Hocąk Text — The Boy who would be Immortal - 2
Original Hocąk-English Interlinear Text
There are two Hocąk MSS of the "Boy who would be Immortal." The original is in the typically sloppy hand of Paul Radin and is repleat with numerous uninterpreted abbreviations for common syllables found in Hocąk. The present version is a revision based upon the original. It is in Radin's more mature orthography and is written in ink in a very clear hand.
In manuscript form, this revised version is not actually interlinear. It is a double spaced text in Hocąk only. The English has been supplied from a combination of the very loose translation in English that accompanies it, and the English found in the original interlinear text.
At the top of the first page is written the numeral "13" which matches the "XIII" written in the corresponding place in the original MS.
p. 1 —
Wąk | nįkjąk | įreki-hižą. | Hi-ą́ci-giži | wéže, |
Man | child | one alone. | Once his father | he said, |
"Hąté-haginą̀cre | įreki | wąkšikš'įra | winą́ži | nįcųšgúnira; |
"Fast | alone | you are living | to hope from | there is none; |
xopini | warájire | hižą | nącónijągìži | éšaną |
spirits | the various | one | they will bless you | only |
woinąži | nįcúną." | Žésge | higéže. | Hige-gíži |
hopes | you will have." | Thus | he spoke. | Having said it to him |
žésge | híže. | Hąte-haginącže.* | "Nįgiák, | s'iš'ų-gáją |
so | he did. | He fasted. | "Son, | having done it for a long time |
hąte-haginącra | ną́iži | wažą́ra | hižą | hipereskúni, |
the fasting | by this time | something | it is | you must have known, |
žejąną́ixjį | šurušją-giži | pįnóną." | "Jaji, | hisgé |
about now | you should stop | it would be best." | "Father, | all |
waša-núnige | higų | haipį́wąk[šaną."]* | "Égi |
you speak right | but still | I like it." | "And |
*The earlier MS has a ɜ which is interpreted as the sentence terminator "-šaną." In this MS the sentence concludes with "esge" ("and so"), which in the original MS would be symbolized by an ε faced in the correct direction.
jagú | hirahątéže?" | "Jagú | haginąc | hįrašíra |
what | have you dreamt of?" | "What | you told me | to fast for |
žésge | yahąténą: | wanioicgéra | hoit'éhira jasge |
and so | I have dreamt of: | animals | to kill as I like |
hakje | [žésge]* | hįgigų́s-hirèną. | Égi | žigé | wąkšik-ho'į́ra |
and | [thus] | I am taught. | And | again | with life |
jajáįxjį | hižéjaįxjį | hira'uni | nąciroją-hireže, | hįgá-hireną. |
as long as it is | that long | from one end to another | they bless me with, | I am told. |
p. 2 —
Égi | žigé | wagáireną | hįgu-ájireną. | Mąxíwąkregi |
And | again | to tell something | they came after me. | To the clouds above |
wąktóšewe | hocí-hižą | égi | akregi | éja |
doctor | in his lodge | and | from above | there |
hini-ąkíreną. | Wąkšíkra | hížą | t'ekjanéšge | ni-ąphákje, |
they took me to. | Person | a | is near death | I could make him alive, |
žésge | nąciroją́ireną.* | Žénųga | hą́te-haginą̀kre† | hįgáireną |
thus | they blessed me. | To end | to fast anymore | I was told |
žésge ha-núnige | higų | wa'uwą́kšaną. | Žige | kuhą́regi |
but | still | I kept on. | Again | from below |
hį́gu-ajìreną, | kuhą́regi | Wogų́s-hocì-hižą | éja |
they came after me, | from below | a Creation Lodge | there |
hingu-ajíreną. | Žésge | hįgáireną | jagúrahaną̀c | nącironiją́ireną: |
they came after me. | Thus | I am told | all things | they blessed me with: |
wonąxírera, | wąktóšewera, | wot'éhira, | wąkšík-ho'įra | haną́c |
wars, | doctoring, | hunting, | with life | all of |
nącironiją́ireną. | Jánąga | wažągų́sra | hąp-hirakara | Wagų́sra |
they blessed me. | As many as there are | of created things | that he put in charge | the Creator |
haną́cį | nąc-honiją́ireną. | 'Ésge | žénųga | hąte-haginą̀cra |
all of them | they blessed me. | 'And so | an end to | the fasting |
š'ų́kje,' | hinįgáireną. | Žésge ha-núnige | hąké |
you should do,' | they told me. | But | not |
p. 3 —
canįkje | žésge | roáguną. | Ésge | wa'uwą́kšaną, |
that I would not die | that kind of thing | I longed for. | And so | I am doing this, |
jáji, | žénųga | 'uwą́kwire. | Tée | ną́cirojąiregìšaną, |
father, | so | let me continue on. | With this | if I am blessed, |
túšjąkjanèną." | Hąké | rušją́niže | hą́te-haginą̀cra. | "Wąkšiké, |
I will stop." | Not | he did not stop | the fasting. | "Human, |
ženųga | 'ų́re | hą́te-haginą̀cra. | Wažągų́sra | jają́ixjį* |
to end | that much | the fasting. | Life | as long as |
wąkšíkš'įkje* | honįk'ų́ra. | hira'úni | wąkšík-ho'į̀ra |
anyone should live | that he gave you. | To the extent of it | life |
jagú | gipį́ | wąkšikš'į́kje,* | žésge |
how | you please | you can live, | this kind |
honįk'ų́ireną | pį." | "Núnige | hąké | canižéži |
it is given to you | good." | "But | not | not to die |
žésge | roáguną," | éną. | Hąké | raxúrukiranìže. |
this sort of thing | I desire," | he said. | Not | they could not persuade him. |
"Hąkagá | canįgíšaną | haipįnóną." | Raxúrukra | ruš'ákireže. |
"Never | if I die - only | I would be satisfied." | To persuade him | they were unable. |
T'ekjéra | hisgéja | gicexíže. | Ésge | wáireže |
To die | very much | he regretted it. | And so | they talked |
p. 4 —
gųsireže. | "Žénųga | t'ekjéra,"* | áireže. | Ésge |
they counseled over. | "That's all | he must die," | they said. | And so |
hąté-haginącąka.* | Éja | horuxúcire-gàją | t'ánąkže. | Hią́cra |
he was fasting. | There | when they looked | he was dead. | To his father |
wagáireže, | "Jagú-iyagàwira | žénisgekjanèną; | hąké | wažą́-hihiranìre |
they said, | "What we said to him | that will be for you; | not | you do not think anything of it |
pį́hįkarat'ų̀pre," | higáireže. | Ésge | woxé-hižą-hak'èže. | Éja |
and place him away," | they said. | And so | he dug a grave. | There |
karaxéže. | "Hinįkra, | jasgégają* | hinįkara | wa'ųgúni," |
he buried him. | "My son | how is he | my son | that he is doing there," |
hireže. | Égi | hogirákireže | raxúrukra | ruš'ákireže. |
he thought. | And | they told him that | the persuading | they were unable. |
Waxopíni | warácire | esge | méžesge | gigíreną. |
The spirits | various | therefore | for this reason | they did to him. |
"Hąké | wažą́ | hiraníre | hirapéresirekjanèną,"* | higáireže. |
"Not | anything | you think much about | you will know," | they told him. |
Xanihéra | hoipéhi | hi-éja, | éja | hoipéhi |
Where he buried him | at the head | he arrived, | there | at the head |
hi-éja | ną́-hižą | é-[ja] | ... |
thereat | a tree | [there] | ... |
The last five and a half sentences are missing from this MS. There is a following page 5, but it contains numbered sentences from 48 through 55 from a misplaced fragment of another story. The text continues in the original MS.
"The Boy who Wished to be Immortal," in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3869 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1951 ?) Winnebago III, #13: 1-4.