving the head
wò nɔa dzadzram na lãwo vovovo.
He was selling to the different animals
adzrae na akpa, blolo, bɔyi adzrae na lã yi…
he sells to tilapia, and sells it to different types of fish
Mienya nuyie va dzɔa?
Do you know what happened?
AAo!
No!
SAgalã tsɔ eta ɖeka da ɖi na eɖokui
Crab kept one head for himself
be eya edze mo anyi nyuie; eya za ge yeala
that it was so pretty; that is what he would use
Wòle edzi eta dzram; ele edzi etsɔ,
He continued selling the head; he continued tomorrow
ele edzi nyitsɔ; ele dzi etsɔ, ele dzi nyitsɔ...
He continued the previous day, he continued and continued
Ʋukeke Agalã tɔgbia tsi eku tɔgbi
For a long time; the grandfather of crab grew very old
ko ne ekpa ta koa ekɔe dzra
When he carves the head he sells it
newo kpae ko ekɔe dzra
When he carves the head he sells it
Ema dzi wole ko mienya nuyi va dzɔa?
That was what they were doing, you know what happened?
AAo!
No!
SGbeɖekagbe koa, Tɔgbia kpa ta vavãa aɖe
One day, the grandfather carved a beautiful head
ya ko wokɔe da ɖi be
And he put it aside
Eya kɔge yeala woanye
And he said that was the one he would take to be
yetɔ elabe eya nyakpɔ, dze ɖeka nyuie,
his own because it is very pretty, it is handsome
koa miekpɔ amenuvevea..?
then you see kindness?
Note
PAUSE
Agalã xɔlɔ vevie aɖe va
Crab’s bosom friend came
yeƒe velia vevi aɖe vá be yehiã na ta le ɣetrɔme
his friend cam esaying he needs a head in the afternoon
AGbemagbe mele eteƒe
That day I was present
SNeva!
Let it come
Note
Musical interlude with dancing
SMido vivi ɖe hã ŋú
Put some life/joy into the song
AAgbelimɔkplẽ kple fetridetsi
Cassava porridge and okro soup
Vivina kaka tso eme
It tastes more than the best
Vivina, vivina ŋutɔ
It tastes very well
AKpɔ aɖe
Look your tongue (Its your turn)
SEe gbemagbe woe nye elã yi va ƒle eta mamlɛa
On that day you are the animal who came to buy the last head
Yako ɣetrɔ me koa eƒe velia va ɖe kuku nɛ υuu yeƒe velia υuu koa
Then in that afternoon, his friend pleaded for long
Yako wotsɔ eta yia wo da ɖi na eɖokuia wokɔe dzra na eƒe velia
Then he sold the head he kept for himself to his friend
be yewo kplia tsi metoa yewo kpli dome o.
explaining that they were so close (water does not pass through them)
Eta ma wodzra gbemagbe ƒe zã me
That head he sold that night
koa Tɔgbia ku!
And the grandfather died!
AAo, Oh! Oh! Oh!
No, oh no!
SAgalã Tɔgbia ku!
Crab's grandfather died!
AOh! Oh!
Oh no!
SNuma va wɔe be Agalã eta meva le esi o.
That made crab not to have a head
Miekpɔ Agalã ƒe ta kpɔa?
Have you ever seen a crab’ s head?
AAo
No
SNumata amenuveve fuũa ɖe wo tsia ƒuƒlu ame loo
That is why too much kindness will make you be naked
Ye metsɔ tso afimae ye nyagaɖeɖia aɖe tsɔ ble me
That is what an old lady used to deceive me
Ye metsɔ be matsɔ ble mie loo.
And I want to use and deceive you
Adzo ɖu mie mi
This is the end of the story
AWoe tso gli wo de
You are from the land of stories
SEhẽ
Aha
Note
Musical interlude with dancing
Kpɔkplɔkuku dzimeloto
Dead frog with a bloated back
Ata ŋeŋi abɔ ŋeŋi…
Broken legs and arms…