molten bundle treasure
Stalwart brightness kinsmen spent
Sovereign helpmeet rescue lent
Pamper squander needy shouted
Armies clamour glisten routed
Moonface earthbound thousand buyer
Soothing angry whispered fire
Ransom hostage cheerful odds
Almost power fearful God’s.
3.4He finish poem, open hand, say, “Don’ play play only lah! You say orredy you give money lah. Give or not?”
I give coin, say “Like dat win orredy lor. Take take, just take, take take take!”
He take, put in mouth, say: “Heng ah!” After say kum sia, he pants roll up, wan’ leave. But I itchy backside, wan’ to hear more, spend more money no problem. So I bring other coin, say: “You wan’ badmouth dis one, take oso? This time, suan coin, can or not?”
Chop chop kali pok he say:
Damn its grinning golden face!
Behold the pallor ‘neath the gold;
Obey its orders, make God angry,
Wish that it had never been!
No more misers,
Thieves, or creditors,
No more evil eye!
To help, it leaves.
Can you toss it away?”
I say, “Ho seh! Damn shiok!” He say, “You hutang number two coin, hor!” I throw coin, say, “Recite Fatihah, no lose.” He catch, put in mouth with other one. He say, “Damn heng wake up come here, good people lah!” Now turn, wan’ leave.
3.5Haris bin Hammam say:
I tell my ownself, “This one Bǔ Zàidé; bad leg play play only.” I say, “Come back, lah! Not say I say what ah, you talk shiok one, I think I know you lah! Stop walking here walking there bengkok!”
He say, “You Hammam son, is it? Long long no see! God bless, give long life, have good neighbor!”
I say: “Ya, I is al-Haris. Amakam? Life good not good?”
He say, “Aiyoh! One day good, make money; one day bad, no money. One day wind powderful, one day no wind, until sian orredy.”
I say, “Alamak! But why like that, play play bad leg meh? Where got? How can?”
Now he get angry, look smelly face one, wan’ leave, say poem:
Not like limp, but mus’ tan chiak;
I free and easy: truth lie same same.
You say: keng king, why so spiak?
I say: limp fake one, not make me lame.
Glossary
3.1
wit’ with
kaki friends
macam like
blur blur slow to catch on
dere there
cock nonsense
cry father, cry mother complain
later then
da man a man
buruk ragged
ho she boh hello
kilat impressive
Yuuuuuuuuuuum seng! Drink to success!
don’ don’t
yaya papaya standoffish
last time once
belanjah treat
hor know what I mean?
cannot eat finish I had great unending fortune
gues’ gues’ gues’ gues’ many guests
wah lau eh! yow!
eat salt I suffered a bitter setback
aiyoh alas
cut cabbage head took advantage
pok kai bankrupt
chabut hurry away
habis, gone case, mati nothing could be done
arse bad
oso also
cham pitifully disastrous
3.2
chia lat terrible
lapar lah starving
peng san faint
no mo live Bukit Timah I could no longer live in Bukit Timah (a wealthy district)
kampung village
forget last time white horse I forget that I was once a well-connected soldier
si peh siong cannot tahan I really can’t take any more
can die I’m exhausted
friend-friend to really befriend me
grandmalher grandmother
koon sleep
3.3
so sayang that’s too bad
wan’ I wanted to
zai working well under pressure
3.4
orredy already
like dat win orredy lor You win, fair and square
heng ah! phew!
