Florence Shaughnessy
"The Fox and the Coon" (1951)
Writing system: no hyphens | hyphens
Display style: paragraph | sentence | look-up
Text identifier: LA16-5
Speaker: Florence Shaughnessy
Primary documentation: R. H. Robins
Edition: R. H. Robins, The Yurok Language (1958), pp. 164-165
Yurok audio: | | Password required |
English translation: | | Password required |
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Noohl k'ee wek 'we-raa-yoy 'weheer-keek 'o woh-pey-ya'r tek-toh, tue' wee-'eeet
reee-gaa-yo'r kue wer-gers k'e-ne-go'hl kem keech kyue' we-no-'o-mo'r.
In those days way back in this creek a log lay across the water, and a fox used to cross over on it and was often running there. -
Kwe-see koh-chee kem hee-koch so 'ue-werh-per-yerk-sek' kwe-see 'ap new ko'l nue-mee
wo-gee 'o key ko-lo ko'l sook nee nep'.
Once as he was crossing over he saw something sitting right in the middle of it and apparently eating something. -
Kwe-see nee-kee 'we-go-lek', Tee'-nee-sho wee' 'o goh-kue-me'm, mee' ne-kee' 'ne-tek-toh?
So he said, What are you doing there, because this is my log? -
'O neee'-no'w kue wee 'o key kwe-see twe-goh.
He looked at what was sitting there, and it was the coon. -
Kwe-see ye'm, Kues soo he-se'm, Ne-kee' 'ne-tek-toh?
It said, Why do you think, This is my log? -
Kwe-see 'o tek-te's kue wer-gers 'we-go-lek', Now soot-'os!
And then the fox got angry at this and said, Go away! -
Hee-me-no-mee now soot-'os! Nek kwe-lekw wee' nee-muech 'ne-tek-toh.
Go away quickly! This is my own private log. -
Kem 'ee ye'm kue twe-goh, Kues soo he-se'm, Ne-kee' 'ne-tek-toh?
Again the coon said, Why do you think, This is my log? -
Kwe-lekw keech kom-chue-mek' wee k'e-mehl he-sek', Ne-kee' 'ne-tek-toh.
Well, now I know why you think, This is my log. -
Kue ke'l kwe-lekw 'ok'w k'e-kwol 'o hee-ma-'erk-'uek tue' wee 'o ke-ge-mo-le'm.
You have your own fishing place underneath and are always stealing there. -
Ke'l re-gok chpee ne-pe'm.
You eat nothing but trout. -
Kwe-see nee-kee 'uem-yaahl-ke-pek' kue wer-gers; keech so'-no'y.
At that the fox jumped at the coon; he was furious. -
Kwe-see wee-'eeet 'o pe-lep' kue tek-toohl wo-nue; soo ge's, Kwe-lekw kee-tee hloo-me-lek'
kue 'ne-kwol.
And there was a fight there on top of the log; he thought, I will lose my fishing place. -
Kwe-see nee-kee 'ue-pel 'o wee-'eeet to' te-ma ko-ma che-goh-choh kue twe-goh.
So the fight went on there and the coon vainly struggled for a long time. -
Kwe-see hlow woh-puek 'o le-ko'n kue twe-goh tue' ko-ma soo he'm, Mos ke-lee' k'e-kwol.
At last it fell down into the water, but it was still saying, It is not your fishing place. -
Kwe-see noohl 'o ga'm kue wer-gers, Nek poy keech so-no-wok' 'ohl-kue-mee kem keech 'ee
'ne-tek-toh.
And then the fox said, Now I am on top, because it is now my own log again. -
Noohl 'o ko neee'n so pue-lekw 'o new 'aa-wokw noohl kyue' keech we-no'-mo-nekw kue
twe-goh.
Then he looked down the river and saw the coon, poor thing, floating away there. -
Keech ser-mer-yer-wee'.
It had died.