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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Zoe Walmsley

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

新法令的消息傳到西非的 達格拉時，全村都十分震驚。

Completely disregarding time-honored naming rituals,

完全無視傳承已久的命名儀式，

the tyrannical chief declared that, going forward,

暴虐的酋長宣佈：即日起，

he alone would name the village’s children.

村里出生的孩子都將由他一人來命名，

But an unlikely challenger eventually appeared...

沒想到後面竟然出現了一個程咬金……

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

某天，一位母親帶著 新生寶寶要去酋長家命名，

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

搖籃中的寶寶開口問要去哪裡。

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

她回答後，嬰兒說那他們可以回家了，

because he already had a name and it was Yagangnaa,

因為他早有了名字── 亞格納，

meaning “wiser than the chief.”

意思是「比酋長更有智慧」。

So, they did just that.

於是，他們就真的回家了。

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

幾年後，亞格納在 酋長家附近獵蜥蜴時，

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

他的朋友叫他的名字的聲音，

引起了酋長的注意。

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

他知道自己沒給任何孩子 取這個有辱他權威的名字。

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

他問亞格納名字是誰取的，

男孩回答說是他自己取的，

the chief grew furious.

酋長怒火中燒。

He committed himself to proving his superiority—

他決心要證明他不可被侵犯──

and punishing Yagangnaa’s family.

也要懲罰亞格納一家。

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

他先把亞格納叫來， 給他一個大籃小米與石子，

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

他要亞格納拿回給他母親 釀造「皮托」小米酒，

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

而且要當天完成， 讓酋長招待他的農場工人。

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

聽到酋長的命令後，

亞格納的母親哭了起來。

It was impossible to separate the millet from the pebbles.

要將小米和石子分開是不可能的。

And everyone knew it took weeks to make pito:

且大家都知道釀造皮托 得花好幾個禮拜，

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

小米必須經過浸泡、 晾乾、研磨、煮沸，再發酵，

in days-long stages.

每階段都要好幾天時間。

So, Yagangnaa decided to retaliate with another insurmountable task.

亞格納因此決定用另一個 不可能的任務來報復。

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

他給酋長送了葫蘆種子，

請他在同一天準備好葫蘆杯，

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

用來裝他母親釀製的皮托。

The chief would have to wait for the seeds to germinate

首領得等種子發芽，等植物長出果實，

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

然後才能收成、雕刻，曬乾──

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

一整個農耕季節的工作 怎能在一天內完成？

Realizing Yagangnaa was onto him— and one step ahead—

他意識到亞格納 不只槓上他還佔了上風，

the chief ordered him to return the millet.

酋長命令他把小米還回來。

Next, he instructed Yagangnaa to look after his bull

接著，他指示亞格納去照顧他的公牛，

until it produced enough cattle to fill his kraal

直到牠生出夠多小牛塞滿畜欄，

and pay his sons’ bridewealths.

用來當他兒子的聘禮。

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

他沒有抗議這個任務 需要的是母牛而非公牛，

Yagangnaa agreed.

亞格納就同意了。

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

第二天，他開始在首領家附近砍柴火。

When the chief asked what he was doing,

酋長問他在做什麼，

Yagangnaa said he needed wood to cook and warm his house

亞格納說，他煮飯需要柴火， 房子的火爐也需要。

because his father had just delivered a baby.

因為他的父親剛生了個寶寶。

The chief laughed and said that was impossible,

酋長笑說那是不可能的，

to which Yagangnaa asked why it should be impossible

亞格納反問

他的父親為什麼不可能生孩子，

for his father to deliver a child

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

如果酋長認為他的公牛可以生小牛。

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

於是，酋長命令亞格納把公牛還回來，

and decided to take extreme measures.

他決定採取極端的手段。

He told Yagangnaa to accompany his son on an errand

他叫亞格納陪他的兒子去辦一件事，

and provided him a beautiful horse and expensive clothes.

並提供他一匹駿馬和昂貴的衣服。

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

至於酋長的兒子，

只有破破爛爛的衣服及一頭虛弱的馬。

Sensing the chief's new trick brewing,

感覺到酋長在孕釀新詭計，

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

亞格納提出和酋長的兒子交換，

對方也同意了。

But the chief had given his men grisly orders.

酋長給他的人馬下了一個恐怖的命令。

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

沒多久，

一支毒箭射向白色駿馬上 那個穿著得體的男孩，

on the beautiful white horse,

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

射殺了酋長的兒子，

而亞格納則逃脫了。

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

一心一意想要除掉亞格納，

那個給自己命名的叛逆男孩，

the chief invited him over for a pito drinking spree.

酋長邀請他去參加一場皮托宴會。

He dug a well and covered it with a cowskin

他挖了一個井，覆上牛皮，

to create a deceitfully decorative seat.

裝飾出一個華麗的座位，

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

但此時亞格納已經知道酋長的計畫，

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

他在他家和酋長的井下方 挖了一條地道。

Later, when Yagangnaa arrived and graciously took his seat,

之後，等亞格納抵達， 欣然坐到他的位置上時，

he fell into the pit.

便落入了坑中。

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

酋長命令他的妻子們 將熱皮托倒入洞裡，

But Yagangnaa swiftly escaped through the tunnel

但亞格納早已穿越地道逃脫，

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

並請他的母親把隨後的皮托接收起來。

The chief thought he’d finally succeeded—

酋長以為他終於成功了──

until receiving a message from Yagangnaa the next day

直到隔天收到自亞格納的訊息，

asking to reciprocate the chief’s generosity,

他想回報酋長的慷慨，

inviting him for pito.

回請酋長來喝皮托。

Realizing that Yagangnaa had outwitted him again,

知道亞格納以智取勝又贏了，

the chief conceded.

酋長承認失敗。

And finally he abolished his decree

於是他廢除了之前的法令，

and returned the power of naming back to his people,

將命名的權力物歸原主──

where it belonged.

他的人民。