personal narratives

Gradec 1

93 (a) bòže bòže kvò sa e mɤčìl s mène ma a nosìl

My God, my God, how he struggled with me, and [in the end] he carried me!

94 (a) ma a nosìl ta è krìvo.lèvo tàm iz onìja skàli

Somehow he carried me up all these stairs –

95 (a) ma nòsi do i onàa sɤ̀ga če ma preglèdva

carried me to – and that one now is going to examine me.

96 (a) àa koto dṛžì onàa

And when she holds

98 (a) takà e tè tokòfko i tùka ednà dṛ̀ška

a thing this big with a handle here,

99 (a) i onì ma sɤblìčɤt tàm ə jà ne mòžem nìšto

and they undress me there, I can’t do anything.

100 (a) i izmòlia sìn mi tàm i pomàga ednà nevèsta da ama

And they asked my son there [to help], and [another] girl helped – but

101 (a) nə mòe də odvṛ̀žat jà sɤs sɤs nalì znàeš fùsta s

But they couldn’t untie – I’ve got [this], you know, apron with –

102 (a) pòjas tràk

A belt, apronstrings

103 (a) mòre nèmam pòjas amì sè jà pòjas ne mòe nòsim

Ah, I don’t have a belt! [Whatever] all else [I wear], I can’t wear a belt.

104 (a) i onàa nì tàa nì onàa è dòktoricata sìčki adrèsi ìəm

And [no one cared], not her, not her, nor that lady doctor. I have all the references

105 (a) i onàa ratìška ìəm kɤdè onà mɤ nakàra da se potpìsvam

and [I have] that piece of paper that she made me sign.

106 (a) ne mòžem sìrota d ìdem da i kàžem jà ma sèstro

I can’t go, poor me, and so I say to her, “Look here, sister!

107 (a) zaštò mi tegàva tì kazà takà tàa prìkaska kɤdè tavà

Why did you go and talk to me like this all these stories? What is this?

108 (a) tì si dòktor tì ne trèbva mène da ma uplàšìš

You’re a doctor! You’re not supposed to frighten me like this!”

109 (a) pl'às te tùka s onovà àmà gà viknà na mène

Wham! with those [papers in my hand]. “But you!” she shouted at me

110 (a) àmà tì ne vìdiš če žḷ̀čkata gotòva da sa pùkne

“But you! You don’t see that your gall bladder is about to burst?

111 (a) če ta kàrame u bòlnica rèko nè ami kvò

We’ll take you to the hospital!” I said, “No!” – “But why?”

112 (a) nèštem d ìdem potpìsvaj se potpìsvam se i z dvète rɤ̀ce

“I don’t want to go.” – “Sign this!” I sign with both hands

113 (a) i pèt parì ne dàvam vìe sàkate rèko da ma zakàrate

and I don’t give a damn. “You want,” I said “to take me off

114 (a) u bòlnica da ma rèžete da ma napràite na pɤstɤrmà

to the hospital to cut me up, to make pastrami out of me!”

115 (a) è onìja gà zèa da sa smèjat

And they all started to laugh

117 (a) čèsno a sɤ̀ga na mèn me e tòo kɤdè kàe

Honestly! So now [I say] to that one that was talking to me,

119 (a) slùšaj ma dàko ìmam kàmɤn'e dàko jà revèm za aršìn'e

“Listen here! So what if I have stones? So what if I crying for stones?

120 (a) štò pràim kɤ̀šta i mi trèbvat aršìn'e

Well, I’m building a house and I need stones!

121 (a) dàko sa pùkne žḷ̀čkata jà ìmam pòlza od onìja kàmɤn'e [laughter]

So what if my gall bladder bursts? I have use for those stones! [laughter]

123 (a) da ja bàrem da a podigràam àmà àjde màne a

and at least make fun of her!” But let it go.

124 (a) sè ìmam jà sìčka pàstrim onovà àj kɤdè mi e snimàl

I still have everything, I’ve kept everything. And they took pictures of me

125 (a) e tùka rɤcète mi snimàa òrata sìčko mi kazàa

here, those people took pictures of my arms, and told me everything –

126 (a) če rɤcète mi sa bilè istṛ̀pnale nè e trebvàlo tìja ižèkcii

that my arms had gone numb and that those injections shouldn’t have been given,

127 (a) trebvàlo vednagà pèpi da a dòšɤl òn nè e nì dooždàl

that Pepi should have come immediately, and he never even came

128 (a) da ma vìdi nè e štrapnàl a jàla go

to see me, and he hasn’t put a foot [near us]. But there he is

129 (a) e tè u onàa kɤ̀šta pràvo tàm

just in that house right over there.

Gradec 2

1 (c) ama a edìn edìn vɤf sèlo tè sa četìrma dùši sinovè

Well, there [was] this guy in the village – there’s four sons

2 (c) ə tòo nàj màlkea koto sa rodìl

and when the youngest of them was born, and –

4 (c) i ednì ot xòrata tàm ot komšìite ot rodnìnite kazàle

And some of the neighbors, the relatives there, supposedly said –

5 (c) èj na tòo ə srèdnea po goleminà kàe zemì

– to the one that’s the middle son – he said, “Take

6 (c) i go fṛlì tòa u bàrata a onì živèat ə

and throw this [child] into the creek.” And they live –

7 (c) dvòrɤ gim opìra u rekàta u tàa rekà

their yard backs right up on the river, on this river

9 (c) slet tàa kɤ̀šta tùk slet ə

[the one] after this house here, after, uh –

10 (b) pɤ̀rvata

The first one.

11 (c) pṛ̀vata tè takà i fṛlì go tàm kàa

the first one, that’s right. – “And throw him [in] there,” he said,

12 (c) zaštòto tòj še vi zème kɤ̀štata i imòtɤ

“because he’s going to take your house and inheritance”.

13 (c) tè tovà a bilò i tòa zème tovà detè

And that’s how it was. So he took this child.

14 (c) a baštà mu ne znàm kɤdè otìšɤl màjka mu

I don’t know where its father had gone off to, [but] its mother

15 (c) utìšla po komšìite i òn ostànal s tavà detè

had supposedly gone to the neighbors and he, it appears, was left with this child.

16 (c) sɤz bràtčeto si màlkoto

With his smaller brother.

18 (c) i òn go zème də gu nòsi u rekàta də gu

And he took it, to carry it off to the river to –

19 (c) u bàrata də gu fṛ̀li

to throw it into the creek.

21 (c) obàče kato go zèl u rɤcète tòj e bìl uvìt

But when he took it into his arms, it was all wrapped up

22 (c) sɤs tòo povòj

in these swaddling clothes.

24 (c) uvìt obàče povòjɤ nè e bìl uvìt mnògo

Wrapped, however the cloth wasn’t well wrapped,

25 (c) i se razvṛ̀zal təkà i i sɤ vlačìl po zeml'àta

and it apparently became untied and dragged along the ground.

26 (c) i koto minàl takà do rekàta stignàl

And so it appears that when he got there, arrived at the river –

27 (c) imàlo togàva nè koto segà dṛvà takìva ə

back then there was apparently not trees like now

28 (c) a klèčki təkòvo i se slàgat na dṛvnìk

but rather these sticks, the size they put on a chopping block –

29 (b) vɤ̀ršini

brushwood

30 (c) vṛ̀šini golème e te takà golèmo nèšto takòvo slàgat vṛ̀šini udgòre

Big chunks of brushwood, and then this big thing that they put the brushwood onto.

32 (c) i òn koto minàl pokraj toà tòo dṛvnìk tavà mu vìkame

And apparently when he went past this chopping block, as we call it,

33 (c) minàl i ònija povòj se zakàčil tòo povòj sa zakàčil

he went by and this cloth caught on it. This cloth was caught,

34 (c) i òn minìčə̥k i òn mɤčìl dṛpàl dṛpàl obàče n n

and he, being small, kept trying to pull at it, but

35 (c) ne è se̥ setìl da ostài detèto i da go otkàča

apparently it didn’t occur to him to leave the child, to detach it,

36 (c) ami̥ mislìl təkà də go də da go istègli takò

but apparently still thought that it – that he could pull it out,

37 (c) obàče povòjɤ bìl zav zdràvo se zakàčil u tìja

but the cloth was apparently we-very well stuck in these –

38 (c) u tòo vṛšl'àk u tìja dṛ̀va i po tovà vrème

in that brushwood, in those trees. And about that time

39 (c) ìdva màjka mu i vìždḁ če detèto go nèma

his mother comes and sees that the child is missing.

40 (c) i izlèzla vɤ̀n počnàla da vìka kogà go vidèla

She apparently went out and started to scream when she saw it,

41 (c) a òn mɤ̀či da go otkàči da go fṛ̀li u bàrata

and him trying so hard to unhook it so he could throw it in the creek

42 (c) i onà viknàla

And she was shouting –

43 (b) vìdiš li bòži znàk čovèk kato si imàl dnì

You see, it’s God’s sign. Every person has his days [to live out].

44 (c) zakàčil e povòjɤ povòjɤ vìdiš li zatovà trèbva da ìma povòj

The swaddling cloth had gotten stuck. You see? That’s why you need swaddling cloths.

Huhla 3

16 (a) dòjdəhə večertɤ̀ kàzəhə bàj vɤ̀l'ču səkà i səkà ə dòjde idìn

They came in the evening and said “Uncle Vulcho, such and such.” And one came,

17 (a) idìn drùk è tòa nàš ìmə sìn gul'èmijə kumənìs

and then another, that one ours, his son a big Communist.

18 (a) əmə jà mu kàzvəm t'èbe əku tə b'àhə fàtili ə mur'ɤ̀t

and I say to him, “If they had taken you to torture you,

19 (a) če ti udir'àhə kužìčkətə utɤ̀rnətə večertɤ̀ pusr'àt nɤ̀ž

they would have skinned you – morning, evening, in the middle of the night.”

20 (a) dòjde vɤ̀lčo slùšəj kò šə kàžə še dòjde kumunìzmə

[So] he came [and said] “Listen, Vulcho, to what I say. Communism is coming.

21 (a) šə zəkàrət òlvetu tì ìməš mnòg òluve i ìd'e ìd'ə inò mòmče̝

They’ll drive off your oxen. You’ve got a lot of oxen. A fellow is coming

22 (a) ìd'e ud vɤ̀lču.pòl də i prudəd'ène tòj vìkə à kòstə

[he’s] coming from Vulcho Pole, and we’ll sell them.” And he said, “Hah! Kosta –

23 (a) kəd'è še vərìte i jà tàm ko š ìdə də prudàvəne

wherever you go, I [go] too. Why should I go off to sell [them]?

24 (a) t'è sàmu mòjte n'àmə də z'ème utrinɤ̀tə dòjdəhə ə vàj vàj

They won’t take only mine.” In the morning they came – ah, ah!

25 (a) če i nì dòjdəhme kətu innì mumàri inò vr'àme gà sə gləv'àhne

like these matchmakers in the old days when we got engaged

26 (a) èj səkà èj səkà èm dàdəhme gà gà stàne təkà

and this and that, and we gave [it over]. And when it happens like that,

27 (a) è gà vl'èzət hòrətə i jà še fl'àzə nəlì e təkà

when [other] people join, then I’ll join [too], right?

28 (a) fl'àzəjne s'etnətə ùtrinə zimàhə sìčku sià tòjə čuv'àk

So we joined, and the next morning they took everything. Now this [my] man,

29 (a) tòj b'àše si rəbutlìf čuv'àk o òt' ìmə enì l'èli

he was a hard-working person, because there were “aunties”

30 (a) zə gl'èdəne d'àdu i bàbə b'àhə stàri tr'àvə sə ràbuti

that needed looking after, Grandpa and Grandma were old, one’s got to work.

31 (a) tòj vìkə s'à kəè kò də pràjə ìkəm nə znàm

He said, “Well what’ll I do?” I said, “I don’t know.

32 (a) nà vɤ̀ri gl'èdəj də vìdim kò pràət hòrətə utìde nədòlu

Go off and see what people are doing.” He went down the hill,

33 (a) gà utìde dòjde žèno zbèri mi l'àp kò vəzdìšəš b'è

He went, then came [and said] “Wife, gather me up [some] bread. Why sigh so?

34 (a) mə kàrat me d'èt' də vàdim kàmen'e nɤ̀j nəprèš də nəpràət ubòretu

They’re making me quarry some stone. First they’ll be building stables,

35 (a) tr'àbvət kàmene zberàh mu l'àb z'è kupàčə z'è mənèlətə utìdi

and they need stone.” So I got him the bread, he took a hoe, he took a lever, and he left.

36 (a) tùku hòrətə zəgrìzəhə nə tòu d'èn tə d'è utìde vɤ̀l'ču

Right off people started to bug me that day, “Where did Vulcho go?

37 (a) tàno tə tì zəštò pùskəš vɤ̀lču hòrətə gl'èdət də sə rəstùri səvà

Tana, why did you let Vulcho go off? People are watching to see it all fall apart.”

38 (a) əm ə v'èke ìkəm [unintelligible] kəkò də v pràime nìe

But then I say [unintelligible] “What are we going do with you?”

39 (a) tòj hòdi ràpti òrətə pučàkəə pučàkəhə če nə s'ètn'e bil'à

He went to work, and the people kept waiting, and later it even turned out that

40 (a) i glànni b'àhə če tòj gà z'èhə pərì ə dàdəhə mu i žìtu̥

they were starving. So he – when they took the money, they gave him the grain.

41 (a) à t'è n'èmu dàdohə žìt pərì òti nàšijə bràt pək b'àše

They gave him grain and money because our brother was

42 (a) ə komtrol'ò təkɤ̀u əm brigədìr vəsìl d'è vàskətə

[someone] in control. Brigadier Vasil, you see – [our] Vaska.

43 (a) əmə nè če tòj b'àše brigədìr əmə ìmə trùdu.dèn

But not because he was a brigadier, rather he’d [done] a work day.

Iskrica 1

1 (a) kɤt sə užèn’əh dòjdah tùtùkaa sikɤ̀rvə mi b’èše mnògu rəbòtnə

When I married, I came here. My mother-in-law was a hard worker.

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Iskrica 1

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