migrant work

Belica 1

25 (a) ta òra ta sɤm odìla u calapìško pòle čèteri godìni

and plow. And I went to Tsalapishko field for four years,

26 (a) po dvàese dèna segà za petròvden si dòdem

twenty days [each year], and now, for St. Peter’s day, we come

27 (a) ot ə calapìško pòle ta žɤ̀nem pa nàše tù̥kə̥

from Tsalapishko field and we reap at our [field].

28 (MM) e n tovà òdene kàk mu vìkaxte na ro romanìja li

And how did you call that traveling – to Thr- to Thrace?

29 (MM) nə kakvò bèše

What was it?

30 (a) na romanìa dà

Yes, to Thrace

31 (MM) è a kòj vi vòdeše

Ah, and who took you [there]?

32 (a) emi s sɤberè ni nèkoj se kàzvaše dragomànin mɤ̀š

Someone got us together, he was called the manager,

33 (a) odgovàra za nàze sɤberèm se po pet.šesnàese dùši momìčeta momčèta

responsible for us. We get together, fifteen or sixteen boys and girls,

34 (a) i edìn čorbadžìata tòj go znàe u kòj e

and one boss. He knows who goes where

35 (a) tòj ni sòpšti elàte če e za žɤ̀tva nìe otìvame

[and] gets word to us – “Come [help in] the harvest.” We go off,

36 (a) srèšnat ni na pàzardžik sɤs karùci zakàrat ni

and they meet us at Pazardzhik with carriages and take us off,

37 (a) ta si ostàim bagàše i na drùgata sùtrin na polèto

and we leave our things and the next morning it’s off to the field.

38 (MM) pèš li òdite do tàm

Do you go there on foot?

39 (a) a su sɤs vlàk òdexme

By – we went by train.

40 (MM) a tə tùkə ut gàrata

Ah, from the station here.

41 (a) od ixtimàn

From Ihtiman.

42 (MM) à ut ixtimàn

Ah, from Ihtiman.

43 (a) du ixtimàn otìdem pèši ot ut ixtimàn natàm si òdime

We go to Ihtiman on foot, and we go from Ihtiman to there,

44 (a) tàm ni srèšnat vèče na gàrata slèzem na plòv na pazardžik

they meet us there at the station. We get off at Plov- at Pazardzhik

45 (a) i karùcite ni čèkat čorbadžìite tòj nè e sàmo edìn

and the carriages await us, and the landowners. Not just one,

46 (a) tìa òdea po desetìna dùši̥ grùpi

they came in groups of ten or so.

48 (a) sèki si e fanàl čorbadžìata i dòde li mu

Each one found his landowner, and when he goes over to him,

49 (a) tòj si go vìka da vrɤvì da mu žɤ̀ne

he calls them to move out and reap for him.

129 (a) tòj če dnèska nèma ùtre šte ni vṛ̀zva rɤkòjkite po baškɤ̀

There’s nothing today [so] tomorrow he’ll tie off the bundles separately

130 (a) da vìdi kòj kàk žɤ̀ne kato zème da plàšta təkà plàštə

to see who reaped what, so as to know what to pay when it’s time to pay.

131 (a) togàva ni plàštaa na dèn šeesè lèva a nèi dàdoa četìrese

At that time they were paying us sixty levs a day, but they gave her forty.

Brŭšljan 3

11 (c) ə nə g'òrg'udèn' št'à zèmeme ut tùkə kulàtə

And on St. George’s day we’d set off from here [with] the cart,

12 (c) št'à də ìdeme è nə dòlu krəj mur'ètu

and we’d go all the way down to the sea,

13 (c) pu skelìte tàm dètu ìmət čurbəžìite uč'àstəci də ràbutime tàm

to the wharves where the landowners have plots of land, and work there

14 (c) pu edìn m'ɛ̀sec dvà i št'à dòjdeme tùkə də pòčnem ž'ètvə

for a month or two. [Then] we’d come back here to begin the harvest,

Rakovski

3 (a) pručùjme mnògu pərɨ̀ či sə dàvə u sìlu rìsen tɤ̀rnufsku

[When] we heard good money would be paid in the village of Resen near Tǔrnovo,

4 (a) trɤ̀gnajmi səz bəštà mɨ sɤs sestrà mɨ utɨ̀dəjme tàm

we set out [for there together] with my father and my sister. We went there

5 (a) də ràbutime òpšta ràbota u tèkezes'ɤ̀tu də berìm pəmùk

general labor work in the collective farm – to pick cotton,

6 (a) də berìm bàmjə da b'èlim kučèn'a na drùgijə d'ɤ̀n dujdì

to pick okra, to shuck corn, [etc.] The next day [there] came

27 (a) dukàrə mə vr'èmetu čèk tùkə də dòdeme də ràbutime

and that times [like these] drove us to come all the way here to work.

28 (a) nəm'èrime ub'èžist'ə tùkənə dubrɨ̀ ù:ra ràbutime tùkə segà

We found a safe haven here, good people, and we work here now.

29 (a) mɨ̀slɨm zə nəpr'èt pàk də təkòs pàk da dòdime

We’re thinking that in the future we [might] come again this way

30 (a) əku mə izvìkət əmə əku mə ɤrìsət tòj vɨ̀kə

if they invite me, if they like me. And he said,

31 (a) à hərèsvət vɨ òrətə zəštùtu ràbutite trùdite se

“Oh yes people like you, because you work, you work really hard.”

Sveta Petka 3

34 (MM) kòj gi gradèše

Who built them?

42 (e) elèšnič’ɛ̀ni dà

The Eleshnicians, yes.

43 (MM) otkɤdè

Where [are they] from?

44 (e) od elèšnicə tɛ̀ sə ot tòo kràj təkà nɛ̀kəde èj

From Eleshnitsa. They’re from that area way up there somewhere

45 (e) jà səm odìl i tàm i tùkə èj i kàzuvàa gu tàm elèšnica

I’ve been around here and there, and up there they called it Eleshnitsa.

46 (e) i i nagòre zavɤ̀rta tàm tìja selà kad’ɛ̀tu

There’s a bend in the road up there. Those are villages [from] which

47 (e) doàždat tùk pə drùgi selà znàči tè us ut tuvà duòdət

[people] come down here. Also other villages – they come down here.

59 (e) nà a təkvìə kɤ̀šti ne mòžeə takvìa [unintelligible]

So there. But they couldn’t [make] these sorts [unintelligible]

60 (e) əmə pràvea təkà òdeə pu tuvà pazàriž gu i ti̥ pràvi

[All] they did was wander about. You bargain with one, he makes you [something],

61 (e) hràniž gu i tuvà e pò rànu pà dètu pə vrɤšème pà

you feed him, and that’s all. Earlier on, well – when we were threshing, well,

62 (e) cìgəne čergàre doòždaa dètu vrɤšème žitòtu

these gypsies, these nomads would come when we were threshing grain.

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migrant work

Belica 1

Brŭšljan 3

Rakovski

Sveta Petka 3