Tiger and Jackalस्यालको कथा भनूँ? Shall I tell the story of the jackal ?स्याल चतुरो, बाघ बाठो, The jackal was clever, the tiger … intelligent.स्याल चतुरो भइसकेपछि ती दुवैको सङ्गत भयो। The jackal was clever; the two of them were together.बाघ र स्यालबीच मित्रता भयो। The tiger and the jackal were together.स्याललाई बाघले नखाने रहेछ। मामा रहेछ। स्यालको। स्याल। When they were together… the tiger doesn’t eat the jackal, he’s his maternal uncle — the jackal’s — the jackal.मामा भएपछि स्यालका मामाले, “लौ भान्जा, तिमी त्यतातिर जाऊ” भनेछ। The jackal’s uncle said, “OK, nephew, you go over there.”एकजनाकी दुइ आमाछोरी थिइन्। ती तल धान कुटिरहेकी रहिछन्। Someone’s family members — a mother and daughter — were husking rice down below.त्यहाँ बाघले खाइदियो। The tiger ate them.स्यालले नदीकिनारतिरको बस्तीमा गएर, नदी किनारतिरका बस्तीमा गएर The jackal went to the village next to the river,एक जनालाई तल सुताएपछि, माथि सुतेको चाहिँ लडेर मरिहाल्यो। तल सुतेको चाहिँ छँदैछ। he laid out one of them down below — the one who was lying above fell down and died, the one below was still alive.तलको छँदै भएपछि, “कहाँ गयो, कता गयो, के गर्छौ हामीलाई, यस्तो दुःख किन भयो?” भनेर रुदै छ । The one below wept, saying “Where did he [the tiger?] go, what are you doing to us, why do we have such misfortune?”घरबाट मालिक गएछ बन्दुकसन्दुक लिएर गयो। The householder went out from his house taking a gun.तलतिरबाट स्यालले त्यसभन्दा ठूलो बन्दुक ताक्यो। त्यो भागेर घरमा आइहाल्यो। The jackal aimed an even bigger gun from below; he fled back to his house.उसको स्वास्नी र छोरो भयो अब स्वास्नी के छोरी भई त्यो। He had a wife and son — a wife and daughter.बूढी आई, बूढी–बूढी “छोरीलाई ऊ त्यहाँ माथि खाइदियो। मलाई यस्तो गर्यो। The old woman [wife] came — “He ate our daughter up there, he did this to me!अब बूढा नजाऔं। त्यसलाई बोलाऔं, Let’s not go there, old man. Let’s invite him.त्यसलाई बोलाएर हाम्रा घरमा भात भान्सा लगाऔं, ओछ्यान लगाऔं, बसालौँ। बसालिसकेपछि रातिपख मारौँ त्यसलाई। Let’s call him and lay out a meal in our house, lay out a bed, and have him stay. At night, when he is settled in, let’s kill him.हामी लाटा भयौँ। We were stupid.फकाआँ” भनिसकेपछि सरासर बोलाएछन्, यो स्याल आएछ। Let’s butter him up,” they said, and they went straight and called him. The jackal came.आइसकेपछि “लौ त खा!” भनेर दूध दिए, भात दिए, सितन तरकारी दिए, खानपिन गराए, बेडविस्तरा लगाए, When he came, they said, “Here, eat!” and they gave him milk, they gave him rice, they had food and drink prepared, they laid out a bed and bedding.राति घाँटी च्यापेर मारौँ अब भनने बेला स्याल त निदाएको छैन। ऊ त निदाए जस्तो गरेको मात्र छ। “At night, we’ll squeeze his throat and kill him.” When they said this, the jackal wasn’t asleep. He was only acting as if he were asleep.निदाएको जस्तो गरी बसिसकेपछि मारौं भन्ने बेला घ्वाइँय गइहाल्यो स्याल। He was pretending to sleep, and when they said “Let’s kill him!” he took right off, whoosh!अब त्यसलाई कहाँ छोप्न जाऊ भन्ने बेला रुखका टुप्पामा बसेको छ। When they went to catch him, he was in the top of a tree.तलतिरबाट गोली हान्दा पनि मरेन। They shot at him from below but he wasn’t killed. “अब यसलाई के गरौँ?” रुख काट्छन्, जमिनमा ढल्यो, रुख ढलिसकेपछि ऊ त गइहाल्यो उम्केर। “Now what should we do with him?” They cut down the tree, it fell to the ground, and when it fell the jackal escaped. त्यसलाई केही गरी मार्न सकेनन्। Whatever they did, they couldn’t kill him.पछि (गुना–बाँदरलाई) लङ्गुरलाई, “समात जा त्यस स्याललाई!” भनेपछि, लङ्गुरलाई समात्न पठाए। After that, they sent a langur to catch him, saying “Go catch that jackal!”लङ्गुर लगाइसकेपछि त्यसलाई समात्यो। The langur caught him.“तिमी मेरा नातागोता, आफन्त, के के हौ, साथी हौ, अर्को थोक हौ”, भन्यो। त्यो फुत्केर गइहाल्यो। “You’re my relative, my companion, whatever,” he [the jackal] said. He got loose and went.त्यस स्याललाई केही गरी समात्न सकेनन्। मान्छे बसिगयो। No way could they catch that jackal. They stayed there.त्यो भयो के? त्यो सकिगयो अब। त्यो सकिगयो। हेँ हेँ।That’s it, right? It’s finished. That one’s finished. [The storyteller is paid by the story.] Heh heh.