The tale of the boy who tricked a tyrant - Paschal Kyiiripuo Kyoore

翻译人员: Tianyun Liu 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

Shock seized the West African Dagara village as word traveled of a new decree.

新法令颁布的消息一传出， 西非的达加拉村震惊了。

Completely disregarding time-honored naming rituals,

这位专横独断的酋长全然不顾 那传承至今的命名仪式，

the tyrannical chief declared that, going forward,

此以后，只有他一个人

he alone would name the village’s children.

拥有为村里的新生儿命名的权利。

But an unlikely challenger eventually appeared...

然而，一个意想不到的挑战者 最终出现了……

One day, a mother was taking her newborn to the chief’s house to be named

有一天，一位母亲带着新生儿前去 酋长家为孩子取名，

when her baby asked where they were going from his crib.

孩子却在摇篮中问他们要去哪里。

She told him, and he responded that they could return home

母亲告诉了他， 宝宝回答说他们可以回家。

because he already had a name and it was Yagangnaa,

因为他已经有了名字， 那就是亚甘纳，

meaning “wiser than the chief.”

意思是“比酋长更聪明的人”。

So, they did just that.

于是，他们就这样回家了。

Years later, while hunting lizards near the chief's house,

多年后，亚甘纳和伙伴们在酋长家 附近狩猎蜥蜴时，

a friend called Yagangnaa’s name, which caught the chief’s attention.

有一个朋友喊出了亚甘纳的名字 这引起了酋长的注意。

He knew he hadn't given any child a name that insulted his own authority.

他知道自己没有给任何孩子 起过一个侮辱自己权威的名字。

When he asked Yagangnaa who named him, and the boy replied that he named himself

当他问亚甘纳是谁给他起的名字时， 男孩回答说是他自己取的。

the chief grew furious.

这个回答令酋长大为愤怒。

He committed himself to proving his superiority—

他决心捍卫自己至高无上的权威，

and punishing Yagangnaa’s family.

并惩罚亚甘纳的家人。

First, he called on Yagangnaa and gave him a huge basket full of millet and pebbles.

首先，他喊来亚甘纳， 并给了他一个装满小米和鹅卵石的大篮子。

He told Yagangnaa to have his mother brew “pito,” or millet beer,

他告诉亚甘纳在一天结束前， 让他的母亲酿好小米酒，

by the end of the day, so the chief could entertain his farm workers.

以便酋长可以款待他的农场工人

Upon hearing the chief’s orders, Yagangnaa’s mother wept.

在听到酋长的命令后， 亚甘纳的母亲哭了起来。

It was impossible to separate the millet from the pebbles.

把小米和鹅卵石分开 根本是一件不可能的事情。

And everyone knew it took weeks to make pito:

而且大家都知道制作小米酒 需要数周的时间：

the millet had to be soaked, dried, ground, boiled, then fermented

小米必须浸泡、晾干、 磨碎、煮沸，

in days-long stages.

最后分几天发酵。

So, Yagangnaa decided to retaliate with another insurmountable task.

因此，亚甘纳决定用另一项 不可能完成的任务来进行反击。

He sent the chief gourd seeds and asked him to prepare calabash cups

他送给酋长葫芦籽， 并要求他在当天制作好葫芦杯，

that same day to hold the pito his mother was making.

用来盛装他母亲正在酿制的小米酒。

The chief would have to wait for the seeds to germinate

酋长必须等待种子发芽

and the plants to bear fruit, then harvest, carve, and dry them—

和植物结出果实， 然后收割、雕刻和干燥它们，

the work of an entire farming season all in one day.

这是整个耕作季节的工作， 全部在一天之内完成。

Realizing Yagangnaa was onto him— and one step ahead—

意识到亚甘纳看穿了他的计谋—— 而且总是领先一步——

the chief ordered him to return the millet.

酋长命令他把小米还回来。

Next, he instructed Yagangnaa to look after his bull

接下来，他指示亚甘纳 照顾他的公牛，

until it produced enough cattle to fill his kraal

直到公牛产下足够的牛群来填满他的围栏，

and pay his sons’ bridewealths.

并支付他儿子的聘礼。

Without protesting that he’d need a cow, not a bull, to do this,

亚甘纳并没有抗议自己需要的是 母牛而不是公牛才能完成这件事，

Yagangnaa agreed.

反倒是欣然同意了。

The next day, he began cutting dry wood near the chief's house.

第二天， 他开始在酋长家附近砍干木头。

When the chief asked what he was doing,

当酋长问他在做什么时，

Yagangnaa said he needed wood to cook and warm his house

亚甘纳说他需要木头 来做饭和取暖，

because his father had just delivered a baby.

因为他的父亲刚刚生了一个孩子。

The chief laughed and said that was impossible,

酋长笑着说这是不可能的，

to which Yagangnaa asked why it should be impossible

于是亚甘纳反问道，

for his father to deliver a child

如果酋长认为他的公牛能生牛，

if the chief thought his bull was going to produce cattle.

为什么他的父亲不能生孩子呢？

One-upped once again, the chief ordered Yagangnaa to return the bull—

再次被击败后， 酋长命令亚甘纳归还公牛——

and decided to take extreme measures.

并决定采取极端措施。

He told Yagangnaa to accompany his son on an errand

他让亚甘纳陪他的儿子出差，

and provided him a beautiful horse and expensive clothes.

并给了他一匹漂亮的 马和昂贵的衣服。

Meanwhile, the chief's own son wore tattered clothing and rode a weak horse.

同时，酋长的儿子穿着破烂的衣服，

Sensing the chief's new trick brewing,

骑着一匹虚弱的马。

Yagangnaa offered to trade with the chief’s son, who agreed.

亚甘纳意识到酋长的新花样正在酝酿之中，

他主动提出与酋长的儿子 进行交易，后者表示同意。

But the chief had given his men grisly orders.

但酋长已经给了他的手下残忍的命令。

And moments later, a poisoned arrow flew towards the well-dressed boy

片刻之后，一支毒箭飞 向骑着漂亮白马的

on the beautiful white horse,

衣冠楚楚的男孩，

striking and killing the chief’s son while Yagangnaa escaped.

击中了并杀死了酋长的儿子， 而亚甘纳逃之夭夭。

Ever fixated on eliminating Yagangnaa, the defiant boy who named himself,

酋长始终执着于消灭这个 敢于自取名字的反抗男孩，

the chief invited him over for a pito drinking spree.

于是他邀请亚甘纳来家里喝一场小米酒。

He dug a well and covered it with a cowskin

他挖了一口井，并用牛皮盖住，

to create a deceitfully decorative seat.

伪装成一个装饰性座位。

But, by now, Yagangnaa knew the chief’s plans,

但此时， 亚甘纳已经了解了酋长的计划，

and dug a tunnel connecting his house with the chief’s well.

他挖了一条隧道， 将自己的家与酋长的井连接起来。

Later, when Yagangnaa arrived and graciously took his seat,

后来，当亚甘纳到达并礼貌地坐下时，

he fell into the pit.

他掉入了深坑。

The chief ordered his wives to pour hot pito into the hole.

酋长命令他的妻子们 将热小米酒倒进坑里。

But Yagangnaa swiftly escaped through the tunnel

然而，亚甘纳迅速通过隧道逃走了，

and asked his mother to collect the pito that soon followed.

并让他的母亲收集随之而来的小米酒。

The chief thought he’d finally succeeded—

酋长以为自己终于成功了——

until receiving a message from Yagangnaa the next day

直到第二天收到亚甘纳的消息，

asking to reciprocate the chief’s generosity,

他表达了对酋长“慷慨”的回敬，

inviting him for pito.

邀请他来喝小米酒。

Realizing that Yagangnaa had outwitted him again,

意识到亚甘纳又一次智胜了他，

the chief conceded.

酋长最终认输了。

And finally he abolished his decree

他废除了他的法令，

and returned the power of naming back to his people,

并将命名权归还给了人民，

where it belonged.

回到了它本该存在的地方。