The Foolish Musaharni’s / मूर्ख मुसहरनी

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

Teller: Sagar Devi
Location: Narayan Patti
Date: 9/15/16

September 15, 2016: Session 1
Maithili Folktale. Story session 16_09_15_1

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा मुसहर रहै। एकटा मुसहरनी रहै। त मुसहर चलि जाए काज करि लै। आ मुसहरनी अपन कि करै केश जूड़ा बांधि लियै आ सीक लगा लिया ओइ पर बैठे झूलैए लै। मुसहर काज क क आबय त कहै कि हे है तोरा हम जे सीक पर झूलैए छी से तोरा नीक लगइ छ।  हमरा त नीक लगइ यै नगरक लोक तोरा थूक में लइ छौ।

There once was a Musahar (a man of the so-called rat-eating caste) and a Musaharni (Musahar’s wife). While the Musahar would leave for the day’s work, what the Musaharni would do is make a knot of her hair, fix a swing out there, and would swing. When the Musahar would come back from work, she would ask him, “Hey, do you like me swinging?” He would reply, “I like you swinging, but the city people just spit on you.”

त फेर उ प्रातः भेने वै फेर वै बात इ कमा क मुसहर आबै बाद स त वै सीक पर झूलैत रहै। फेर पुछलकए जे हे है तोरा हम जे सीक पर झूलैए छी से तोरा नीक लगइ छ।  हमरा त नीक लगइ यै नगरक लोक तोरा थूक में लइ छौ।

The next morning, again, it was the same story. The Musahar would come back from work and the Musaharni would ask him, “Hey, do you like me swinging?” He would reply, “I do like you swinging, but the city people just spit on you.”

तेसरा दिन फेर वै बात। फेर ओइ दिन कि केलक तेसरा दिन ओकरा जे कहलकए त तामस उठलए मुसहर के त सीक के काटि देलक, काटि देलक त ओ खइस पड़ल। खइस पड़ल त ओ लहठी जे पहिरने रहै से सबटा फूटि गेलए। ओ कि केलक अपन बिछ क राइख लेलक। ओकरा खा पी क राति में सुतली राति में अपन गाथैं। त सब कोई अपन खा पी क अपन सुति रहल।

The same story was repeated on the third day. When the Musaharni asked him whether he liked her swinging, the Musahar got annoyed and cut the swing down in anger. The Musaharni fell to the ground. When she fell, her lahthi bangles broke into several pieces. And what she did was, she picked them up and put them somewhere safe. After dinner, she awoke, while her husband kept sleeping. And she started sewing the pieces together to bring her lahthi back into shape.

मुसहरनी केलक कि ओकरा ल क अपन लागल गाथैं। ओ चोरबा सब जे आयल रहै से कोनो राजा घर में चोरी क क सबटा सामान ओ मुसहरनी के बाड़ी में रखलक धान में क।

So, the Musaharni started sewing the pieces together. Meanwhile, some thieves, who were just back after stealing goods from the King’s palace, ended up hiding their loot in some rice paddy in the Musaharni’s backyard

त ओ सुइया डोरा ल क ओ अथी अपन लहठी के गांथ लागल। गांथ जे लागल त ओ कि कहे रे पइस ने रे पइस ने  त सुइया कहूं लहठी में कहूं डोरा पइसे। त डोरा नइ पइसलै। त चोरबा के भेलै कि जे हमरा आब घेर लेलक। घेर लेलक तांइ लोक सब के कहै छै जे पइस ने रे पइस ने ।  चोरबा सब  भागि गेल। भाग अपना अपना जान ल क आब घेर लेलकौ। ओ सब भागि गेल,  सामानों रहि गेल।

Now, the Musaharni started sewing the lahthi pieces together and singing: “Enter, hey, you enter!” She was referring to the thread with which she was sewing the lahthi pieces together with the help of a needle. After all, how could a sewing needle pierce its way through a hard plastic to make way for its thread? But since the thieves heard the Musaharni sing “Enter, hey, you enter!”, they thought the lady had seen and cornered them and that’s why she was asking people from her neighborhood out there to come to her backyard and catch them. The thieves felt threatened and ran away, exclaiming, “Hey, run away. She has cornered us!” They ran away and the loot was left behind.

भिनसर में मुसहरनी उठल। ओ बाड़ी गेल त देखलक ओ समान। त सबटा घर क रखलक। आ राखि क तकर बाद अपन भानस भात क क खा पी क अपन गेल जूड़ा फेर बांधि लेलक नीक नीक साड़ी गहना पहिर लेलक।

The Musaharni awoke in the morning. She saw the loot lying in the backyard when she went there to check. Then she brought everything to the safety of her home. And next she cooked a meal after which she did her hair, and put ona good saree and jewelry.

ताबत में मुसहर ऐलै त कहे छै बाप रे बाप गै केकर तू चुरा क ल अनलीह गे हमरा त राजा भुसावल कसि देत मारि क आ तीन डारि पर टांगि देत। त मुसहरनी कहलकय कि हे है तों हमरा देह में कथी देखै छ हमरा घर में देखक।  हम किया केकरो चोरा क अनबै । तोही ने लहठी फोरि देलह सीक काटि देलह त वहै हम राति में गथैंत रहिये त चोरबा सबटा तोहर बाड़ी में ओ समान रखने रहअ त वहै समान सबटा हम भिनसर में गेलौं त उठा क रखलौं हैं।

Soon, as the Musahar arrived home and saw her like this, he said, “Oh! Father, Oh! Father. Whose goods have you stolen? The King will just kill me, pack my body with straw) and hang me over three branches of a tree. The Musaharni responded, “Hey, why are you looking at me? Go and check what all is there inside the room. Why would I steal somebody’s stuff? You cut down my swing and broke my lahthi. When I was sewing its pieces together in the night, the thieves came to our backyard and left their loot there. I picked these up this morning and put them here.”

अच्छा ठीक केलैं। आब दू चारि गोटा के कहि क टूटल फाटल घर छौ से माटि थोड़े ल क लेबा लिहैं।ओ मुसहरनी कहलकय लोक के त ओ कि केलक सनबा के माटि ओ अपने टाट में ओंगैठ क ओ कहलकय आब हमरा लेब दिय। मुसहरनी अपने लेबा लेलक।

“Ok, you did the right thing. Now please ask some people to apply mud and dung mixture to dilapidated walls of our hut. The Musaharni then stood at the wall and asked the people who had come to do the repairs, “Hello, put the mud and dung mixture all over my body while I keep standing here at the wall, so that I will be stuck to the wall.” Thus she had the application of the mud and dung mixture done all over her body so that she was stuck to the hut wall.

मुसहर आयल बाद स त मुसहरनी छैं गै ,मुसहरनी छैं गै ,फूहरि छैं गै, हय कि कहि छ।  आ त ऐलौं आब खेनाइ पिनाइ देबैं त कतअ छैं। आंय है अपने कहलक जे तू लेबा लिहक । हम त लेबैल छिआ। कहलकय जो गे फूहरि तू सब दिन फूहरिए रहबैं। तोरा कहलिऔ जे घर लेबा लय लै तू अपने लेबा गेलैं।ओकरा माटि ताटि उदारि क कहलकय जो नहा आ। फेर नहा आयल।

When the Musahar came back from the farm, he asked, “Hey, are you there? Are you there? I am back. Won’t you give me some food to eat? Hello, you bumbling idiot. Where are you?” The Musaharni spoke in reply, “You only asked me to get the repairs done with mud and dung mixture, so here I am, with mud and dung all over my body, as I stand attached to the hut wall.” The Musahar responded, “You will forever remain a bumbling idiot. I told you to have the hut walls repaired with mud and dung, not yourself!” Then he removed the now dried-up mud and dung from her body and told her, “Go and take a bath.” So she took a bath and returned.

त फेर कहलकय ऐह लोक के देखै छियै लोक बेद के जे घर आश्रम चलबैय छै आ इ फूहरि के कहियो नइ हेतै। ओ कि केलक मुसहर अपन चलि गेल रोजगार करि लै। ओ मुसहरनी कि केलक त एकटा टाट उतारि लेलक आ पूरा गाम में घर के चलबा लागल जे हम घर चलबइ छी, घर चलबइ छी।  फेर मुसहर आयल अपन त फूहरि छैं गै फूहरि छैं गै। त हय कि कहि छ। ऐं गै त कतअ छैं गै। ऐं अपने कहलक है घर चलबइ लै हम त घर चलबइ छी। जो तू सब दिन फूहरिए रहलैं।

The Musahar said, “I see how other people at this age run a family and household, but you! You will never be able to do that!” And with that, he left for his day’s work. Afterward, the Musaharni took out one of the walls of her hut and started roaming in the village, and kept singing, “I run a house, I run a house.” Again, when the Musahar came back, he said, “Hey, you numbskull. Where are you?” “Hey, I am here. What do you want?” the Musaharni replied. The Musahar asked, “But where were you?” The Musaharni answered, “You  asked me to run a house, so here I was, running one.” The Musahar said, “you will always remain a bumbling idiot!”

फेर ओ कहि क फेर मुसहर कहि छै जे लोकक घर देखइ छियय घरवाली सब के जे बाद वन गेल अपन खेत पथार देखलक। त तोरा बुते कहियो नइ हेतौ। फेर ओ बाद गेल केश जूड़ा क क अपन बाद विदा भेल।

Again, the Musahar told his wife, “I see people’s houses; how their women go out and take care of their fields and farms. You will never be able to do that.” Once again, she did her hair and left for the farm.

ओ कातिक महिना ओ धान सब जे लिबल रहै छै शीश से त ओ झूलत रहै छै कनी कनी हवा चलइत रहै छै त।

The head of rice plants would get heavy with the growing seed load and would often swing in the field when the wind blew slowly during the month of Kartik (mostly November).

ओ कि कहे, बाप रे बाप सब धान के जाड़ होइ छै, सब धान के जाड़ होइ छै। उ जे साड़ी जे पेन्ह क गेल रहै ओ फारि फारि सबटा शीश के ओ बांधि देलकय। हाँ जाड़ होइ छै, सबटा धान के जाड़ होइ छै। जाड़ नइ हेतै बांधि दइ छियय।ओ जतबा ओ साड़ी रहे ततबा फारि फारि क ओ सब के बनहलकय त ओतबा में ओकर साड़ी सठि   

गेलए। अपने नांगट भ गेल।

She saw that and said, “Oh! Father, Oh! Father. All the rice plants are feeling cold, all the plants are feeling cold.” She then ripped off pieces of her saree that she had worn to the farm, and tied the head of all rice plants with those pieces of her saree. “Yes, all the rice plants are feeling cold; I am tying and covering all these with these cloth pieces; they shouldn’t feel the chill now,” said the Musaharni. Her saree was now ripped into pieces and used up completely in tying up the heads of rice plants. She was left stark naked

त आब गाम पर आयत केना। त ओ केलक कि अपन धाने में बइठ गेल। मुसहर जे आयल कतौ स ओ फूहरि के ताकै। फूहरि त रहबे नय करे। त कहलकय ओह ओकरा कहलिए खेत पथार देखए लै से बादे चलि गेल।

Now how Could she possibly return.. What she did was that she sat down amidst the crops. Meanwhile, the Musahar came back from somewhere and looked for her. But she wasn’t supposed to be there. She was indeed an idiot. He muttered to himself, “I had asked her to go and check on the fields, but she took it a step further and went to check on the crops.”

ओ बाद पहुँचल। फूहरि छैं गै फूहरि छैं गै। त हय कि कहि छ।आंय गै त गाम पर नय जेबही। हम केना जैब गाम पर हम त नंगटे छी। सब धान के जाड़ होइ छलैयै त हम साड़ी फारि फारि के  बांधि देलिए त हम त नंगटे छी त हम केना जैब। त ओ मुसहर जे छलै गमछा पेहरलक धोती उ मुसहर खोलि क ओइ धान में फेक देलकय। तब उ फूहरि पेहरलक आ गाम पर आयल।

Then he reached the farm and gave her a shout, “Hey, numbskull, are you there?” She replied, “Yes, I am here; what do you want? The Musahar requested, “Won’t you come back home?” To which the Musaharni replied, “How can  I return, I am naked. All of the rice plants were feeling cold, so I used pieces of my saree to tie up the heads of all the plants. That’s how I became naked, so how can I go home looking like this?” Then, Musahar removed his dhoti, wrapping himself with his towel instead. And then threw his dhoti out to the Musaharni, who was sitting amid the crops, so that she could put it on and come out. Thus that idiot put on the dhoti and went back home.

भ गेल खिस्सा।

The story is over.