Summary : A pair of partridges eaten away by famine go to peck in a groundnut field. Despite repeated warnings and advice from the husband about the need to be careful and above all enduring, the woman will let herself be carried away by curiosity and find herself trapped and end up in a good peanut sauce…
Language : Spoken (Cameroon) Author : Prosperous Céndɨ ŋmé, he is from the village of Mekouassim by Yoko (Central Cameroon) and resides in Douala, Cameroon. Lexicon : Kúkúú (Partridge) Gwí (Woman). Lí (wire or trap ) Bàángmùrí (type of peanuts with large red seeds). Námè (bells ). Moral of the story : A man or rather an informed woman is worth two. No one can avail himself of his own turpitude
I will tell you a little story. It is the story of Perdrix and his wife that many of you have already listened to. One day, Sir Partridge and his wife were hungry. Partridge invited his wife to go to a peanut field to pick some seeds. His wife accepted the invitation. But he told his wife this : “If over there in the field you see reddish peanut seeds all prominent on the ground, be careful, do not peck them. Picore just those that you yourself will have taken out of the land. Understood ?» Dame Perdrix nodded. They therefore left for the field.
Before arriving in the field, Mr. Perdrix reminded his wife of the recommendations given to her on the screen, namely not to peck the reddish seeds all sticking out on the ground, but only to consume those that she herself had taken out of the ground. And Lady Perdrix nodded again, but this time with an air of exasperation.
Arrived at the field, he reminded his wife of the instruction again, but she got upset outright by hammering him that she had understood correctly and that she was not a fool. Once in the field, each on their side began to dig up the seeds from the ground and pecked them here and there.
Dame Perdrix realizes that there are beautiful and large charming peanut seeds of the Bàángmùrí variety, within reach. She wonders if her husband was not crazy to force her to search the ground first before having something to peck with, yet easily accessible seeds are exposed?
Wanting to peck one of the large and charming seeds, the trap brutally grabs it at the neck (kpéín, id). The rope of the trap tightened more around Dame Perdrix’s neck while she tried to debate by flapping her wings in a desperate and random manner.
Her husband joined her and asked her: “What’s wrong?” She replied that she was passing through when she was caught by this cursed wire (trap). Astonished, her husband firmly replied: “I had warned you not to peck at the reddish and prominent seeds. But what did you do?
The woman brandishing her innocence, continued to agitate herself in the trap that was tightening her tighter. She asked her husband: “Have my eyes already blushed?” And the man replied: “Not yet. Your eyes are not red yet. But when the owner of the field arrives, your eyes will blush ». …
Shortly after, the owner of the field was heard to arrive with a horde of dogs bearing bells around their necks (hérék, hérék, hérék. .id). Her husband approached closer and said to him: “I had warned you, but you did not listen to him. Here is the owner of the field, I’m leaving, goodbye!». And the woman to answer: «so you’re going to leave me all alone?»
The man replied that she had been warned, then flew away. I let you imagine what happened afterwards to Lady Perdrix… Here is the story of a man and his wife.
Good evening !