Hover over Guaraní morphemes written in purple to see their syntactic function.

Audio for Story #12:

There was an old treasure hunter, called Mr. Leokadio.

Existía un viejo buscador de tesoro, el señor llamado Leokádio.

One day he came to my place and said to me:

Un dia vino junto a mí y me dijo:

"Let’s go, I will show you something

"Vamos, un poquito te voy a mostrar algo

that I found with my friend, Vito."

que había sacado con mi compadre, Vito."

And I got ready in the afternoon and we went to his friend’s house.

Y me preparé a la tarde y fuimos a la casa de su compadre.

Mr. Vito came out to receive us, and we just chatted,

Salió a recibirnos el Señor Vito, y hablábamos nomás [charlamos],

and Leokadio already asked

y Leokádio ya le preguntó

what they had done with the things they had dug out.

qué habían hecho de las cosas que habían sacado ellos.

"I threw it all out because my wife did not like it:

"Tiré todo porque a mi esposa no le gustó:

'Throw me out all those trinkets,

'Tirame todo esa tontería,

which you had lifted on the end of the beam.' [Vito’s wife quoted]

que habías alzado en lo alto de la cocina [en la punta de la tijera del techo]' [la esposa de Vito citada]

'It scares me,' she told me one day."

'Me da miedo,' me dijo un día."

And at that moment Vito’s wife came out,

Y en ese mismo momento salió la esposa de Vito,

and Leokadio asked her, in front of me:

y Leokadio le preguntó, delante mío [en mi presencia]:

"And why are you afraid of the thing that we dug out?"

"¿Y porque le tienes miedo a lo que habíamos extraído [desenterrado]?"

And he brought [it = what they had dug out] [and] he [it to] tied a piece of cloth

Y el trajo [lo desenterrado] [y] [lo] ató en un trapo

and he raised up high on the ceiling beam.

y alzó allá en lo alto de la tijera [del techo].

And if there is a lot of wind, that thing tied with the cloth moves [back and forth],

Y si hay mucho viento, se mueve [de un lado a otro] lo que está atado por el trapo,

and at night it also moves.

y por la noche se mueve también.

And whatever time you get up and you look at it, it is moving (back and forth).

Y la hora que te levantas y miras por él, se está moviendo.

And whether it rains or not, it is still moving.

Si llueve o si escampa [el bulto] no se queda.

And those were the [former] bones that he had dug out

Y esos [eran] los huesos [former bones] que habían sacado ellos

from under the ground, it turns out, searching for the treasure.

de debajo de la tierra, había sido que, buscando lo enterrado [=tesoro].

And given that the wife was already afraid of the tied up bones,

Y así como la esposa ya estaba atemorizada de los restos de huesos atados,

Mr. Vito threw [them] out in a reedbed.

el señor Victor [los] tiró en un cañaveral.

He did not throw [them] in the cemetery because he suspected

No [los] tiró en el cementerio porque desconfía de él

that it had not been baptized.

que no fue bautizado.

That it has something, it does.

De tener algo lo tiene/Dentro hay lo que hay.

Then when I left Mr. Victor's house

Después al salir yo de la casa del Señor Victor

to go back to my house, Mr. Locadio went out with me.

para ir de vuelta a mi casa, el señor Locadio salió conmigo.

"When we had gone a stretch from there," he said to me.

"Cuando salimos de ahí un trecho," me dijo.

"Let’s go to my house to have you listen to some of my music."

"Vamos un poco a mi casa para hacerte escuchar mi música."

"What type [of music] is your music?" I said.

"Qué clase es tu música?" le dije.

"Let’s go so you get to know."

"Y vamos para que sepas."

And then I came with him to his house. We were there.

Y después vine con él a su casa. Estábamos [ahí].

Then he tells me: "At eleven o’clock

Y después me avisa: "Cuando sean las once

the music that I want to make you listen to will begin."

va a empezar la música que te quiero hacer escuchar."

Then we drank mate; for some time we drank mate and talked (for a long time).

Y después tomamos mate; durante un tiempo largo tomamos mate y conversamos (por mucho tiempo).

Then we stopped drinking mate,

Después sí que nos dejamos del mate,

and we didn’t have dinner; we were waiting for the music.

y no cenamos, estábamos esperando la música.

And finally, it was suddenly eleven o’clock.

Y a las cansadas, finalmente llegó las once.

We got up and he took me where there was a funerary urn,

Nos levantamos y me llevó donde estaba un cajón,

It turns out that it was what he had taken out with his friend Victor [narrator discovers]:

Había sido eso era lo que había sacado con su compadre Vito:

it was full of former Christian bones.

estaba llenito de huesos de cristianos.

Then we slowly got closer to the shrub.

Después nos acercamos lentamente al arbusto [al lugar].

I listened well and heard "chii!", it said in one place.

Presté bien oído y oí "chĩi!", decía en un lugar.

And then in the other corner of the urn "chii!", it said again.

Y luego en la otra esquina del cajón "chĩi!", decía de nuevo.

They began to echo one another, the ones saying

Empezó a corresponderse los que decían

"chĩi!" here, there, and in between.

"chĩi!" acá, "chĩi!" allá, en el medio.

Each time lots more and more were buzzing all together in that way.

Cada vez más y más avispas que iban zumbando juntas así.

It seemed that those were the ones that wanted so much to get out.

Parecía esas [not visible] que demasiado querían salir.

There were those that buzzed low-pitch, those that buzzed medium-pitch,

Hay de las que zumbaban finito, otras mediano,

those that buzzed high-pitch, there were all types.

otras [que zumbaban] agudo, de toda clase había.

It appears that there were very many of the wasps that were partying

Parecía que eran muchas las avispas que farreaban

inside the big urn.

dentro del cajón grande.

It was much after that one afternoon

Desde ese tiempo lejano una tarde

I was going to the funeral of an angel,

me iba al entierro de un angelito,

and Mr. Leokadio came out with me

y salió el señor Leokadio junto a mí

(we think that he lives badly, with a wrinkled face), and he said:

(creemos que ese vive mal, con la cara arrugada), y me dijo:

"We said long ago that when the time comes to sell my house,

"Dijimos hace tiempo, que a la hora de vender mi casa,

I should offer [it] to you first."

a vos te [la] tenía que ofrecer primero."

"Yes, it was that way then."

"Sí, así fué."

"And how are you?"

"Y cómo estás?"

"I am sick and my sister wants to take me to her house

"Estoy enfermo y mi hermana quiere llevarme a su casa

to take care of me."

para cuidarme."

"I will come to your place to talk," he said to him.

"Voy a venir junto a vos ahora para conversar," le dijo.

And then I went back again to his house

Y después fui otra vez a su casa

and he told me everything that had happened to him.

y me contó todo lo que le había pasado.

It is said that, to start with, they had taken out with his friend

Se dice que, para comenzar, habían sacado con su compadre, había sido que,

that urn that he had shown me, full of Christian bones.

ese cajón que me había mostrado, muy lleno de huesos humanos.

They split [the bones] in two.

Se repartieron [esos huesos] por la mitad.

Vito took half to his house,

Vito llevó a su casa la mitad,

and Mr. Leokádio also [took] the other half to his house, with the [funeral] urn.

y el señor Leokadio la otra mitad llevó también a su casa, con el cajón.

It is said that he had [them = the bones] a long time in his house,

Se dice que [los] tuvo mucho tiempo en su casa [= los huesos],

and the wasps buzzed inside the urn each evening.

y estaban dentro del cajón las avispas que zumbaban a las once, cada noche.

And one night it is said that the wasps were no longer buzzing

Y una noche se dice que no zumbaron las avispas

and then like the next day, the big urn, the container of what had been bones, was no longer there.

y después como al día siguiente no amaneció el gran cajón, recipiente que fueron de los huesos.

He looked for [it] for a long time and then he stopped looking.

Mucho tiempo [lo] buscó y después dejó [de buscar].

And one Saturday, it is said, his friend came to his place,

Y un sábado, se dice que, vino junto a él su compadre,

and he told him that he frequently sees something that lightens up on a mount of earth.

y le contó que ve siempre en un montículo de tierra lo que se enciende (llamas de fuego).

And they both went to have their cards thrown,

Se fueron los para hacer echar la prueba (las cartas),

and it came out for both: they can go dig together.

y le salió a los dos: pueden ir juntos a cavar.

It is said they went to explore

Se fueron para sondear [explorar]

and under a dry thorn they found what they found.

y debajo de una espina seca encontraron lo que encontraron.

And they dug taking turns.

Se pusieron por turno y cavaron.

When they dug and dug, they did not find anything.

Cavaron y cavaron más y no encontraron nada.

And then it is said Leokádio smelled something that smelled bad.

Y después se dice que en el pozo olió Leokadio lo que olía mal.

It is said that at that point he got more persistent.

Ahí, se dice que se puso más persistente él.

And his friend was taking out the earth with a sheave.

Y su compadre estaba sacando la tierra con la roldana.

And then they attempted again, and they found something hard again, the container.

Sondearon otra vez y encontraron devuelta lo duro, el cántaro.

And then, it is said, finally, about around eleven meters,

Y después, se dice que, a las cansadas, a unos once metros por ahí,

Leokádio visualizes one biggest container, in the well.

Visualiza Leokádio un enorme cántaro, en el pozo.

And it is said that he moved the container

Y se dice que movió él [el cántaro]

and told his friend to raise [the container].

y le dijo a su compañero para que le alze (el cántaro).

And he was coming up with the container in his hand,

Y venía subiendo el cántaro en su mano,

and it is said that when he came out, he threw out the container.

y al salir, dice que, tiró el cántaro afuera.

And at that point one day came

Y en ese punto un día le vino

very big lightning towards the earth

un enorme relámpago desde hacia la tierra.

They remained completely in the dark, [the lightning] threw Leokádio backwards,

Se quedaron totalmente en la oscuridad, [el rayo] le echó [a Leokadio] de espalda,

and he hit his neck on the rim of the bucket.

y se dice que se golpeó la nuca por el borde del balde.

And the container broke in the darkness, inside the earth.

Y el cántaro se quebró en la oscuridad, dentro de la tierra.

And it is said that thereof, Vito did not know what he should do

Y se dice que de ahí Vito no supo que tenía que hacer

and he took his friend to his house,

y le llevó a su compadre a su casa,

and there he forgot about the broken container.

y se olvidó allí del cántaro roto.

It turns out that it was not for Leokádio, and he very much wanted to take it out.

No era, había sido, para Leokádio, y él demasiado quería sacarlo.

That happened on Saturday evening.

Eso pasó el sábado a la noche.

And that Sunday morning, it is said,

Y ese domingo a la mañana, se dice que,

an old card player was passing through around there.

iba pasando por ahí un viejo jugador de naipes.

It is said that he saw a big well and he got close to look at it.

Vio, se dice que, el gran pozo y se acercó para mirar allí.

It is said that he saw that on the border

Vio, se dice que, en el borde

there were many horse bones, around four, that were long, very long.

había mucho de huesos de caballo, cuatro por ahí, que eran largos, muy largos.

It is said that he [the card player] grabbed one

Se dice que agarró él [el jugador de naipes] uno

and went towards the store where they play cards.

y se fue donde juega el truco, hacía el boliche.

It is said that his peers in the store laughed at him.

Todos, se dice que, se rieron de él sus amigos en el almacén.

And two were playing cards.

Y estaban dos jugando a las cartas.

And "Come, we will play cards, come, we will play cards!"

Y "Vení pués vamos a jugar, vení vamos a jugar!"

one (of them) said to him.

le dijo uno de ellos.

And he went to play.

Y él se fue a jugar.

And he put down on the table his horse bone.

Y bajo encima de la mesa su hueso del caballo.

Then he lost each game, and he ended with no money.

Después perdió cada juego, y ya se quedó sin plata.

He no longer knew what to play for. And:

Ya no sabía por qué cosa jugar. Y:

"Let’s play for this horse bone," he said to his friend.

"Vamos a jugar por este mi hueso de caballo," le dijo a su amigo.

"If we are going to bet on this, then we can keep playing."

"Si vamos a jugar por éste vamos a seguir jugando."

"Let’s play," the other [guy] said to him.

"Vamos a jugar," le dijo el otro.

"How many games?"

"Cuántos juegos?"

"And as many as [I] win."

"Y tanto como gane"

And the guy started to lose and lose.

Y el muchacho se puso a perder y perder.

And when he was about to lose, he gathered [them = the cards] again.

Y como cuando ya estaba por [a punto de] perder todo, [las] juntó otra vez.

And they were tied, and it was already afternoon, and they were hungry.

Y se empataron ellos, y ya era de tarde, ya tuvieron hambre ellos.

Then when they stopped [playing] cards.

Cuando entonces cesaron [escamparon] de la baraja.

"Your horse bones are useful only to throw them away,"

"Los huesos de tu caballo para tirar solamente sirven,"

they told him.

le dijeron ellos.

He finished the game, he grabbed his horse’s bone,

Terminó el juego, agarró su hueso de caballo,

and went to his house, or his boss’s house, supposedly;

y se fue a su casa, o sea en la casa de su patrón;

he actually lives in his boss’s house, it turns out.

él vive en la casa de su patrón luego, había sido.

He arrived, it is said, at the house, and he threw [it = the bone] in a corner of the kitchen;

Llegó, se dice que, a la casa, y al tirar[lo = el hueso] en una esquina de la cocina;

he heard "mbrim!", the horse’s bone’s sound.

escuchó "mbrim!", el sonido del hueso de su caballo.

He was frightened, he went to bring a machete, he scratched with it and found [something] shining:

Se asustó, se fue a traer un machete, raspó con él y encontró que brillaba:

It was all gold, it turns out, the horse’s bone!

Era todo oro, había sido, el hueso del caballo!

And there, it is said, the boss also came to see

Y ahí, se dice que, el patrón vino también a ver

and asked him where he had found [it = the horse’s bone].

y le preguntó dónde [lo] había encontrado [= el hueso].

"Four I found on the border [edge] of the well," the guy told him.

"Cuatro encontré en el borde de un pozo," le dijo el muchacho.

"Go fast to bring us all that you left!"

"Vete rápido a traernos todo eso que dejaste!"

his boss said to him.

le dijo su patrón.

And when he went back to bring it all back,

Y cuando se fue de vuelta para traer todo,

he no longer found anything, not even one horse’s bone.

ya no encontró ningún hueso del caballo.