Wishes Granted
Peter Lewis Paul
Woodstock, NB
July 31, 1963
(Recorded by Karl V. Teeter)
1. Ìtŏmuk Kŏluskàp=yaq wíku etŏli-metŏqicíyak skitkómiq. Táma=al=lu nìt. Tàn=yaq=ŏte kèq eli-kotŭwapémut li-kisapèma.
[They say that Koluskap lives at the end of the earth. Wherever that may be. Whatever one may ask him for, they say, one’s wish will be granted.]
2. Nèqt nuhúwok skitapíyok ’qisŏlutŏmònĭya ’tolapasìnĭya. Naci-kotŭwapemànĭya. Pèsq=yaq koti-askomáwsu. Kótok=ŏlu ’puwàtŏmon wolelŏmoqewinúwin. Kótok=ŏlu ’puwàtŏmon ehpilicíhi ’qoselŏmókun.
[Once three men decided to go there. They went to ask him for favors. One wanted to live forever. Another wanted to be a lucky man at all times. Another wanted women to love him.]
3. Mam=ŏte macĭyapasìnĭya. Akìm olŭwìkŏnok kehsìkŏton
’qonkomŏníya. Nemàht petapasíhtit yùt wikílit, on nìt ’conessultìnĭya.
[Finally they set out. Their travels took them about seven years. When they arrived at their destination, where (Koluskap) lived, they stopped.]
4. On pèsq ’tolíyan. Khàkŏnok pecíyat wèn metĭyewéstaq, “Keqsèy weci-peci-koti-nomìhĭyon?”
[One walked up to (the dwelling). As he came up to the door someone was heard to say, “Why have you come, wanting to see me?”]
5. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Npuwàtŏmon=ehta ntaskomáwsin.”
[He told him, “I want to live forever.”]
6. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Cù ktoli-msònŏmon.”
[“Then so shall you receive,” he said.]
7. Àpc kótok ’pecíyan… Àpc kótok khàkŏnok pecíyat, ’tíyal=yaq, “Kìl=lu kèq pawàtŏmon?”
[Then another came…. When another came to the door, he said, “What is it that you want?”]
8. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Npawàtŏmon=ehta nulelŏmoqewinúwin mecimìw.”
[He told him, “I want to be a lucky man at all times.”]
9. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Nìt=te=na ktoli-msònŏmon.”
[“And just so shall you receive,” he said.]
10. Àpc kótok. On àpc kótok khàkŏnok pecíyat, ’tíyal=yaq, “Kìl=lu kèq?”
[Then another. And when the next one came to the door, he said, “What will it be for you?”]
11. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Npuwàtŏmon=ehta ehpícik mecimìw nkoselŏmókun.”
[He told him, “I want women to love me all the time.”]
12. ’Tíyal=yaq, “Ktoli-msònŏmon.”
[“So shall you receive,” he said.]
13. Níta, on=yaq sakhíyan wòt Kŏluskàp. Ánsa=yaq ’sísoq líkon ste=hp pŏnápsq, wisoki-’kanináqok pŏnápsq cèl cahcahqesìw.
[Then out came Koluskap. His face looked just like rock, very ancient-looking rock, covered with moss.]
14. ’Tíyal=yaq yúhtol keti-sipkawsilícil, “Kíla ckuwi-wicewìn.” On=yaq wòt mace-wicéwan, wòt pewátok ’taskomáwsin. Mam=ŏte yèt qesawéyik petkawŏtíhtit, ’tíyal-yaq, “Yùt=te sehkèn.”
[He said to the one who wanted to have a long life, “You come with me.” So he went with him, this one who wanted to live forever. Finally, when they walked out on a point of land, (Koluskap) told him, “Stand right here.”]
15. On=yaq wíhqéllan yùt ’topskúhkek naka ’qátok, eci-=yaq -pimosséllat. Nìt=yaq wòt opòs séhket wisŏkáqsu, tàn wisŏki-piyemi-mocináhat opòs. ’Tíyal, “Níta! Kàt=oc wèn ktomtuhukúwi. Ma=te=hc kèq ktolapemqósiw. Téhpukt kpomìk.”
[Then he took him by the neck and by the leg, at which point he twisted him. And there stood a huge tree, the sort of tree that has an exceedingly twisted grain. He told him, “There. No one will ever cut you down. You will never be of any use. You will just go on growing.”]
16. Nìt àpc wecíyat, yuhùht ’tíyan kotŏkíhi, “Na kilŭwàw, macehkàwŏtiq.” Mam=ŏte nìt macehkawŏtìnĭya. On=yaq=ŏte olŭwìkŏnok kehsukŏnìw ’qontehkŏmònĭya apatkawŏtíhtit.
[Then he went back again and told the others, “You two go on now.” So then they started off. And they had traveled only seven days, they say, when they were back again.]
17. Am=ŏte nemàht petkawŏtíhtit, wòt wŏlìw nací-kotúnke, wòt pewatŏkópon wolelŏmoqewinúwin. On=yaq=ŏte wahsiwòss lúhse, wótta séhket ŏtúhk. Nìt etŏlihtèlŭwat. Nìt ’cimacìw yùt=te=hc wahsìw ’taltelŭwà weyossìs. Wáhsìw wíkok.
[When they got home, one went out hunting right away, the one who had wanted to be a lucky man. He just walked out back a little ways, and here stood a deer. He shot it right there. From then on, he went around shooting game right here in back. In back of his house.]
18. Wòt=ŏlu pawátok ehpilicíhi ’koselŏmókun, nòt=ŏlu nìt=te kessehkawŏtíhit yùt ’tutenehsìsŭwak, wŏlìw ’qíltàku ehpilicíhi, nìt ’tehkosqehtuhùku. Kŏma nòt=yaq kisŏpìw.
[As for the one who wanted women to love him, just as soon as they walked into their village, the women immediately ran up to him, then threw their arms around his neck. He could not even sit down.]
19. Nìt=te mokukŏnotultìnĭyal yúhtol yùkt ehpícik. Malom=ŏte elŏmíyak, pésqon elélliht ehpilicíhi. Tòqc kŏma kiscokuhkèw, ma=na apiskíwi. Tàn téhpu elíyat, ehpilicíhi nuhsuhkàku. Mam=ŏte, ma sipkawsìw. Nehpuhùku wehketkìkk ehpilitkíhi.
[Then the women struggled together over him, each trying to pull him away from the others. And even as time went on, the women still treated him in the same way. He couldn’t so much as defecate, or go somewhere and urinate. No matter where he went, the women pursued him. In the end, he did not live very long. They killed him, those women of long ago. ]