image: traditional Tujia brocade


(Play All)Conversations: Remembering Our Childhood

3.1: Remembering Our Childhood

Lu Yunhua & Lu Meiyan, Tasha Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 30 January 2003

01 M: ni2 bi2kui1-zu2 qie4 gao1-la1? Y: nga2 bi2kui1-zu2 ya2 ge3ci2 ca2 la. eng wu2 ka4-xie2, wu2 ka4-zu2 ya2 ge3ci2 ca2 la.
M: What did you do when you were small? Y: When I was small I had a good time. I used to look after the cow while it grazed, it was fun.
02 M: kei3 ka4-la1? Y: qie1lie1 ku1za4 ga3 ya, ai1lie1 me qie1sa1 ya, hang2 wu2 ka4-la1.
M: Where did you take it? Y: Up on Qielie Mountain, then also up in the hills, that's where I looked after it.
03 M: a3se4 da4ha3? Y: a2guo1-die1 gai4 yo. ang2 ai1jie3-lie1 wu2 ka4-zu2 me, ge3ci2-ma1 ge3ci2, ka3 wo4-ma1 ka3 wo4, wu2 ka4-ma1 wu2 ka4.
M: Who did you go with? Y: Lots of friends. When we were watching the cows, those with nothing to do enjoyed themselves, those who'd come to fetch firewood did so, and those who'd brought their cows grazed them.
04 ni2 le? ni2 bi2kui1-zu2 qie4 gao1-la1? M: nga2 me bi2kui1-zu2 wu2 ka4, wu2 ka4 ge3ci2 ca2-xi3tai2.
And you? What did you do when you were young? M: Me, when I was young I looked after our cow, that was great fun.
05 Y: ni2 wu2 ka4-zu2 qie4 gao1-la1? M: nga2 wu2 ka4 me a2guo1-die1 da4ha3, wu2 lao4 po1-lie3 me ni2 jiu1 ni2duo3 ni2-nie3 gao1-di1xi3.
Y: What did you do whilst grazing your cow? M: When I was grazing the cow with my friends, you let the cow go and then you could do what you wanted.
06 wo3sa3 lao3ga3 lao4 wo4, su1ku1 la2 pa1 wo4, ai1lie1 jiu1 ka3 ni1 ya!
I would carry a big back-basket, and a firewood knife, and then go and look for firewood!
07 Y: ang si2di1, ang2 ai1 si3jie3 ka3 wo4 ye1 huan3zeng4 wo3sa3 lao4 wo4-bo3 mo3, ai1lie1 jiu1 su1ku1 mo3-lie3 xi1la3 xi1la3, ai1lie1 ka3, ka3 ni1 ang, ai1di1 kuai2-ma1 me jiu1 ai1di1, ai1jie3 hi4-bo3.
Y: Yes, we used to carry firewood, we always carried a large back-basket, and honed the firewood knife until it was very sharp. We then went off to look for firewood, those who had collected their firewood quickly would rest there.
08 la1sa1die1 yi2 kong4 tai2-nie2 me jiu1 ka3, ai1lie1 jiu1 guo2duo3 guo2duo3 ni1 ang, ni1-lie3 yi1hou2 me jiu1, ai1 jiu1 ge3ci2 ang.
Those who hadn't even got a bundle would go off on their own to find some. When they had collected firewood, they could play there.
09 M: o! cu1 ye4-liao3, cu1 ye4-liao3 jiu1 hi4-bo3, qie4 duo3 gao1-ta1-duo3 o eng, ka3 wo4-xi2 kong1zi1 ci4 jiu1 ra3lie3 la2 bu2, ra3lie3 la2 bu2 ta2-duo3 o.
M: Oh! When we came home, we would rest at home, we didn't need to do anything else. If we had collected a big load of firewood, we could fry ourselves an egg, a fried egg.
10 ai1 si3jie3, bi2kui1-zu2 ang2 li3-xi2 la, ni2 hao4ri3 ba? Y: hao4ri3. M: hang jiu1 huo2nie3, ai1lie1 le? Y: ai1me1 jiu1 da4 ge3ci2 ang, wu2 ka4 me qie4.
Those were the days when we were young; you must know what we've been talking about. Y: I know. M: It was like that, and afterwards? Y: Well, we played together, grazed our cows, nothing much.
11 ai1 si3jie3, nga2 die2-bo3 me, ai1 si3jie3 ang2-nie3 wu2, nie1 ma1 da4 wu2 lao4-lang2, ai1 wu2 ka4-zu2 le jiu1 ang2-nie3 a2da1 ang2 nie1 hu3 mang, guo2 le jiu1 ka3 wo4, nga2 le jiu1 zuan1meng3 le wu2 ka4.
I remember it well, we used to only have one cow between two households, and when we took the cow out to graze, my elder sister and I went together. She collected firewood, but my job was grazing the cow.
12 M: eng... o nga2 hao4rou3, nga2 hao4rou3! nga2 le jiu1 ni2 da4 da4ze3-da2, ang2 le jiu1 la2 ma1 le wu2 lao4-lang2.
M: Hmm, I know, I know. It wasn't the same for me, just one household to look after the cow.
13 wu2, la2 ma1 wu2 lao4 xie2, wu2 la2 nie1 hi4lie3 ang2duo3 ka4-duo3. luo4die1 ka4-ta1 mang, you2 ang2-nie3 wu2, nga2duo3 ka4-duo3.
Our family had one cow, so we had to look after it ourselves every day. There was nobody else to look after it, we had to look after our cow ourselves.
14 ai1 si3jie3 la4 hhi2 me2ze3-liao3 die3! lao3ci3 meng ge3ci2 ca2, me2ze3-liao3 jiu1 lao1huo4 la, la4 you2 hhi2-xi2 lang1, lao3ci3-zu2 jiu1 ge3ci2 ca2-xi3tai2, lao3 bie1li3-zu2 ang2 jiu1 wu2 ji4-bo3 mo3; ai1lie1, ai1lie1 jiu1 cu1-bo3 eng3qie2.
In those days, going out in the rain, ugh! When it was sunny we had fun, but when it rained it was tiring, and not easy to get around. When the sun was shining, it was great fun, and when the sun went down we would ride our cows, then we would go home.
15 ni2 le? Y: da4ze3, ai1 si3jie3, ang2 wu2 ka4-zu2 mang, ang2 wo3 la2 da2 wo4, sang1mei1zai1 me ci1pei1 la2 pei1 hao3 a.
How about you? Y: The same, when we used to look after the cow, I would carry a back-basket, and sometimes I would take a book.
16 ci1pei1 la2 pei1 hao3 me, ka3 wo4-da2 me jiu1 ci1pei1 ba4, ci1pei1 ba4, ci1pei1 ba4, ai1di1 ba4-bo3 ca2, ai1di1 ci1pei1 huo3-bo3-xi2 da4 la2 dong2 yi2qi3 da4 ba4.
I would take a book, when I wasn't collecting firewood, I would read, I would read. If the books were interesting, we would sit together and read them.
17 M: o ai1lie1 ai1 ga3ha2 mo2hu1, ai1 ga3ha2 mo2hu1-lie3 jiu1, ba3ti3 luo4 jiu1 ti2, ge3ci2 ca2-xi3tai2. mu2lang1 me ci1tu1 le, ai1lie1 ai1di1 gai4jiu4 duo3 gao1-bo3-dao2 ao.
M: And we used to shout up on the mountainside, shout from up there, and folk down below would shout back, that was great fun. Now we need to study, so it's a long time since we did such things.
18 Y: mu2lang1 qing2die1 di2yi1 kuai2huo1, qian2 duo3 gao1-ta1-duo3. M: ang2 ai1 si3jie3 me ku4-xi3tai2, la2 nie1 la2 nie1 wu2 ka4-duo3.
Y: Nowadays children are very lucky, they don't do a stroke of work. M: We worked hard in those days, having to take the cow out every day.
19 luo4ci1ba1 duo3 luo3-lie3, ka4-ta1 jiu1 luo3, ha3-si3-i. mu2lang1 le ang2 jiu1 ci1tu1-ma1, ci1tu1, ci1tu1-zu2 le nga2 you1 si3jie3 ai4duo3 die2-bo3-la1-nie2, ai1di1 ge3ci2 ca2-xi3.
All the grown-ups scolded us, if you wouldn't take the cow out, they'd scold you, and give you a thrashing. Now we are students, and when I am studying, sometimes I remember what fun we used to have.
20 la2 nie1 la2 nie1 die2-bo3-la1-nie2, ni2 le? Y: ang2 ai1 si3jie3 be2, ni2 qie4 die2-bo3-la1?
Every day, I still remember, how about you? Y: We used to do the same things; what do you remember?
21 M: jiu2si2 wu2 ka4-xi2 la. Y: ai1 a3se4 duo3 die2-bo3-la1 heng, ai1 si3jie3, zui2 ge3ci2 ca2-liao3 wa! cu1 duo3 gao1-ta1lie3, huan2 kang3ku1-bo3 hhi2, kang3ku1-bo3 wu2 ka4-ca2. wu2 ka4 me, ka3 yi2 kong4 wo4.
M: Just looking after our cow. Y: Everyone remembers that, those days, they were such fun! We didn't want to stay at home, we were always heading for the hills, always wanted to take the cow out to graze. Graze the cow, or collect a load of firewood.
22 M: si1ma3-ta1-ce1, lei4 da4ze3. ang2ni1 jiu1 cai3mo1 ci1tu1-duo3, ai1 wu2 ka4-xi2 ku4 le ang2duo3 hao4ri3 o!
M: I can never forget it, just as if it's happening today. Now we have to study hard, we ourselves know what difficult times we had looking after our cows!
23 ang2duo3 cai3mo1 ci1 zang4jing3 tu1, ni2 le jiu1, mu2lang1 zang4jing3 gao1-duo3. Y: ang si2di1 eng. M: ca2-liao3 ba!
We have to study hard, and you, you have to do well in your job. Y: True. M: OK!

 

 

 

 

 


Copyright (C) 2004 Philip & Cecilia Brassett