The Snake and the Man |
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Translated by Jose Campos, Jr., and Cameron Davis
One day, a snake crossed between two great, thick logs. As she passed by, one of the logs slid and fell on her. The log gripped her and soon, she could not escape. She then began to squirm, but to no avail. Each attempt further tightened the tree’s grip on her and soon, she began to suffocate. And what happened next was that a man, who lived not too far from the forest, remembered that he needed to go and cut some firewood; and that he did. He grabbed his tepoznecochtli[1] and went out to cut some firewood. When he reached the woods and passed by where the snake was, he heard a noise, turned back, and saw the snake that was there.
The snake called out and said, “Good sir, come here. Get rid of the tree that is killing me.”
“I will not remove it because then you’ll bite me.”
The snake replied saying, “I won’t bite you. Remove it from me.”
“I told you I won’t do it.”
“I won’t do anything to you. What? Don’t you pity me? Remove it from me. I beg you.”
The snake begged so many times, that the man then approached and began to cut the tree with his tepoznecochtli. Then, as soon as he split the tree, the snake broke free and began to lick her lips. She wanted to eat. She already had gone a day without food.
She asked, “Good sir, I’m dying of hunger and I must eat you now. I have gone a day without eating. What do you say, good sir?”
“What? You want to eat me? How is this possible? I got rid of the tree that was killing you and now you want to eat me?!”
“Well, good sir, don’t you know that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“No.”
The snake asked again, “What, don’t you believe me? Are you not convinced?”
“No, I’m not.”
“If you don’t believe me, then bring in four people and I’ll ask them right in front of you and then you’ll see how true my statement is.”
The good man left in search of four strong animals. He didn’t have to go far. He found them nearby. He brought in an ox, a horse, a lion, and a coyote. The snake began to ask each one of the animals in front of the good man.
“Good lion, isn’t it true that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“Yes.”
“Good ox, isn’t it true that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“Yes.”
“Good horse, isn’t it true that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“Yes.”
After the good man heard what these animals had to say, that a good deed is ALWAYS repaid with evil, he got worried. The only one left to ask whether the snake was right was the coyote. The snake approached the coyote.
“Good coyote, isn’t it true that that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“I would need to see how you were positioned and then I will decide whether or not your statement is true, and if it is ok for you to eat this good man. Return as you were before.”
The other animals chanted together: “Put her back and we will see.”
Then, the snake was placed once again between the two trees and then the coyote told her, “Now stay! We are leaving now.”
They left her twisted and crying, as when the good man found her. The good man gave his thanks to the good little coyote. “Now, good little coyote, let’s go to my house.”
“To do what?”
“I want to give you some chickens.”
“No, forget it. I’m going over there.”
“Nonsense, let’s go!”
“Look, it’s already late. It’s better that, if you still want to give them to me, bring them at the top of the hill early tomorrow. I’ll wait for you very early in the morning, when it’s still dark. You should be there by five. That’s when we’ll meet.”
“No, you might not be there, and I will have come in vain.”
“No, I will be here for you, good sir.”
The coyote and the man both agreed.
The good coyote took to the fields and left; the good man also took his leave. When he returned home, he looked stunned.
His wife asked, “What’s the matter? You look stunned.”
Then he began to recount what had happened. “I found a snake that wanted to eat me.”
Hearing that scared his wife. “I’ve told you time and time again not to go outside. You refused to listen, if you did, you wouldn’t be as scared as you are now. You saw that through the power of God, nothing has happened to you, because God himself sent you this little animal to aid you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what happened to you. You wouldn’t have returned home.
“I was going to bring home the good little coyote today.”
“God no! He’ll kill my chickens”
“He refused my offer to choose the ones he wanted, the ones that are the fattest and most delicious. Very early tomorrow, I will see the little animal to bring him his chickens. Pick some of the best chickens because tomorrow, as I’ve said, I will deliver them to him.
“You won’t be going anywhere tomorrow. I don’t want you bringing anything to that damn animal, not even a single chicken. It has occurred to me what you should do.”
“What? Tell me.”
“Don’t be foolish. What else? Leave the chickens and bring those dogs that bite the most; put them inside a fiber sack and when you arrive at the spot where he is waiting, without approaching too close, from a distance, let them loose.”
“With what has happened woman? This isn’t right. How do you want me to take something that I shouldn’t take? Why aren’t you nice woman? I’m going to take the chickens.”
“And I say no, and if you do, I’ll be furious with you and I’ll kick up a big, fat fuss.”
The man did not want to upset his wife and did as she ordered. The next day, he put the dogs inside the sack and left very early. He carried the dogs in place of the chickens he offered yesterday. The man didn’t want the coyote to be there. As he approached, he raised his head to see if the little coyote was there. He saw him from afar. The coyote, very content, paced around waiting for his chickens. He reached the top of the hillock where the coyote already waited. This one started to laugh very happily.
“Well, little coyote,” said the man. “Now that I have brought you your chickens, tell me: How do you want me to release them? One by one or all at once?”
“Not one by one. It’s better that they be together, for I will have fun chasing them.”
The man began opening the mouth of the sack. Meanwhile, the little coyote sat by waiting for him to release the chickens, imagining those who would be hunted, and those who could be taken. And here he let loose the dogs. The ones that drag from the ears. And just as barely as the coyote could see them, they were already on top of him. At first, the dogs scared him, and after that moment, he became furious and fighting with the dogs. The dogs broke the bones on his leg while he bit wherever he could, ripping out the hands and tearing out the ears. They mutually hurt each other. When the coyote understood that they were going to win, he escaped into the forest. He rested to stretch, and turned to see where he had left the man and his dogs, and contemplated the injuries that they had caused, crying out, “Bark, bark, bark, bark… Now I understand why the snake says that a good deed is repaid with evil.”
[1] A type of axe.
One day, a snake crossed between two great, thick logs. As she passed by, one of the logs slid and fell on her. The log gripped her and soon, she could not escape. She then began to squirm, but to no avail. Each attempt further tightened the tree’s grip on her and soon, she began to suffocate. And what happened next was that a man, who lived not too far from the forest, remembered that he needed to go and cut some firewood; and that he did. He grabbed his tepoznecochtli[1] and went out to cut some firewood. When he reached the woods and passed by where the snake was, he heard a noise, turned back, and saw the snake that was there.
The snake called out and said, “Good sir, come here. Get rid of the tree that is killing me.”
“I will not remove it because then you’ll bite me.”
The snake replied saying, “I won’t bite you. Remove it from me.”
“I told you I won’t do it.”
“I won’t do anything to you. What? Don’t you pity me? Remove it from me. I beg you.”
The snake begged so many times, that the man then approached and began to cut the tree with his tepoznecochtli. Then, as soon as he split the tree, the snake broke free and began to lick her lips. She wanted to eat. She already had gone a day without food.
She asked, “Good sir, I’m dying of hunger and I must eat you now. I have gone a day without eating. What do you say, good sir?”
“What? You want to eat me? How is this possible? I got rid of the tree that was killing you and now you want to eat me?!”
“Well, good sir, don’t you know that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“No.”
The snake asked again, “What, don’t you believe me? Are you not convinced?”
“No, I’m not.”
“If you don’t believe me, then bring in four people and I’ll ask them right in front of you and then you’ll see how true my statement is.”
The good man left in search of four strong animals. He didn’t have to go far. He found them nearby. He brought in an ox, a horse, a lion, and a coyote. The snake began to ask each one of the animals in front of the good man.
“Good lion, isn’t it true that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“Yes.”
“Good ox, isn’t it true that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“Yes.”
“Good horse, isn’t it true that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“Yes.”
After the good man heard what these animals had to say, that a good deed is ALWAYS repaid with evil, he got worried. The only one left to ask whether the snake was right was the coyote. The snake approached the coyote.
“Good coyote, isn’t it true that that a good deed is repaid with evil?”
“I would need to see how you were positioned and then I will decide whether or not your statement is true, and if it is ok for you to eat this good man. Return as you were before.”
The other animals chanted together: “Put her back and we will see.”
Then, the snake was placed once again between the two trees and then the coyote told her, “Now stay! We are leaving now.”
They left her twisted and crying, as when the good man found her. The good man gave his thanks to the good little coyote. “Now, good little coyote, let’s go to my house.”
“To do what?”
“I want to give you some chickens.”
“No, forget it. I’m going over there.”
“Nonsense, let’s go!”
“Look, it’s already late. It’s better that, if you still want to give them to me, bring them at the top of the hill early tomorrow. I’ll wait for you very early in the morning, when it’s still dark. You should be there by five. That’s when we’ll meet.”
“No, you might not be there, and I will have come in vain.”
“No, I will be here for you, good sir.”
The coyote and the man both agreed.
The good coyote took to the fields and left; the good man also took his leave. When he returned home, he looked stunned.
His wife asked, “What’s the matter? You look stunned.”
Then he began to recount what had happened. “I found a snake that wanted to eat me.”
Hearing that scared his wife. “I’ve told you time and time again not to go outside. You refused to listen, if you did, you wouldn’t be as scared as you are now. You saw that through the power of God, nothing has happened to you, because God himself sent you this little animal to aid you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what happened to you. You wouldn’t have returned home.
“I was going to bring home the good little coyote today.”
“God no! He’ll kill my chickens”
“He refused my offer to choose the ones he wanted, the ones that are the fattest and most delicious. Very early tomorrow, I will see the little animal to bring him his chickens. Pick some of the best chickens because tomorrow, as I’ve said, I will deliver them to him.
“You won’t be going anywhere tomorrow. I don’t want you bringing anything to that damn animal, not even a single chicken. It has occurred to me what you should do.”
“What? Tell me.”
“Don’t be foolish. What else? Leave the chickens and bring those dogs that bite the most; put them inside a fiber sack and when you arrive at the spot where he is waiting, without approaching too close, from a distance, let them loose.”
“With what has happened woman? This isn’t right. How do you want me to take something that I shouldn’t take? Why aren’t you nice woman? I’m going to take the chickens.”
“And I say no, and if you do, I’ll be furious with you and I’ll kick up a big, fat fuss.”
The man did not want to upset his wife and did as she ordered. The next day, he put the dogs inside the sack and left very early. He carried the dogs in place of the chickens he offered yesterday. The man didn’t want the coyote to be there. As he approached, he raised his head to see if the little coyote was there. He saw him from afar. The coyote, very content, paced around waiting for his chickens. He reached the top of the hillock where the coyote already waited. This one started to laugh very happily.
“Well, little coyote,” said the man. “Now that I have brought you your chickens, tell me: How do you want me to release them? One by one or all at once?”
“Not one by one. It’s better that they be together, for I will have fun chasing them.”
The man began opening the mouth of the sack. Meanwhile, the little coyote sat by waiting for him to release the chickens, imagining those who would be hunted, and those who could be taken. And here he let loose the dogs. The ones that drag from the ears. And just as barely as the coyote could see them, they were already on top of him. At first, the dogs scared him, and after that moment, he became furious and fighting with the dogs. The dogs broke the bones on his leg while he bit wherever he could, ripping out the hands and tearing out the ears. They mutually hurt each other. When the coyote understood that they were going to win, he escaped into the forest. He rested to stretch, and turned to see where he had left the man and his dogs, and contemplated the injuries that they had caused, crying out, “Bark, bark, bark, bark… Now I understand why the snake says that a good deed is repaid with evil.”
[1] A type of axe.
