In memory of my parents, ʿAmos Twito and Ivon (El Beyda of ʿAtias) Z”L
(1) this story was not told by my mother, it was told my Qmesa (2) she was the best storyteller (3) she said: there was a woman, she had a son, her husband died, and people were telling her: your son is still little, maybe you should get married again (4) she would answer: no, how will I get married again, maybe the man will be bad to my son, I am afraid he would hit him and bother him (5) they said: unless you find someone good (6) one man came, another man came, she did not want any of them (7) finally a man came and she told him: I will tell you something, I am worried about my son, because he is very dear to me (8) he told her: you have nothing to be worried about, I will treat him as if he were our son (9) I will love him very much, and I will let him eat with me, do not worry at all (10) she got married with that man (11) that man would work, bring food, buy things (12) when he was coming back from work, she would put for him food on the table and the moment he saw the boy, he would catch him and put him on his shoulders (13) and he would eat with the boy on his shoulders and this is how he would eat (14) she said: he really loves him, she thought, he is eating and the boy is on is shoulders, he is better than him (15) every time he would do the same (16) came to her the woman from before, the old woman that she knew before, the one that told her to get married again (17) she told her: how are you? Have you got married again? (18) I have married a good man, may God give you good health (19) how is he with your son? (20) she told her: what can I say, he is the best, better from I though, he comes back tired and miserable from work, I give him food, and he catches the boy and puts him on his shoulders, and he eats and the boy sits on his shoulders (21) the old woman thought something is wrong here, she said: listen to the words that I am telling you, next time that he comes to catch the boy, tell him: put him down, put down the boy, let me play with him, you will eat and then you will deal with him, leave him, let him go! (22) she did as advised (23) he came back from work, put the boy on his shoulders and she said: no, no, put him down, I am telling you, let him play and you eat in peace (24) he said: I will tell you the truth: I will leave him, but I prefer him to be on my shoulders, than in front of my eyes.
Transcription: Wiktor Gebski
(1) əxxarā́fa mūš úmmi xarfətáli, xarfətáli xmə́ṣa (2) hī́ya HEhaytaHE fəṣ xarrā́fa ʿal kif (3) gā́lət kant ṃṛā wā́ḥda, ʿánda uláyyəd, ražə́lha māt, u gālu ənnā́s: wúldək ẓġī́r, mḥáqu tʿáṛṣi xə́rlək (4) gálta: ma, kifā́š nʿáṛəṣ, rā́žəl wə́lli mūš mlāḥ mʿa wə́ldi, u yū́qaf yə́ḍṛəbu u yʿamə́llu u yʿamə́llu (5) gallū́la: ka, balkš tálgi wā́ḥad mlīḥ (6) ža wā́ḥad, ža əṯnī́n, kull ma tḥabə́thumš (7) fəllā́xər žā wā́ḥad, gátlu: nqū́lək anā́ xā́yfa ʿala wə́ldi u ʿazī́z ʿalə́ya yā́ṣər (8) gā́lla: ma ʿándək ma txā́fi, anā́ wū́ldək kə́nti wuldinā́ (9) nḥə́bbū kʿaynə́ya u nʿatī́ yā́kəl mʿáya, mā txafī́š xlā́ṣ (10) ʿaṛṣt mʿa hak əṛṛā́žəl (11) hadā́k əṛṛā́žəl yáxdəm ʿalə́yəm u yəžī́b u yə́šri (12) yəžī́ məlxə́dma, tḥū́ttu lmā́kla tʿawa ṭáḅla, hū aṛak yəšū́f hadā́k əṭṭfū́l yəḥə́zzu u yəḥū́ttu ʿal ktā́fu (13) u yā́kəl ū́wa tful ʿala ktā́fu u ū́wa yā́kəl (14) gā́lət: hadā́k yəḥā́b yā́ṣər, gā́lt fi gə́lbha, yəḥə́bb wə́ldi, yā́kəl ū́wa u tful ʿala ktā́fu, áktar mən hā́da (15) kūl máṛṛa yʿamə́l hā́kka (16) žā́tha máṛṛa ágbəl tʿa ʿazū́za wā́ḥda tʿárəf məggdā́m, li qáltla tʿárṣi xə́rlək u kull (17) gátla: kifā́š, aš ḥā́lək, ʿaṛə́ṣt? (18) ṛáḅḅi ʿarə́ṣti mlīḥ, ʿatī́k ṣā́ḥa mlī́ḥ (19) kif ū́wa mʿa wə́ldək? (20) gáltla: šnu ngū́lək, mlīḥ ḥāq yā́ṣər xlāṣ, áktar mən li xammə́mt ʿalī́, hū́wa rā́žʿi mən xə́dma tʿau məskī́n ʿayyā́n u nʿatī́ lmā́kla, tfū́l yə́zzu y yəḥū́ttu ʿala ktā́fu, hū́wa yā́kəl u tfūl ʿala ktā́fu (21) hadə́k əlʿazū́za fáyḥa žā́tha ḥā́ža mūš bā́hya gáltla: ə́sməʿi kləm li ngū́lək, kif yəžī́ máṛṛa óxra bāš yəẓẓ tful gūl: ḥuṭṭ ḥuṭṭ tful xallī nʿalbū́, tā́kəl u tḥū́ṭṭu fīk, xallī́ yálla bárra rū́ḥu, ḥū́ṭṭu! (22) ʿamə́lt hákka (23) žā hū́wa məlxə́dma haẓẓ tful ʿala ktā́fu, gáltlu: la, la, ḥū́ṭlu, ḥū́ṭlu, gútlək, xallī́ yʿáləb, ma xallī́kš tā́kəl fiʿáqlək ǀ anā́ ngū́lək əlḥaq: anā́ nxə́lli u ʿala ktā́fi xīr wə́lli gā́bil ʿā́yni.