Bessie Fleischman

"The Story of the Klamath River Song" (1951)

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Text identifier: LA16-2
Speaker: Bessie Fleischman
Primary documentation: R. H. Robins
Edition: R. H. Robins, The Yurok Language (1958), pp. 158-161

Audio (Yurok and English):  
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  1. Peesh weeshtue' chpeyue'r Tewpos 'o cheen, 'w-egolek', Weet sonowok' 'ne-skewokseemek' kue Pekwtuehl 'o we'yon.
    So this is the story of the young man from Tewpos, how he said, It has happened to me that I love the girl at Pekwtuhl.
  2. 'O legok' kue 'ne-kooychkwok'.
    So I went to buy her.
  3. Soo 'o legeyk', Paas, mee' nekah kwelekw weet ho soo weykee' Wohpekuemew:
    But I was told, No, because Wohpekumew has so commanded us:
  4. Wek mos kelew hasee wohpew kee negosepee'm 'ohlkuemee mos kee sku'y soo goole'mo'w ko'l kee nee kmoyhlkesee'mo'w.
    Here you shall not marry into families in the west, because you would not fare well and would perish on the way.
  5. 'Ey, keemole'n k'ee 'we-hlkelonah.
    Yes, their country is bad.
  6. Won soo tohkow; mos weet kee skuye'n kee k'e-'wegahpemew.
    They talk a different language; it would not be good for you to marry with them.
  7. Tue' weet 'ee mehl 'o so'n kee ho 'w-oole'mo'w heekon, mos ko'l kee nee nosep'.
    And that is why people lived like that in former times, and nobody could marry into a family in the west.
  8. Kwesee weet 'o lee' kue Tewpos 'o cheen, Neemee wo hlee' kue k'e-we'yonesek'.
    And so the young man from Tewpos was told, Your offer of a bride price has not been accepted.
  9. Cho' weet 'o kwomhlecho'm, kowecho' ko kwermhleryerhserr'm k'ee kee shoo hegoolom.
    Go back home, and do not turn around while you are traveling.
  10. 'Woogey, 'woogey, 'woogeyehlke's Wohpekuemew weesh; ko wey, nekah soo hoole'moh.
    Holy, holy, holy is Wohpekumew; he ordained and we live in obedience.
  11. Peesh weeshtue 'o ko koo' kue cheenomewes, Tewpos 'o cheen.
    Well, so the young man stood, the young man from Tewpos.
  12. Soo skewokseemek' kue we'yon, kwesee so kwermhleryerh.
    I so love the girl (he said), and he turned around in that direction.
  13. Kwesee kue 'o kwermhleryerh 'eekee koosee ko'mo'y k'ee kaap' kwelekw 'we-rookwsek'.
    And as he turned around there he heard the wind blowing all around through the leaves.
  14. Tue' nee shoo neekee ko'mo'y kue keet 'we-ruerowoo'm.
    And then he heard them begin to sing.