Oral Texts

The story of Momotarō

Okinawa Shuri

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Bōkei Maehira (born 1921) tells the story of Momotarō

真栄平房敬 わんねー すいぬ てぃしらじぬ めーでーらぬ さんなん たるみがにー でーびる.
waNne: suinu tisirazinu me:de:ranu saNnaN tarumigani: de:biru.
"I'm Tarumiganī, the third son of the Maehira of Shuri-Tera Town."
真栄平房敬 ちゅー ぬんじゅなーんかい やまとぅぬ ももたろーぬ ‘うふぁなし ぬんぬきやびーん.
tʃuː nuɴʒunaːŋkai jamatunu momotaroːnu ʔuhwanaʃi nunnukijabiːɴ.
"Today, I will tell you the mainland Japanese story of Momotarō."
真栄平房敬 ももたろーんでぃ ‘いしぇー ‘うなでーびる.
momotaroːndi ʔiʃeː ʔunadeːbiru.
"Momotarō' is a name."
真栄平房敬 ‘うちなーぬ すいぬ ‘うなんかい のーしーねーでーびる. 
ʔutʃinaːnu suinu ʔunaŋkai noːʃiːneːdeːbiru.
"I believe that if we were to change it into a Shuri, Okinawa name, "
真栄平房敬 まむむ まむむたるがにでぃ ‘いる ‘うなんかい ‘あたいえーさにんでぃ ‘うむとーやびーん.
mamumu mamumutaruganidi ʔiru ʔunaŋkai ʔataieːsanindi ʔumutoːjabiːɴ.
"it would become 'Mamumutarugani'."
真栄平房敬 なまから ぬんぬきやびーん.
namakara nunnukijabiːɴ.
"I will start now."
真栄平房敬 んかし ‘あるとぅくるんかい ‘うふじゅんじゃなしーめー はんじゃなしーめーぬ ‘うたとぅくるぬ ‘うとぅすいぬ ‘うちぇーんせーびーたしがでーびる.
mkaʃi ʔarutukuruŋkai ʔuhuʒuɴʒanaʃiːmeː haɴʒanaʃiːmeːnu ʔutatukurunu ʔutusuinu ʔutʃeːɴseːbiːtaʃigadeːbiru.
"Once upon a time in a faraway land ['long ago in a certain place'], there lived an old man and an old lady; an elderly couple."
真栄平房敬 ‘あるとぅち はんじゃなしーめーが ‘うふじゅんじゃなしーめーんかい ぬんぬきーる ‘うくとぅにでーびる.
ʔarututʃi haɴʒanaʃiːmeːga ʔuhuʒuɴʒanaʃiːmeːŋkai nunnukiːru ʔukutunideːbiru.
"One time, the lady felt lonely inside their home, so she said to the man:"
真栄平房敬 まし‘うちに ういびーれーでーびる くくてぃるさ ‘あいびーれーでーびる ぐふよーみしぇーる ‘うばすに ぬんすじゅち ‘うまじゅん うがまち ‘うたびんせーびりんでぃ ぬんぬきてぃ さびたくとぅでーびる.
maʃiʔutʃini ʼuibiːreːdeːbiru kukutirusa ʔaibiːreːdeːbiru guhujoːmiʃeːru ʔubasuni nuɴsuʒutʃi ʔumaʒuɴ ʼugamatʃi ʔutabiɴseːbirindi nunnukiti sabitakutudeːbiru.
"Please let me join you when you go for a walk.'"
真栄平房敬 ‘うふじゅんじゃなしーめーん ‘うやたしゃんち みしょーちでーびる.
ʔuhuʒuɴʒanaʃiːmeːɴ ʔujataʃantʃi miʃoːtʃideːbiru.
"The man replied that that would be fine."
真栄平房敬 ‘ある ‘うとぅちに ‘うたとぅくる ‘うんじんしょーち ぬーやま ぬんかきーが ‘うちぇーんしょーち さびたくとぅでーびる.
ʔaru ʔututʃini ʔutatukuru ʔuɴʒiɴʃoːtʃi nuːjama nuŋkakiːga ʔutʃeːɴʃoːtʃi sabitakutudeːbiru.
"One time, the couple went on an outing to look at the fields and mountains."
真栄平房敬 だてーんぬ ぬーぬ すばんかい かーらぬ ながりてぃでーびる.
dateːnnu nuːnu subaŋkai kaːranu nagaritideːbiru.
"There was a river flowing by a vast field."
真栄平房敬 ‘うぬ ‘うびーぬ ‘うちゅらしゃ ぬんかきみしょーちでーびる.
ʔunu ʔubiːnu ʔutʃuraʃa nuŋkakimiʃoːtʃideːbiru.
"They were looking at how clear the water was."
真栄平房敬 はんじゃなしーめーが んち ‘うし… かーらんかい ‘うーりんしょーち さびたくとぅでーびる.
haɴʒanaʃiːmeːga ʼntʃi ʔuʃimuʃiɴseːntʃi kaːraŋkai ʔuːriɴʃoːtʃi sabitakutudeːbiru.
"The lady went down to the river to wash her hands."
真栄平房敬 かーらぬ ‘うぃーかたから だてーんぬ ‘うむむぬ ゆったい くゎったい ながりてぃっち さびたくとぅでーびる.
kaːranu ʔwiːkatakara dateːnnu ʔumumunu juttai kwattai nagaritittʃi sabitakutudeːbiru.
"A large peach came flowing splish-splash down the river."
真栄平房敬 ‘うり ぬんかきてぃ みじらさぬ みじらさぬ ‘うむむとぅ ぬんかきみしょーち ‘うとぅんしょーち
ʔuri nuŋkakiti miʒirasanu miʒirasanu ʔumumutu nuŋkakimiʃoːtʃi ʔutuɴʃoːtʃi
"They looked at it, saying to each other: 'What a precious, precious peach,' picked it up, "
真栄平房敬 ‘うまじゅんさーに ‘わーがんしぇーんち ‘うどぅぬんかい ‘うむちんしょーち ‘うちぇーんそーち さびたくとぅでーびる.
ʔumaʒuɴsaːni ʔwaːgaɴʃeːntʃi ʔudunuŋkai ʔumutʃiɴʃoːtʃi ʔutʃeːɴsoːtʃi sabitakutudeːbiru.
"went back up, and took it home."
真栄平房敬 ‘うぬ ‘うーむむぬ ‘うたーちんかい わりてぃでーびる. なーかから
ʔunu ʔuumumunu ʔutaːtʃiŋkai waritideːbiru. naːkakara
"The peach split in two. Out of it"
真栄平房敬 めーうぃきがぬ ‘あか ‘うみんぐゎぬ ‘うまりんしょーち しゃびたくとぅでーびる.
meːwikiganu ʔaka ʔumiŋgwanu ʔumariɴʃoːtʃi ʃabitakutudeːbiru.
"A baby boy came out."
真栄平房敬 ‘うたとぅくる ‘いっぺー ‘うぶくんじゃなしーみしょーち.
ʔutatukuru ʔippeː ʔubukuɴʒanaʃiːmiʃoːtʃi.
"The couple was overjoyed."
真栄平房敬 くぬ ‘あか‘うみんぐゎー ‘うてぃんから さじゃかとーる ‘うみんぐゎ ぬんかきてぃ
kunu ʔakaʔumiŋgwaː ʔutiŋkara saʒakatoːru ʔumiŋgwa nuŋkakiti
"They thought of the baby as a gift from the heavens; they looked at him,"
真栄平房敬 ぬんじゅなーぬ ‘うみんぐゎとぅ ‘うしょーじんしょーち ‘うすだてぃんそーち さびたくとぅでーびる.
nuɴʒunaːnu ʔumiŋgwatu ʔuʃoːʒiɴʃoːtʃi ʔusudatiɴsoːtʃi sabitakutudeːbiru.
"thought of him as their own child, and raised him."
真栄平房敬 くぬ ‘あか ‘うみんぐゎー ‘うむむから ‘うんまりみそーちゃくとぅ ももたろーんでぃる ‘うな ‘うちきんそーちでーびる.
kunu ʔaka ʔumiŋgwaː ʔumumukara ʔuɴmarimisoːtʃakutu momotaroːndiru ʔuna ʔutʃikiɴsoːtʃideːbiru.
"The baby had come out of a peach [momo], so they named him 'Momotarō'."
真栄平房敬 ももたろーや ‘うすだちじゅらさ うがまってぃでーびる.
momotaroːja ʔusudatʃiʒurasa ʼugamattideːbiru.
"Momotarō grew wonderfully."
真栄平房敬 にんまさい ちちまさい みふどぅ ‘うぃーてぃ さびたくとぅでーびる.
niɴmasai tʃitʃimasai mihudu ʔwiːti sabitakutudeːbiru.
"He grew and grew, year after year."
真栄平房敬 ‘うたとぅくるん にんまさい ちちまさい ‘うぶくんじゃなしー みしょーちゃんでぃぬ ‘うくとぅでーびる.
ʔutatukuruɴ niɴmasai tʃitʃimasai ʔubukuɴʒanaʃiː miʃoːtʃandinu ʔukutudeːbiru.
"The couple also lived happily ever after ['became happy [and remained so] year after year']."