The Unemployed Husband and the Wife’s Greed / बर के बेरोजगारी

Documented by Coralynn V. Davis and Carlos Gomez
Transcription by Nidhi Anand and Translation by Neeraj Kumar
Translation edits by Coralynn V. Davis

Teller: Sushma Mishra
Location: Ranti, Jeevika Art Collective
Date: 9/14/16

September 14, 2016: Session A1
Maithili Folklore 16_09_14_a_1

View the transcription in Maithili.

सब कनिया के मोन होइ छै जे हमर बर कमाइत। लेकिन सब के भाग्य में त ओ बात नइ रहि छन जे बर कमेबे करथिन। लेकिन हुनका शौक होइ छन जे ओकर बर कमाइ छै,ओकर बर कमाइ छै हमरो बर कमैए।

All wives want their husbands to earn a living. But not every wife has it in their fate that her husband makes money. But they would desire that since the other women have their husbands who earn a living, their own husband should earn a living, too.

एक दिन कनिया बर स बड झगड़ा केलैन जे जाऊ अहां कमाऊ ग कमाऊ ग। आब बर बेचारा कि करितत भोरे उठला आ कहलखिन चाइर टा रोटी आ प्याज द दिआ हम जाइ छी कमाई लै। कनिया चाइर टा रोटी आ प्याज द देलखिन।

One day, a wife fought with her husband over this issue, “go, earn some money. Go, earn some money”. Now, the poor soul would wake up early and tell his wife, “pack me four rotis with onion, and I will go out to find work.” The wife packed four rotis with onion for him.

बर अपन भरि दिन कतऔ अपन बइसल रहला। सांझ भेलैन त पुला लग लगला खा लइ छी आब घर लौटब कहबए नौकरी बड तकलौं। गेला जे पुला लग त कहलखिन एक खाऊं कि दो खाऊं कि तीन खाऊं कि चारो खा जाऊँ। ओइ में चाइर टा अथी सब भूत सब ओ नीचा में रहै। हम भूत छी हमरो खाइ वाला लोक आइब गेल।

The husband kept sitting out somewhere the entire day. As the sun was about to set and as he approached a bridge, he told himself, “Now I will eat and will tell her that I searched diligently for a job.” When he reached the bridge, he asked himself, “Should I eat one (Roti), or two, or three, or all four?” Hearing this, the four ghosts who were sitting under that bridge got anxious. They said to themselves, “We are ghosts, and see, there is someone in the world who can eat even ghosts.”

फेर कहि छै एक खाऊं कि दो खाऊं कि तीन खाऊं कि चारो खा जाऊँ बुझलिए। त ओ भूत एकटा निकल के कहे नइ हमरा खाऊ हम अहां के गिफ्ट दइ छी अथी में।

He asks again, “Should I eat one, or two, or three, or all four?” Then one of the ghosts comes out and pleads, “Please don’t eat me, I will give you a gift.” 

त कहलखिन ठीक अइ त ओ एकटा बर्तन देलकन जे अइ में अहां खेनाइ बनैब आ कतबो खैब त इ सदत नइ बुझलिए। 

The man said, “Fine.” The ghost gave him a pot and said, “The food you prepare in this pot will never run out, no matter how much of it you eat.”

ओ बर्तन ल क ओ घर ऐला। त कनिया कहलखिन जा कमैए लै पठेलौंऊ अहां फेर आइब गेलौंऊ। कहलखिन हम कमा के ऐलौं हने। कहलखिन जे अहां एक पाव चाउर नेने आऊ हम खेनाइ खीर बना क देखबइ छी। एक पाव चाउर कतअ स औत त कहलखिन माइंग ताइंग क नेने आऊ। 

The man came home with the pot. His wife asked him, “I sent you out to make money, and you have come back just like that?” The man said, “I have returned with something.” He told his wife, “Go and get a quarter kilo of rice, and I will show you how I prepare the rice-milk pudding.” His wife replied, “Where should I get a quarter kilo of rice??” The man replies, “Go and borrow it from wherever you can.” 

बुझलिए त बगल स इ माइंग क नेने एलखिन। ओ बनौलैथ। ओ कतबो खेलैथ सब परिवार खेलकैन खत्में नइ भेलैन। गाँव घर में खुओलन सब के बुझलिए। त कनिया कहलखिन रोज जे भात खा क त नइ दिन कटत। आ उहो चाऊर कतअ स औत। फेर हुनका पठौलेन कमाई लै ।

So she borrowed it from a neighbor. The man prepared the dish. No matter how much he and his family ate, the food was never completely gone. Even when he threw a feast for his entire village, the food was not completely consumed. Then his wife queried, “How can we spend our lives eating just this rice every day, and then who will after all give me the ingredients for it on a daily basis?  Please go out and earn some money.” She then sent him out once again to earn some money. 

फेर ओ गेलैथ। फेर ओ चाइर टा रोटी आ प्याज देलखिन। फेर ओ पुला पर बइस गेला। एक खाऊं कि दो खाऊं कि तीन खाऊं कि चारो खा जाऊँ। त फेर भूत निकलला हमरा नइ खाऊ हम अहां के फेर गिफ्ट दइ छी।

Once again he left. Again she packed him a lunch of four rotis with onion. Again he sat at that bridge uttering, “Should I eat one, or two, or three, or all four?” Then once again the ghosts appeared and begged to be spared, saying, “Please don’t eat me; I will give you a gift again.”

त ओ कहलखिन अहां द देलौं बर्तन आ ओइ से खेनाइ हम पूरा गांवे घर में खुआवैत रहबै ओइ स त नइ घर चलत भात खा के। हमरा एहन चीज दिया… त एकटा ओ एकटा अथी झोरा देलखिन ओइ में एकटा सिक्का देलखिन जे लिआ इ अहां , से अहां एकरा जेते अइ में से निकालने जैब खर्चा केने जैब से कहिओ कमी नइ हैत। बुझलिए त ओ ल के घर ऐलैथ। 

The man says, “You gave me that pot, fine. But will it help my life if I keep feeding everybody in my village and myself eating rice every day? So, give me something… “. The ghost then gave him a bag, saying, “Take this tote with a gold coin hidden in it. No matter how many times you spend your money out of this bag, the bag will never cease to have money.” So the man went back home with that bag.

कहलखिन कनिया एकटा सिक्का दिअ। फेर ओ माइंग चाइंग क बगल स आइन क देलखिन त ओ दइत गेलखिन नइहर तइहर हरदम सब के देने गेलखिन। तइओ कनिया के शौक चढ़लन जे बर फेर कमैए। बुझलिए। 

He said to his wife, “Bring me a coin.” So now, she borrowed a coin this time from her neighbor. And then the man provided money out of that bag, more often, for her parents, for relatives, and for all. Despite this, his wife wished that her husband would work to earn a living. 

फेर अपन बर के पठौलखिन। ओ फेर रोटी ल क गेला पुला लग। बड़ दुखी छलैथ। रोटीयो खैथ आ कहथिन एक खाऊं कि दो खाऊं कि तीन खाऊं कि चारो खा जाऊँ कनबो करैत। भूत सब ऐलन कि बात छै कहलखिन ऐना ऐना। ओ एकटा रस्सी देलकन आ एकटा डंटा देलकन। 

Once again she sent her husband out to earn a living. Again he sat at that bridge, but this time he was in pain. He uttered as he ate his rotis, “Should I eat one, or two, or three, or all four?” And he wept, as well. The ghosts came out and asked, “What is wrong?” He told them how the story had unfolded to that point. This time, the ghosts gave him a rope and a stick.

बुझलिए, ओ ल क घर पहुँचला। कनिया कहलखिन आइ कि देलक आइ कि देलक ।बुझलिए, ओ रस्सी में लपटा गेला डंटा स खूब पिटलकन।बुझलिए ओकर कनिया कहलखिन आब अहां नइ कमाऊ। आब अहां घरे में रहु। जेही अही रूखी सुखी में हम जिंदगी काइट लेब।

He arrived home with the rope and stick. His wife said to him, “What did they give you today? What did they give you?” The man wrapped himself in the rope and was beaten black and blue by the stick. His wife started weeping and cried out, “No, no! Now you don’t need to go out and earn a living. Please, just stay home. We will live out our lives with whatever small things we have.”