Botswana - Il raglio del leone
La strega Kalànga ne aveva fatti tanti d'incantesimi, ma la richiesta che era venuta a farle l'asino era proprio una novità: "Sono stanco della mia voce, di questo raglio che fa ridere tutti gli abitanti del villaggio grandi e piccoli. Ho anche provato a far uscire un suono diverso ma più ci provo più raglio in modo ridicolo e tutti ridono anche di più, quindi sono venuto da te strega Kalànga perché tu metta fine a questo supplizio!"
"Caro asino, rispose la strega, tu sai che io sono terribile posso fare tutto, ma su dimmi, che voce vorresti?"
"Voglio la voce del leone! - fece l'asino – del leone della foresta!"
Kalanga, che non si stupiva mai di niente, questa volta si stupì.
"Tu sai asino che per darti la voce del leone la devo togliere a lui e a lui dare la tua?"
"lo so - fece l'asino - ma questo è il tuo lavoro, mica il mio, arrangiati!"
La strega oltre che cattiva era anche molto avida e disse all'asino: "Va bene darò la voce del leone a te ma tu lavorerai per me giorno e notte per cento giorni e dopo io darò a te il suo ruggito per cento giorni!"
"Affare fatto", rispose l'asino.
Come lavorò quei cento giorni, l'asino non l'aveva mai fatto in vita sua: e porta l'acqua, e porta le travi per fare una grande capanna alla strega, e porta tutte le notti la strega dentro la foresta buia per farle preparare i suoi incantesimi (e qui l'asino si prendeva anche delle grandi paure nel vedere la strega parlare con gli spiriti spaventosi della foresta e dei morti).
Passati che furono i cento giorni, Kalànga andò nella foresta di notte e qui incontrò il leone che le ruggì così: "Che ci fai qui strega?"
"Sto raccogliendo in un sacco di pelle di coccodrillo tutti i rumori più spaventosi della foresta - rispose la strega - per far intimorire gli spiriti".
"Fai ascoltare il mio! - disse con superbia il leone - e tremeranno di spavento pure gli spiriti!"
"Con piacere - disse Kalanga - allora metti la testa in questo sacco e inspira forte e poi ruggisci più che puoi!"
E così fece il leone, non sapendo che stava inalando il raglio d'asino che la strega aveva messo nel sacco, lasciando il suo ruggito in cambio. Quindi la strega chiuse il sacco e con il buio della notte sparì andando di corsa nella sua capanna dove l'asino la stava aspettando. A sua volta inspirando nel sacco se ne uscì con un ruggito da fare paura!
Mentre ritornava al villaggio di mattina presto, l'asino riprovò la sua nuova voce spaventando tutti gli animali che incontrava e che fuggivano in un baleno.
Rientrato nel suo recinto che fu, se ne stette zitto, zitto anche quando via via gli abitanti del villaggio lo fecero lavorare come al solito: spostò sacchi di miglio per gli uomini dai campi, portò otri d'acqua dal fiume per le donne, portò a cavalcioni i bimbi che si divertivano tanto; poi nel bel mezzo della giornata, quando ebbe finito il suo pranzo, ragliò di soddisfazione, ma ne uscì un ruggito leonino talmente forte che gli abitanti del villaggio, credendo ci fosse il leone, scapparono tutti via e se ne ritornarono solo il giorno dopo armati di lance e frecce. Quando Seretsè, l'anziano del villaggio, capì e spiegò a tutti che era l'asino a ruggire, la gente si quietò...ma da quel dì nessuno chiedeva più aiuto all'asino per i suoi lavori, tanto era lo spavento che incuteva quando ruggiva.....non andò più nei campi, non andò più al fiume e i bimbi non si divertivano più con lui!.. E piano piano l'asino stava morendo di tristezza e solitudine.
Il leone, nvece, andava ingrassando come mai e senza fare fatica, poiché quando gli animali della foresta udivano il raglio, credendo fosse l'asino nascosto tra gli arbusti si avvicinavano senza paura e in un attimo il leone gli era addosso. All'inizio si era molto arrabbiato del suo raglio ma poi capì che questo incantesimo della strega gli era davvero assai utile.
Fortunatamente i cento giorni passarono e l'incantesimo di Kalànga finì così che l'asino ritornò a ragliare con felicità e a trotterellare tra gli abitanti del villaggio e il leone si riprese il suo ruggito, che si addiceva più ad un re (perché finché ragliava, nessun animale della foresta lo trattava più da sovrano ma sempre più spesso lo prendevano in giro) anche se dimagrì un bel po!
Botswana - The Lion's Bray
Kalanga the witch had made so many charms but the donkey's request was quite new: "I'm fed up with my voice, with this braying that makes all the village people laugh, young and old. Actually I've tried to produce a different sound but the more I try the more ridiculous my braying is and everyone laughs even more so I've come up to you witch Kalanga so that you can put an end to my torment".
"Dear donkey" answered the witch "as you know I'm terrific I can do anything, but come on tell me, what kind of voice would you like?"
"I want the lion's voice" said the donkey "the forest lion".
Kalanga was never surprised by anything but now she was surprised.
"Do you know donkey that in order to give you the lion's voice I have to take it away from him and give him yours?"
"I know" said the donkey "but that's your own business not mine".
Not only was the witch nasty she was also very greedy and she told the donkey: "I'll give the lion your voice all right but you'll work for me night and day for a hundred days and then I'll give you his roar for a hundred days".
"All right" answered the donkey.
In his whole life the donkey had never worked so hard as in those days: he carried water, carried the beans for a big hut for the witch, every night he carried the witch into the dark forest so that she could make her charms (and there the donkey got really scared when he saw her speaking to the awful spirits of the forest and of the dead).
After a hundred days Kalanga went into the forest at night and there she met the lion, who roared to her: "What are you doing here witch?"
"I'm collecting in a sack of crocodile leather all the most frightening noises of the forest" answered the witch "so as to frighten the spirits".
"Let them listen to mine!" haughtily said the lion "and even the spirits will tremble with fear".
"With pleasure" Kalanga said "then put your head into the sack and breathe in strongly and roar as much as you can".
So did the lion, not knowing he was exchanging his roar for the donkey's bray the witch had put into the sack. Then the witch tied the sack and disappeared into the darkness. She rushed to her hut where the donkey was waiting for her. He in turn breathed in in the sack and produced a terrifying roar.
Early in the morning while going back to the village the donkey tried out his new voice again, thus scaring off all the animals he would bump into.
Back in his fence he kept quite silent even when the village people made him work as usual: he moved sacks of millet from the field for the men, carried goatskins full of water from the river for the women, carried astride the children, who had such fun. Then in the middle of the day when he had finished his lunch he brayed with satisfaction but a lion-like roar came out, so loud that the village people, believing there was a lion, ran all off and came back no sooner than the following day, armed with spears and arrows. When Seretsè, the wise old man of the village, realized what had happened and explained to everyone that it was the donkey who roared, then the people calmed down but from that day onwards nobody asked the donkey for help so frightened everybody was by his roaring. Neither did he go to the fields any more nor to the river and the children did not have any more fun with him. And little by little the donkey was dying of sadness and loneliness.
On the contrary, the lion kept on putting on weight as never before and without effort since when the forest animals heard him braying fearlessly came closer believing it was the donkey hidden in the shrubs and in an instant the lion was upon them. At first the lion was very angry over his braying but then he realized the witch's charm was very advantageous for him.
Luckily a hundred days went by and Kalanga's charm ended so that the donkey happily resumed his braying and trotting amongst the village people and the lion got back his roaring, that was more suitable for a king (as long as he roared no animal treated him as a sovereign but made fun of him more and more often instead), but he lost a lot of weight though.
The Lion's Bray
Kalanga the witch had made so many charms but the donkey's request was quite new: “I'm fed up with my voice, with this braying that makes all the village people laugh, young and old. Actually I've tried to produce a different sound but the more I try the more ridiculous my braying is and everyone laughs even more so I've come up to you witch Kalanga so that you can put an end to my torment”.
“Dear donkey” answered the witch “as you know I'm terrific I can do anything, but come on tell me, what kind of voice would you like?”
“I want the lion's voice” said the donkey “the forest lion”.
Kalanga was never surprised by anything but now she was surprised.
“Do you know donkey that in order to give you the lion's voice I have to take it away from him and give him yours?”
“I know” said the donkey “but that's your own business not mine”.
Not only was the witch nasty she was also very greedy and she told the donkey: “I'll give the lion your voice all right but you'll work for me night and day for a hundred days and then I'll give you his roar for a hundred days”.
“All right” answered the donkey.
In his whole life the donkey had never worked so hard as in those days: he carried water, carried the beans for a big hut for the witch, every night he carried the witch into the dark forest so that she could make her charms (and there the donkey got really scared when he saw her speaking to the awful spirits of the forest and of the dead).
After a hundred days Kalanga went into the forest at night and there she met the lion, who roared to her: “What are you doing here witch?”
“I'm collecting in a sack of crocodile leather all the most frightening noises of the forest” answered the witch “so as to frighten the spirits”.
“Let them listen to mine!” haughtily said the lion “and even the spirits will tremble with fear”.
“With pleasure” Kalanga said “then put your head into the sack and breathe in strongly and roar as much as you can”.
So did the lion, not knowing he was exchanging his roar for the donkey's bray the witch had put into the sack. Then the witch tied the sack and disappeared into the darkness. She rushed to her hut where the donkey was waiting for her. He in turn breathed in in the sack and produced a terrifying roar.
Early in the morning while going back to the village the donkey tried out his new voice again, thus scaring off all the animals he would bump into.
Back in his fence he kept quite silent even when the village people made him work as usual: he moved sacks of millet from the field for the men, carried goatskins full of water from the river for the women, carried astride the children, who had such fun. Then in the middle of the day when he had finished his lunch he brayed with satisfaction but a lion-like roar came out, so loud that the village people, believing there was a lion, ran all off and came back no sooner than the following day, armed with spears and arrows. When Seretsè, the wise old man of the village, realized what had happened and explained to everyone that it was the donkey who roared, then the people calmed down but from that day onwards nobody asked the donkey for help so frightened everybody was by his roaring. Neither did he go to the fields any more nor to the river and the children did not have any more fun with him. And little by little the donkey was dying of sadness and loneliness.
On the contrary, the lion kept on putting on weight as never before and without effort since when the forest animals heard him braying fearlessly came closer believing it was the donkey hidden in the shrubs and in an instant the lion was upon them. At first the lion was very angry over his braying but then he realized the witch's charm was very advantageous for him.
Luckily a hundred days went by and Kalanga's charm ended so that the donkey happily resumed his braying and trotting amongst the village people and the lion got back his roaring, that was more suitable for a king (as long as he roared no animal treated him as a sovereign but made fun of him more and more often instead), but he lost a lot of weight though.