The Lion and the Cricket |
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Translated by Paige Willman
The lion was lying down, he was over there; later he got up running, scared and [while] the cricket was in his palace. The cricket jumped, shouted and said:
“Stop! Don’t flee!... I am so small, but I was able to resist you when you stepped on me. Now, what are we going to do?”
“That’s it, how are we going to fix this?”
“I want you to fix my place right now.”
“I won’t fix it for you.”
“Sure? You will fix it, and if not, we will see.”
“Bah! What are you going to do to me? – and [the lion] laughed. How do you expect me to fix it for you? Look, let’s go together.”
“You really are witty!”
“You don’t have to say anything and if you want to see [who wins], just say it!”
“Oh, you! Let’s go on a walk.”
They left together and when they arrived at a ravine, the lion said:
“If you want here we will see [who wins]; lets jump together, you and I.”
“Go ahead! See you over there!
“I am going to jump. Follow me.”
The lion jumped, and the cricket hung on to his tail and when [the cricket] landed in front and said:
“I passed you! And you said that you are stronger.”
“I will not leave it like this! We will see again with our people.”
“That’s fine! As you wish!”
Then the cricket called all the mosquitos, bees and colored wasps. Then a warble fly, a wasp, [and] also went to see a bumblebee [and to everyone] he said:
“Help me!”
Meanwhile, the lion also started to invite [other animals]; he went to see a donkey, a horse, an ox; also he went to see a deer; he went to see a skunk and then he said;
“Help us.”
And the skunk said:
“How do you want me to help you?”
He said:
“I want us to go fight the other animals.”
And the skunk told him:
“With me alone is enough whatever they want. Leave it to me.”
The lion said:
“Great! With you I am not scared.”
Then he challenged the cricket:
“It is time to meet in the Ayoualco field; if you want, there we will fight.”
“There we will see who wins. Wait for me there with your people.”
Then the lion went to the place where he had been with his people. He arrived.
“Eat in the meantime.”
When they were eating, suddenly they heard the cricket call his people and said to them:
“Get up, the lion we will fight has already arrived.”
He stood up and went to meet him. Then the lion started to throw is paws and the cricket did nothing more than jump from one side to the other. When he was tired, he said to the lion:
“Now let’s fight with our people, because we alone won’t do anything.”
Then they met [their armies] and went into combat and the skunk saw them from afar. Then the tiny animals that sting with their stingers arrived, and they began to sting them. Then the lion yelled, called the skunk and told him:
“Come, they are finishing me!”
Then shouted the skunk to his people:
“Now, my people, let’s go defend him! They are already finishing him!”
Then the skunk went with his troops over to the others and then all the little cricket’s troops were cast over the skunk and all of the skunk’s soldiers turned with their tails raised, with their backs to the tiny animals, and they broke wind. Then all the insects went for them (attacked them) and stung them and the lion and the others were already dazed by all the stings. Then the lion said:
“Now let me go, I have already lost! I’ll build your palace! Let us love each other as God commands!”
The little cricket told him
“Fix my palace!”
What the lion did was take cow dung and put it on.
“You see, it was useless for you to hurt me. Let us love each other now as God commands and let all our quarrels end for all that we were quarreling.”
The lion was lying down, he was over there; later he got up running, scared and [while] the cricket was in his palace. The cricket jumped, shouted and said:
“Stop! Don’t flee!... I am so small, but I was able to resist you when you stepped on me. Now, what are we going to do?”
“That’s it, how are we going to fix this?”
“I want you to fix my place right now.”
“I won’t fix it for you.”
“Sure? You will fix it, and if not, we will see.”
“Bah! What are you going to do to me? – and [the lion] laughed. How do you expect me to fix it for you? Look, let’s go together.”
“You really are witty!”
“You don’t have to say anything and if you want to see [who wins], just say it!”
“Oh, you! Let’s go on a walk.”
They left together and when they arrived at a ravine, the lion said:
“If you want here we will see [who wins]; lets jump together, you and I.”
“Go ahead! See you over there!
“I am going to jump. Follow me.”
The lion jumped, and the cricket hung on to his tail and when [the cricket] landed in front and said:
“I passed you! And you said that you are stronger.”
“I will not leave it like this! We will see again with our people.”
“That’s fine! As you wish!”
Then the cricket called all the mosquitos, bees and colored wasps. Then a warble fly, a wasp, [and] also went to see a bumblebee [and to everyone] he said:
“Help me!”
Meanwhile, the lion also started to invite [other animals]; he went to see a donkey, a horse, an ox; also he went to see a deer; he went to see a skunk and then he said;
“Help us.”
And the skunk said:
“How do you want me to help you?”
He said:
“I want us to go fight the other animals.”
And the skunk told him:
“With me alone is enough whatever they want. Leave it to me.”
The lion said:
“Great! With you I am not scared.”
Then he challenged the cricket:
“It is time to meet in the Ayoualco field; if you want, there we will fight.”
“There we will see who wins. Wait for me there with your people.”
Then the lion went to the place where he had been with his people. He arrived.
“Eat in the meantime.”
When they were eating, suddenly they heard the cricket call his people and said to them:
“Get up, the lion we will fight has already arrived.”
He stood up and went to meet him. Then the lion started to throw is paws and the cricket did nothing more than jump from one side to the other. When he was tired, he said to the lion:
“Now let’s fight with our people, because we alone won’t do anything.”
Then they met [their armies] and went into combat and the skunk saw them from afar. Then the tiny animals that sting with their stingers arrived, and they began to sting them. Then the lion yelled, called the skunk and told him:
“Come, they are finishing me!”
Then shouted the skunk to his people:
“Now, my people, let’s go defend him! They are already finishing him!”
Then the skunk went with his troops over to the others and then all the little cricket’s troops were cast over the skunk and all of the skunk’s soldiers turned with their tails raised, with their backs to the tiny animals, and they broke wind. Then all the insects went for them (attacked them) and stung them and the lion and the others were already dazed by all the stings. Then the lion said:
“Now let me go, I have already lost! I’ll build your palace! Let us love each other as God commands!”
The little cricket told him
“Fix my palace!”
What the lion did was take cow dung and put it on.
“You see, it was useless for you to hurt me. Let us love each other now as God commands and let all our quarrels end for all that we were quarreling.”