Barwar: The Story with No End

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Transcribed by	Source	Speakers
Geoffrey Khan	Khan, Geoffrey. The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Barwar. 3 vols. Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2008, vol. 3	Gwərgəs Dawiḏ

	Transcription	Translation
0:00	ʾíṯwa xa-màlkaˈ rába ẓalə̀m-wewa.ˈ lɛ̀wewa gwíra.ˈ băyéwa gawə̀rwa.ˈ y-amə́rwaˈ ʾɛ́-baxta ṱ-àṯyaˈ bắyən gawrə̀nnaˈ lázəm mtanyáli ḏa-qəṣṣə̀ttaˈ t-la-háwela nəhàya.ˈ ku-ṱ-aṯyàwaˈ xá-yoma trèˈ parqàwa tuníṯa díya.ˈ ḏàˈ mə́ra ṭla-bába dìyaˈ ʾána ṱ-àzənˈ tanyánne ḏa-tuníṯa ṭla-màlka.ˈ xoš-qaṭə̀lli.ˈ bálki najḥàna.ˈ qìmta,ˈ zìlta.ˈ xṭìṯəx-ilaˈ mə́re máṣyət mtányət tuníṯa t-la-xàṣla?ˈ mə́re he-màṣyən.ˈ mə́re de-mtàna!ˈ mə́ra ʾíṯwa xa-málka ẓalə́m-wewa maxwàṯux.ˈ ʾíṯwale xa-muqaṭăʿa rába gòṛa.ˈ mjŭmɛ́le xə́ṭṭe t-kúlla d-ɛ-mànṭăqa.ˈ drɛ́le gu-sèylo.ˈ mə́ra qəm-daréla kúlla gu-d-àyˈ ʾu-qəm-šăyéla kúlla gudána dìyaˈ b-čimàntoˈ ʾu-t-lá háwe tằra-ži bíya díya.ˈ qəm-šawúqla xa-bóya zòra hátxa,ˈ bás mujárrad šəkwánta máṣya ṱ-áwra-w pàlṭa.ˈ mə́ra mšuréla šəkwáne wára-w plàṭaˈ gu-d-àn-xəṭṭe.ˈ béna xə́ṭṭe ʾummàye ṭúnne-wɛwa.ˈ mə́ra wírra šəkwánta qamɛ́ṯa šqilála ḏa-ḥábba ʾu-plìṭla.ˈ wírra t-tə́rte šqilála ḏa-ḥábba-w plìṭla.ˈ wírra t-ṭə́ḷḷəṯ ḏa-ḥábba-w plìṭla.ˈ mə́ra ha-t-xásli ʾan-xə̀ṭṭe,ˈ ʾan-šəkwáne ṱ-áwɛ ḏà-ḏa wára.ˈ líṯ dúka t-tə̀rte.ˈ har-ḏà-ḏa wára.ˈ mə́re dū̀s,ˈ ʾáy čú-ga la-xàsla.ˈ ʾíṯwa xa-màlkaˈ rába ẓalə̀m-wewa.ˈ lɛ̀wewa gwíra.ˈ băyéwa gawə̀rwa.ˈ y-amə́rwaˈ ʾɛ́-baxta ṱ-àṯyaˈ bắyən gawrə̀nnaˈ lázəm mtanyáli ḏa-qəṣṣə̀ttaˈ t-la-háwela nəhàya.ˈ ku-ṱ-aṯyàwaˈ xá-yoma trèˈ parqàwa tuníṯa díya.ˈ ḏàˈ mə́ra ṭla-bába dìyaˈ ʾána ṱ-àzənˈ tanyánne ḏa-tuníṯa ṭla-màlka.ˈ xoš-qaṭə̀lli.ˈ bálki najḥàna.ˈ qìmta,ˈ zìlta.ˈ xṭìṯəx-ilaˈ mə́re máṣyət mtányət tuníṯa t-la-xàṣla?ˈ mə́re he-màṣyən.ˈ mə́re de-mtàna!ˈ mə́ra ʾíṯwa xa-málka ẓalə́m-wewa maxwàṯux.ˈ ʾíṯwale xa-muqaṭăʿa rába gòṛa.ˈ mjŭmɛ́le xə́ṭṭe t-kúlla d-ɛ-mànṭăqa.ˈ drɛ́le gu-sèylo.ˈ mə́ra qəm-daréla kúlla gu-d-àyˈ ʾu-qəm-šăyéla kúlla gudána dìyaˈ b-čimàntoˈ ʾu-t-lá háwe tằra-ži bíya díya.ˈ qəm-šawúqla xa-bóya zòra hátxa,ˈ bás mujárrad šəkwánta máṣya ṱ-áwra-w pàlṭa.ˈ mə́ra mšuréla šəkwáne wára-w plàṭaˈ gu-d-àn-xəṭṭe.ˈ béna xə́ṭṭe ʾummàye ṭúnne-wɛwa.ˈ mə́ra wírra šəkwánta qamɛ́ṯa šqilála ḏa-ḥábba ʾu-plìṭla.ˈ wírra t-tə́rte šqilála ḏa-ḥábba-w plìṭla.ˈ wírra t-ṭə́ḷḷəṯ ḏa-ḥábba-w plìṭla.ˈ mə́ra ha-t-xásli ʾan-xə̀ṭṭe,ˈ ʾan-šəkwáne ṱ-áwɛ ḏà-ḏa wára.ˈ líṯ dúka t-tə̀rte.ˈ har-ḏà-ḏa wára.ˈ mə́re dū̀s,ˈ ʾáy čú-ga la-xàsla.ˈ	There was a king, who was very unjust. He was not married. He wanted to marry. He would said ‘The woman whom I shall marry must tell me a story that has no end’. Every woman that came, her story finished after one or two days. One woman said to her father ‘I shall go and tell a story to the king. Let him kill me (if he wishes). Perhaps I shall win’. She went (to the king and he said) ‘I feel pity for you’, he said ‘Can you tell a story that does not end?’ She said ‘Yes, I can’. He said ‘So tell me!’ She said ‘There was a king who was very unjust like you. He had a very large province. He gathered the wheat from all of that region and put it in a silo’. She said ‘He put all of it in it and covered all of its walls with cement, so that there was not even a door in it. He left a small hole like this, through which only an ant could go in and come out’. She said ‘The ants began to go into that wheat and come out. Now, the wheat was hundreds of tons’. She said ‘The first ant went in and took one grain, then went out. The second went in and took a grain and went out. The third went in (and took) a grain and went out’. She said ‘Until the wheat finished, the ants were going in one by one. There was no other place (to enter). They went in only one by one’. He said ‘You are right, that will never end’.

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Transcription:

ʾíṯwa xa-màlkaˈ rába ẓalə̀m-wewa.ˈ lɛ̀wewa gwíra.ˈ băyéwa gawə̀rwa.ˈ y-amə́rwaˈ ʾɛ́-baxta ṱ-àṯyaˈ bắyən gawrə̀nnaˈ lázəm mtanyáli ḏa-qəṣṣə̀ttaˈ t-la-háwela nəhàya.ˈ ku-ṱ-aṯyàwaˈ xá-yoma trèˈ parqàwa tuníṯa díya.ˈ ḏàˈ mə́ra ṭla-bába dìyaˈ ʾána ṱ-àzənˈ tanyánne ḏa-tuníṯa ṭla-màlka.ˈ xoš-qaṭə̀lli.ˈ bálki najḥàna.ˈ qìmta,ˈ zìlta.ˈ xṭìṯəx-ilaˈ mə́re máṣyət mtányət tuníṯa t-la-xàṣla?ˈ mə́re he-màṣyən.ˈ mə́re de-mtàna!ˈ mə́ra ʾíṯwa xa-málka ẓalə́m-wewa maxwàṯux.ˈ ʾíṯwale xa-muqaṭăʿa rába gòṛa.ˈ mjŭmɛ́le xə́ṭṭe t-kúlla d-ɛ-mànṭăqa.ˈ drɛ́le gu-sèylo.ˈ mə́ra qəm-daréla kúlla gu-d-àyˈ ʾu-qəm-šăyéla kúlla gudána dìyaˈ b-čimàntoˈ ʾu-t-lá háwe tằra-ži bíya díya.ˈ qəm-šawúqla xa-bóya zòra hátxa,ˈ bás mujárrad šəkwánta máṣya ṱ-áwra-w pàlṭa.ˈ mə́ra mšuréla šəkwáne wára-w plàṭaˈ gu-d-àn-xəṭṭe.ˈ béna xə́ṭṭe ʾummàye ṭúnne-wɛwa.ˈ mə́ra wírra šəkwánta qamɛ́ṯa šqilála ḏa-ḥábba ʾu-plìṭla.ˈ wírra t-tə́rte šqilála ḏa-ḥábba-w plìṭla.ˈ wírra t-ṭə́ḷḷəṯ ḏa-ḥábba-w plìṭla.ˈ mə́ra ha-t-xásli ʾan-xə̀ṭṭe,ˈ ʾan-šəkwáne ṱ-áwɛ ḏà-ḏa wára.ˈ líṯ dúka t-tə̀rte.ˈ har-ḏà-ḏa wára.ˈ mə́re dū̀s,ˈ ʾáy čú-ga la-xàsla.ˈ

Translation:

There was a king, who was very unjust. He was not married. He wanted to marry. He would said ‘The woman whom I shall marry must tell me a story that has no end’. Every woman that came, her story finished after one or two days. One woman said to her father ‘I shall go and tell a story to the king. Let him kill me (if he wishes). Perhaps I shall win’. She went (to the king and he said) ‘I feel pity for you’, he said ‘Can you tell a story that does not end?’ She said ‘Yes, I can’. He said ‘So tell me!’ She said ‘There was a king who was very unjust like you. He had a very large province. He gathered the wheat from all of that region and put it in a silo’. She said ‘He put all of it in it and covered all of its walls with cement, so that there was not even a door in it. He left a small hole like this, through which only an ant could go in and come out’. She said ‘The ants began to go into that wheat and come out. Now, the wheat was hundreds of tons’. She said ‘The first ant went in and took one grain, then went out. The second went in and took a grain and went out. The third went in (and took) a grain and went out’. She said ‘Until the wheat finished, the ants were going in one by one. There was no other place (to enter). They went in only one by one’. He said ‘You are right, that will never end’.