personal narratives

Repljana 1

13 (a) da rovèm če me ostài pa če me s ròdzi namùška

start to cry, [for fear] that he'd drop me and poke me with his horns.

14 (a) jà mirùjem onò vodà bèše golemà nèkvo valè dɤ̀š

So I stayed quiet. The water was very high, it had rained a lot.

15 (a) òn òp ta preko vodùtu me prenèse i me òstai vòlɤt

And just like that, the ox carried me across the water and left me.

16 (a) a onà si nò kvò stànu kvò stànu jà ne smèem

"What happened? What happened?" And I didn't dare

17 (a) da se obàdim če da ne bì da me mirùjem

speak up for fear that he'd – that he – So I kept calm.

18 (a) rèko nè.znam kvò stànu pa g’u ne kazùjem

[and] said “I don’t know what happened.” But I didn’t tell her

19 (a) če če me utrepàl vòlɤt tùj pod mìšku

that – that this ox had struck me here under my arm.

20 (a) xàjde àjde ìdemo si oddòle mi oddòle ìdemo po tòo pùt

So, OK, we went up from [there]. We were going up along that road.

21 (a) kat pìpnu onò mi mòkro tùj pod mìšku bolì me

And when I touched [myself], it was wet here in my armpit! It hurt,

22 (a) ama rèko no nè e tòlko no mòkro male

but I said, “Well, it’s not so much, just a bit wet.” But then – “Oh, my God!”

23 (a) rukà mi ot kṛ̀v rèko onà no kvò ti e

I said, “My arm’s [all] bloody!” And she said, “What happened to you?

24 (a) štò ti e rèko no vòlɤt me ubòl jàle kvò mi e

What’s with you?” And I said, “Well, this ox gored me. See what it is?

25 (a) mòkro tùj jà si àjde àjde ta do dòm

It’s [all] wet here.” So I kept going till I got home –

26 (a) mì tùka živèemo gòre a kakò se javì na pòrtutu

we lived just right up there. And just when I showed up at the gate –

27 (a) volòvete ulàze jà vanù da rovèm tekà si me

the oxen were coming in – I began to cry; that’s how I felt.

28 (a) žàl me e če če me vòlɤt

I felt sorry for myself that - that this ox

29 (a) tèl da me da me ubìe da zagìnem tìja dɤ̀n

could have – could have killed me, that I could have died that day.

30 (a) a màjka mi stoì tekà na dvòrɤt što rovèš što rovèš

And my mother stood there in the yard –“Why are you crying, why are you crying?”

31 (a) jà g’u ne mòk kàžem rovèm pa ne mòg

I couldn’t speak, I [just] cried. I couldn’t [do anything].

32 (a) nò štò rovèš kvò ti e bòlna li si

“So why are you crying? What’s the matter?” [she said] “Are you sick?

33 (a) kvò ti e bì li te nèkoj kvò ti e

What happened? Did somebody beat you? What is it?”

34 (a) jà g’u ne mòk kàžem kvò mi e če me vòlɤd bòl

And I couldn’t tell her what it was, that the ox had gored me.

35 (a) rèko no vòl me gràbnu pa me prenèse

[Finally] I said, “Well, this ox picked me up and carried me…”

37 (a) onà mi napraìla košùl’u nòvu ot ot šutò platnò no

She (= mother) had made me this new shift out of some hemp-like fabric.

38 (a) ako nè e bilà novà onò bì si me mòže provalìlo

If it hadn’t been new, then I could have been pierced [through]

39 (a) tùj u rebràta a onò a onò pozapṛlò màlko

here in the ribs. But this – this [new fabric] blocked it a bit

40 (a) pa ta pod mìškutu ta rèko no vòlɤt me obòde

in the armpit. So I said, “Well, the ox gored me.”

41 (a) baštà mi ùze vìlu želèznu pa idè pa si volà bì

And my father took an iron pitchfork and beat the ox,

42 (a) bì bì svè ga skḷ̀če ama ga nè je čuvàl mlògo

he beat it [so bad] that he nearly pulverized it. But he didn’t keep it long

43 (a) prodàde ga no rèče da te ubìe no decà pràčam

[after that]; he sold it. “By God,” he said, “I’ve got children!”

44 (a) ìmam i dvàma bràk’a no r’èče da vi ubìe

(I have two brothers); and he said, “If [it’s going] to kill you [kids] –

45 (a) za kvò mi e mèn vòl da mi utrèpe detè

Why do I need an ox that’s going to kill my child?

46 (a) pa ga òn prodàde ama ga dòsta bì

So he sold it, but he beat it a lot [first].

47 (a) pa tegàj nèma dòktor tùj a màti mi prespàmo

And then there’s no doctor here. So mother and I slept through the night

48 (a) pa jutròto ràno no u dòlni.lòm fèršil onà me zavède tàm

and early the next morning she took me to the paramedic in Dolni Lom

49 (a) ta me prèmi prèvṛza me tàm səz bìnt dòktor

and the doctor there cleaned [the wound] and tied a bandage on it,

50 (a) ta mi mìnu nè e me vodìla vèče

and I got over it. She didn’t take me [there] again.

52 (VZh) òn nè e li kròtək vòlət

But isn’t the ox [generally] a mild-tempered [beast]?

53 (a) a bè òn nè e bòl nìkada òn bìl kròtɤk

Well, yes, he’d never gored anyone before, he was [generally] mild-tempered.

54 (a) ama tegàj štò tekà od mùe li se zàvardi

[I don’t know] what happened this time, maybe he tried to ward off flies?

55 (a) òn me nè e bòl da rečèš

You [couldn’t really] say that he [actually] gored me …

63 (a) nè e me bòl sàl si tekà kìmnu i jà òp

he didn’t really gore me. He just gave a shake and there I was,

64 (a) ta na rodzìte mu kvò stànu štò stànu štò me

up on his horns. What happened, how it happened, how I – ?

65 (a) òstai me prenèse me vodà golemà bèše onà se čùdeše

He left me [there], he took me across; there was a lot of water. And she wondered,

66 (a) tàj drugàrkata mi àna se zovè onà se čùdeše kvò

this friend of mine (named Anna), she wondered how

67 (a) če mìnemo vodùtu če valèlo dɤ̀š pa vodàta golemà

we were going to cross the water, because it had rained and the water was high

68 (a) a òn me prenèse prez vodùtu i me òstai

So he carried me through the water and left me [there].

69 (a) nè e me bòl nè e me nìšto kako čovèk

He didn’t gore me, he didn’t [do] anything. Like a person [would],

70 (a) gràbnu i me òstai ama ama kakò me zamašìl

he [just] picked me up and dropped me. But while he was waving me about

71 (a) òn si me pod mìškutu utrepàl pod ednùtu ta

he struck me under one of my arms. And so –

102 (a) pàk tàm na košàrutu jà bàba mi

are up there again the summer pen. And I – Granny said to me,

103 (a) ò ednò jàgn’e se bòlno nèkvo mukàvičavo bolù ga nòge

“Oh, [there’s] a sick lamb, [it’s] bad off somehow. Its legs aren’t right.

104 (a) da dòjdeš da ga napòimo səs orlòvi nòkti

You should come up and [help] us feed it with ‘eagle’s talons’.”

109 (a) [laughter] àjde bàba svarìla orlòvi nòkti jà ìdem onà dṛžì jàgn’eto

So Grandma boiled up the “eagle’s talons”. I go [over] and she holds the lamb

110 (a) jà sipùjem ta ga napòimo tovà ozdravèe jàgn’eto

[while] I pour, and we feed it to it. And the lamb gets better.

112 (a) àjde sɤ̀ga da gi popasèmo da i pùštimo màlko jàgancitȉ

And now it’s time to take them to pasture, to let the little lambs out a bit.

113 (a) pùštimo gi jàgancitȉ jàganci ulòve bṛ̀ze kòj na gdè vìdi

We release the little lambs. The lambs catch [the wind] and rush off, each on its own.

115 (a) i jà jà po n’ì bṛ̀zim bṛ̀zim bṛ̀zim ta gi svì

And I - I’m running after them, running, running, till I’ve surrounded [them],

116 (a) pribrà gi jàganciti a dèda mi se javìl

and gathered up the lambs. Then Grandpa came up –

117 (a) sɤs ovcète oddalèko i me vidèl če bṛ̀zim rèče

he’d been off with the sheep and seen me running. And he said,

118 (a) jà ka te vidò če bṛ̀ziš po jàgancitȉ od ràdoz bi lìtnul

“When I saw you running after the little lambs, I could have leapt with joy.

119 (a) stàr səm ama mìlo me če tṛ̀čaš po jàgancite

I [may be] old, but it’s sweet for me [to see] you running after the lambs.

120 (a) jàganciti bṛ̀ze tì bṛ̀ziš po n’ì

The lambs run off, and you run after them.”

123 (a) mìlo me kat te vidò če bṛ̀ziš po jàganciti [laughter] a dojdè

“I [was so] happy when I saw you running after these lambs.” And he came

124 (a) pa ə mi se ràduje tàm če sɤm bṛzìla po jàgancite

and was so happy that I had been running after the lambs.

125 (a) otišlà sɤm pri n’ì rèko dèdo no jà sɤm došlà

So I went over to them and said, “Grandpa, I’ve [actually] come

127 (a) da napòimo jàganciti jàgneto če e mlògo k’òpavo bòlno

so we could feed the lambs, [especially] the lamb that’s sickly and lame?”

128 (a) no dobrè dàko si došlà nè e me jèt

“Whatever – you’ve come, and I’m not angry

129 (a) če si došlà rèče ako si tè tekvòj

that you’ve come,” he said. “I don’t mind at all.” And that’s how it was.

Repljana 4

10 (a) dèto dèda g’òrg’a se bèše zavṛ̀l

That’s where Grandpa Georgi had wriggled [down into] …

13 (a) dèda g’òrg’a nadzṛtàl bèše sɤs ovcè pa mu pàdla kàpata

Grandpa Georgi was peering down [it]. He’d been with sheep and his cap fell off.

15 (a) pàdla mu kàpata òn ulèzne za kàputu

His cap fell off, [so] he went into [the hole] for his cap,

16 (a) pa ne mòže da izlèzne pa si sedèl tàm

and [then] couldn’t get out. So he just stayed there.

17 (a) pa ga onì tražìše jutròto če go nèma

And they sent a search party in the morning when he didn’t show up.

19 (c) tòj bèše u bunàrɤt odnèlo dà

It was by the well that it [his cap] slipped off.

32 (a) ta ga tražìše ta

… and they searched for him …

34 (c) tàm bèše odnèl dèda g’òrg’a

That’s where Grandpa Georgi slipped.

35 (a) tàm u dùpkutu ta ga isteglìše pa izlèzɤl

… in that hole there, and pulled him, and he [finally] got out.

37 (a) òn nadzṛtàl da vìdi kvò ìma

He had peered down there to see what there was

43 (a) a be tùj bèše u tùj dùpku dèda g’òrg’a

Well yes, it was here. It was that hole Grandpa Georgi [was in].

46 (b) a òn u bunàrɤt slazìl

So it was the well that he (Georgi) went down into.

Široka Lŭka

1 (VZh) [Кога тръгвахте да работите на нивата?]

[When did you set out to work in the fields?]

2 (a) bubàjku drùguš stàvaše i vìkaše dɤ ɤ dɤcà stàvajte pò rànu

In the old days Dad would get up and shout to the ch- “Children, get up earlier!

3 (a) mɛ̀se̥činata izlɛ̀la nìvata e uzrɛ̀la trɛ̀va d ìdite da a žɔ̀nete

The moon’s out, the [crops in the] field are ripe, you have to go out and reap them

4 (a) če že ukàpɤ nìj stàvahme rànu hòg’ahme pòčvahme bèz zakùska

or they’ll fall off.” We’d get up early, we’d go, we’d start [work] without breakfast.

43 (a) hùbava si e kɔ̀štasa če zgà tùk me e ustàil mažɔ̀

[Yes,] it’s a nice house. My husband left me here.

44 (a) tùa sam duvègena tùj sam ràždala tùj san hrànila kùtɤla

I was brought here (as a bride), I gave birth here, I fed and raised [my kids] here,

45 (a) bàba mi e pustìlala g’ušèk’ za pàpr’ək’ pàpr’ək mi [laughter] tùrilə ud g’ušèk’

Grandma spread out for me a mattress of ferns [laughter] she put down a fern mattress for me

46 (a) zavìvala ne znàeme lèkarɤ nè znàeme na dòkturɤ da hòdɤm

and covered [me up]. We didn’t deal with doctors, we didn’t go to doctors.

47 (a) akušèrki ne znàeme sìčki č’ètiri decà sam rudìla

We didn’t deal with midwives. I gave birth to all four children [here]

48 (a) vəf kɔ̀štasa i sɤm sì sɤm ràždala

in the house. And I – I bore them myself,

49 (a) jɛ̀ si sam hrànɤla kùtɤla razvìvala puvìvala

I bore them myself, I fed and nourished them myself, I unwound and wound them up (= changed their diapers),

Stakevci 1

1 (a) išlà sam u selò zàvet no sɤ̀ga bilò

I went to the village of Zavet but now they say –

2 (a) sɤ̀k je gràt selò zàvet

now [what used to be] the village of Zavet is a town.

16 (a) jà ràzgratsko

[Yes], I [went to] the Razgrad region …

18 (a) kubràt tàm òšte e pɤ̀k natàmo

… [to] Kubrat. And still beyond that …

20 (a) selò zàvet dalèče e mnògo dalèče

… is the village of Zavet. It’s far, very far.

22 (a) pètstòtin kilomètra e do kubràt a ot kubràt

It’s five hundred kilometers to Kubrat, and after Kubrat,

23 (a) na natàmo do selò zàvet ošte osemnàes devetnàes kilomètra

all the way to the village of Zavet, is eighteen or nineteen kilometers more.

27 (a) tàm po tòa po rèjsovetȉ pa zbṛkà

[I went] there by this – by bus lines, but I got confused.

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personal narratives

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Repljana 4

Široka Lŭka

Stakevci 1

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Repljana 1

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Široka Lŭka

Stakevci 1

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