Why Birds Are Of No Use.

(The story of Morapia and her husband Burupa.)

Burupa said to his wire,

“ You stay at the rose-apple, at the house, for the children (birds) are destroying the apples.”

The woman remained and watched the rose-apples, while Burupa went to the garden. Then the birds came and destroyed the fruit. She forbade them saying,

“Don’t, Burupa said you were not to destroy the rose-apples.”

But she spoke in vain, then she called her husband (in an incantation) : -

Kinan’to, kinan’to, Kinan’tore, Don’t eat, don’t eat, don’t eat of it.

Kinan’to, Kinan’to Don’t eat

Lingia, Leave it alone.

Oraora, mae, oraora lambesia mae God to the hills, go away – from the tree

Lambesia lu kavika mae Go away from the Rose-apple tree.

Lamba lokota mba ora Leave the tree and go-inland.

She called thus, and her husband heard, and he said,

“Children, listen. It sounds like Morapia calling from the house here.”

Where he arrived he said,

“Why are you calling?”

She said,

“ The rose-apple which you said I was to stay by, the children (birds) have completely spoiled it.”

When he saw it he was angry, and smote the birds.

(Moral: If they had not smitten the birds they would have obeyed us, and we would have been able to have them for servants.)

(NB: The incantation is archaic, and the translation is only approximate. No meaning is know by Epiano.)