personal narratives

Eremija 5

112 (c) ne smèja òn vìka če go pùsneš sàmo po nàši̥te karùci

I don’t dare!” He said, “Just let it [go] after our carriages.

113 (c) tòo kòn je je ùčen ta takà i jà i po sos nìx

This horse is trained.” And so – I went out after them!

114 (c) ta u baìra pa ìma takòva bačìi tàm

Into the hills! And there is this dairy farm there.

116 (c) bìvolici muzàli pràat na ta sìren'e ta maslò tvà i če

They milked water buffaloes, they make both cheese and butter. It’s like –

117 (c) kuròrt tàm ìma nògu ùbaf kato pùštiš lubenìcata u kurìtoto

a resort there. There’s – very nice. When you put a watermelon in a trough

118 (c) onà pomṛ̀zne fenà takàva stùt tàm àt studèna vodà ìmaše

it freezes right off. Such cold there! There was water as cold as hell there.

119 (GK) vednàga ja fàšta stuttà

The cold enveloped it right off.

120 (c) vednàga a fàšta studèna ta sam živejàla da na ùbavo

The cold enveloped it right off. So I lived well.

Eremija 6

71 (c) à pa da vi kàža màk'a mi

Ah, but let me tell you about my mother!

73 (c) pa kato ojdò na učìlišti̥ i jà ìda i vìkam màmo

Well, [it was] when I went to school. I come home and say, “Mama!

74 (c) ofcìte ležàli sa ama jà se pa naučìx

The sheep were just lying down [so I left them]. But I’ve learned something!"

75 (c) e kakò naučì vɤ̀lkət vìe nə v goràta

“And what did you learn?” “ ‘The wolf howls in the high forest’ !”

78 (c) onà mi vìka e vɤ̀lkət če vìe i nè

And she said to me, “Well, the wolf may howl [up there],

79 (c) ama tì tì da vìime kakò če vìeš

but you! You – let’s see how you will howl [down here]!”

81 (c) i me izlagà uleznàx pri ofcìte

And she deceived me into coming into the sheep pen

83 (c) pa kato me ulovì ta bòj ta bòj

And when she caught me, oh did she beat me!

84 (c) ta od ednò balkònče te tòlko komàj ripnàx

And I jumped from something like a small balcony, this high or so,

85 (c) ama bèše ozdòle mèko g'ùbre ìmaše takòva ot ə

and underneath there was soft garbage, this stuff from …

86 (d) tòr

Fertilizer.

87 (c) tes slàma

… [it and] – straw.

89 (c) ta dòle pa stanà i vìkam sè me gòni

– down there. I got up and said [to myself] she’s chasing me.

90 (c) da me bìe a onà si se vṛnàla a jà vìkam

in order to beat me. But she’d gone back. And I thought

91 (c) sè me gòni ta tò ednà rèka tè nàšata rèka dòle

she’s still chasing me. So there’s this river, our river over there,

92 (c) odbegà do tàm

[and] I ran off there.

95 (c) i vèče ne ojdò

And I didn’t go [to school] any more.

Garvan 1

159 (a) səm čùvələ tùj nèštu dè ni sɤ̀m təkòzvələ də vìd'ə

I’ve heard of that. I’ve never, you know, been around to see [it]

160 (a) əmɤ̀ səm čùlə dàže às pòmn'ə tɤ̀j b'àw pò màlkə tɤ̀j

but I heard [about it]. I even remember once when I was little,

161 (a) u nàštu s'èlu inɤ̀ tɤ̀j jə vɤ̀rnələ ut ə ut svàdbətə

in our village [the mother-in-law] sent one back after the wedding,

162 (a) òšti tàm ja pund'èl'niku̥ sreštu pund'èl'niku i jə vɤ̀rnəə u tèjkuvi si

They sent her back to her father’s on the Monday on Sunday night in fact,

163 (GK) mìslili sə če

They thought that …

164 (a) emì tɤ̀j əmi

Well, exactly.

165 (GK) e budalà

… she was a fool.

166 (a) nè e č'èsnə kàzvət

That she wasn’t honorable, as they say.

188 (a) nèjn'it'ȅ əm kɤ̀k às kəkò č'eìs səm dunèsələ ò kəkò čeìs

Her things. Oh what a dowry I brought with me! Oh, what a dowry,

189 (a) kəkò n'èštu wòs'əm jurgàn'ə səm ìmələ i vəzglàvnici i č'erš'èβi

what a thing! I had eight quilts, and pillows, and sheets –

190 (a) kòlku č'erš'eβi ìməm às dàže ìməm òšte id'ìn

how many sheets I had! I even still have one –

191 (a) b'àl vɤ̀l'nen è tɤ̀j b'àlu səz b'àl pəmùk i ə təkòs

it’s of white wool, white [like] this one. And white cotton too, and such.

192 (a) i kəkò šə stàni às ni znàm nìkuj ni gì štè

And what will happen [to it all] I don’t know. Nobody wants them [any more].

193 (GK) mə sedɤ̀t li

They’re [still] here?

194 (a) sid'ì sid'ì sìn sìn təkɤ̀f pàk təkàn

Yes, still here. And [I have] a blue one, too, woven.

195 (a) mnògu às ìməm mnògu drèi səm ìmələ mnògu

[There’s] a lot – I have a lot of handwork. I had a lot,

196 (a) às dàβəm nə nə unùj ə d'ètu d'ètu igràjət sigà

I give things [now] to those – the ones that dance now,

197 (a) t'ès ə bùl'kit'ȅ nə ə stər'èškiu dòm ə stər'èškiu dòm nəlì

these – the “brides” at the old-age home. The old-age home, you know?

199 (a) təkòzvət nə kəf'en'ètu tàm ìmə grùpa mlàdi tɤ̀j bùl'ki

They do stuff at the café there. There’s a group of young girls [who]

200 (a) igràjət tàm səm in dàlə ìməv è tɤ̀j prist'ìlkə

dance there [and] I gave them – I had this apron,

Gela 1

61 (a) hà stàna tòlčevu ledùnčište nèneka i vìka nà sàšu

Hah! and it got to be an enormous icicle. So [Maria] says “Here, Sasha –

62 (a) sàšo jà kòlku ìka ìma tàm šušùl'ki

Sasha, look,” she says, “how many ‘shushulki’ (icicles) there are over there!”

64 (a) jɛ̀ ìkəm kadɛ̀ ima šušùl'ki [laughter] i tàm pòčnem sa smɛ̀em

And I say, “Where are there ‘shushulki’ (dried plums)?” [laughter]. And we start laughing.

65 (a) kàk vìka bàpke ma nvà e ledùnka

“What do you mean, Granny?” he (Sasha) says. “That’s a ‘ledunka’.

66 (a) če vìka vàšto pò pràvilno ledùnka

She said your [word] is more correct. That thing is a ‘ledunka’ (icicle),

67 (a) òt vìka vìš kàk mi kàzvə tìe se pulɛ̀ga pulɛ̀ga pulɛ̀ga

because,” he said to me, “see [how] they (icicles) little by little build up

68 (a) i stàne gulɛ̀mu ledùnka i katu nè e šušùlka [laughter]

and it becomes a big icicle. So [that means] it’s not a ‘shushulka’.” [laughter]

69 (a) za nəkvò se smɛ̀at òtɤ

And that’s what they were laughing about, because –

Gela 2

94 (a) ednà gudɨìna ut plòvdiv be dušlà enà dukturìca ta be duvèla mòmče

One year a doctor lady came up from Plovdiv and brought a boy

95 (a) f pustèle vìka kàzahà mə vìka pòčna

[wrapped in] a sheet. She said, “They told me,” she said, that he’d begun

96 (a) da ne mòž da vìžda kàzahà da čèrni buruvìnki

to lose his sight. They said that [he needed to eat] blueberries.

97 (b) kɤsugl'èdu beše

He was nearsighted.

98 (a) ne bɛ̀ mə nèka tò bɤlò si nè e kəsuglèdu

He wasn’t! No, [in fact] it turned out that he was not nearsighted.

99 (a) ama z'ɔ̀lu da ne mòže da vìžda tugàf nàšte ja vòdia gòre

He’d begun to lose his sight, so our people brought her here

100 (a) tə dvɛ̀ tenkìi naberà čèrni buruvìnki vìka da mu dàvam

and she gathered two cans of blueberries and told me to give them to him

101 (a) da da jadè tà be ut plòvdif de dòkturka ta tùka spà

to eat. She was from Plovdiv, this doctor woman, and stayed over here

102 (a) i ja duvèdua nàšte zberà buruvìnki̥

Our people brought her, and she gathered blueberries.

Gigen 1

1 (d) kəkò də ti kàžə bràtku na dvàis i idnà gudìna ìməše vujnɤ̀

How can I tell you, brother? When I was twenty-one there was a war.

2 (d) òt dvənàjstə gudìnə do usemnàestə gul’èmu teglò istèglime̝

From 1912 to 1918 we had a very rough time.

3 (a) bɛ̀:me̝ čètiri mumìčetə ednò mumčè tò mɤ̀ninku i iskàreme̝ tovà

There were four of us girls and one boy – he was small. So we got through that –

4 (a) ožèni sɤ dvɛ̀ sestrì ìməm pò gulèmi i sə užènii

Marriages – I have two sisters older [than me], they both got married

5 (a) àjde sə užèni i àze i uprài:me ràbuttə pribrà se bɤštɤ̀ ni

And I got married too. And we took care of things. Our father came back

6 (a) od vojnɤ̀ta nàj pudìre tòj s bɛ̀ə gu fanàle̝ ròp

from the war finally. He had been taken prisoner.

7 (a) podìre dudè i tòj i nìštu ne rasprɤ̀sname̝

Finally he came. We didn’t [have to] disperse anything [of our property],

8 (a) əmə gulɛ̀m zòr vidò:me òd dvanàesta gudìnə do usemnàestə

but we saw very hard times between 1912 and 1918.

9 (a) orà kopàče̝ žetvàre̝ tɤkàče̝ da predèš da šìe̝š tuvà a

I did plowing, [we worked as] diggers, harvesters, weavers – you spin, you sew - like that.

10 (a) kupà:me žɤ̀ne:me kòse:me sɤbìra:me sɛ̀no zə stòkә̥tә̥

We went out digging, harvesting, mowing, we gathered hay – for the animals.

Godeševo 3

15 (VZh) [Вие ли построихте тази къща?]

[Were you the ones who built this house?]

16 (b) abè nè jə kùpifme

Ah, we bought it.

17 (a) kɤ̀wpifmè jə ud ədɤ̀jn čuv'àk tòj sə iss'è̝li ə pə

[Yes,] we bought it from a man. He moved away, and then

18 (a) nìe jə kɤ̀wpime nìe si sme segà ugrədɤ̀jli drùgə

we bought it [from him]. Now we’ve built another one

19 (a) əmə f nèjə ne smè sed'àli

but we haven’t been living in it.

20 (a) seà sme fəf sàə kulìbə f sàə kulɤ̀jbə

Now, we’re in this hut. [In] this hut!

Golica 1

4 (a) idìna mi sìn gu ubìha kət edìn pɛ̀rvie b'ɛ̀še

One of my sons was killed, [that] was the oldest one,

5 (a) idìna sa udɑ̀vi

and another drowned.

6 (b) a tɛ̀j stɑ̀na

And that’s what happened

Golica 3

83 (c) am val'àše àz zapòwn'uw də n' valì kɛ̀k enɛ̀ gudìna

You say “it used to rain”?! I can remember when it didn’t rain. When that year –

84 (c) znɑ̀m na na studènija klàdenec hòd'ehme də səs mɑ̀jka

I know I went with my mother to Studeni Kladenec

85 (c) də p'ir'èm tàm n'èmaše dè də sə up'ir'èm

to do the wash there. Nowhere to do the washing!

86 (c) a tòz bòj p'àsək b'àgame pɑ̀ri

Sand up to your head! We [had to] escape from the heat –

88 (c) s kol'à vər'àha wòlovi kol'à da wòz'ehə snòpi prəz nìvit'ȅ

The oxen going with the carts, the carts carrying sheaves through the fields,

89 (c) stɑ̀nalu ə tòs ə tòlkus prɑ̀h

came upon so much dust.

92 (c) pɑ̀ri n'e sɛ̀ vərì

so much heat [that] they couldn’t go on.

Golica 5

1 (a) ìmam drùgu mumč’è tò už’ènenu ìma dv’ɛ̀ decà

I have another son, he’s married [and] has two children.

2 (a) i utìde w bez’erlìk’ u drùga dərdž’ɛ̀va ə č’e gu z’èha

And he went to Libya, to another country [where] they kidnapped him.

3 (a) i stuv’à ednà gudìna ə č’e gu z’èha bəndìt’tɛ̏

He was there a year. And [these] bandits kidnapped him.

4 (a) ə č’e stujà s’edemdes’è d’èn’ə ne gù znàemi

For seventy days we had no knowledge of him –

5 (a) žỳvu li e kəd’à e ə č’i̥ xòdime nə ednà wrɑ̀čkə

Was he alive? Where was he? So we went to a fortune-teller,

6 (a) ə č’e wrɑ̀čkətə kɑ̀zə nə snìmkə gl’èdə

And the fortune-teller said – she looked at a photo [of him].

7 (a) i nìe ni gù znàeme gi bùlkata i tò dwɑ̀mətə otìdaha

We didn’t know [anything more] about him. He and his wife had both gone,

8 (a) i i š’es momč’èta ednò ot sòhia i č’ètir:tȅ ot wɑ̀rnə

altogether six boys, one from Sofia and the four from Varna

9 (a) i i bùlkata i nàj žinɑ̀ a č’e otìdaha tàm

plus the wife – and some other one woman. So they went there,

10 (a) ə č’e t’è b’àha t’ehnìci tò arap’à tàm

[working as] mechanics [among] the Arabs there.

11 (a) a če nalì i arap’àta mràz’at gi dàvat na t’àx parìt’ɛ̏

And the Arabs hate them, because they [foreigners] get paid [good] money

12 (a) pak na un’às ne dàvat pak nàši̥t’ȅ kuìto ìdat ottùka

but the [locals] don’t get paid, as opposed to ours, who when they go there

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Eremija 5

Eremija 6

Garvan 1

Gela 1

Gela 2

Gigen 1

Godeševo 3

Golica 1

Golica 3

Golica 5

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