Poem in Khmer by Sam Vichea (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com)
Cartoons by Sacrava (on the web at http://katilauk.blogspot.com)
Cartoons by Sacrava (on the web at http://katilauk.blogspot.com)
Little Mutt’s tale: Once a dog, always a dog
02 September 2009
A Poem by Sam Vichea
Cartoon by Sacrava
Translation from Khmer by Translator Without Border
1- Once upon a time, there lived a pitiful mutt named Little Mutt. Little Mutt had to tirelessly search for food along the faraway countryside.
[Mutt: mixed-breed dog, a dog that has characteristics of two or more breeds. Source: Wikipedia]
2- Under the scorching sun, Little Mutt became angry as it became hungry. He then prayed to Indra.
3- “Lord Indra, please help me, let me change into the sun so that I may shine over the earth,” Little Mutt prayed.
4- ??? (Indra then exhausted Little Mutt’s wish.)
5- As Little Mutt was happily shining, dark clouds came and hid the sunshine. The sky became dark, but tirelessly, Little Mutt had another wish.
6- “This time, let me become clouds instead,” Little Mutt prayed while thinking that clouds could spread far and wide and they could even hide the sun.
7- Just then, Little Mutt became dark clouds which covered the entire sky. Darkness fell upon the earth, even the sunshine could not filter through the dark clouds.
8- Suddenly, the weather changed, strong winds blowing to the east blew away and dispersed all the clouds.
9- Now then, Little Mutt wanted to become the wind instead: “Let me become the stormy wind so that I may chastise and blow the earth.”
10 – As Little Mutt blew with rage over the world, there was a termite hill that remained still. Little Mutt was furious: “Ha! You are more powerful then the stormy wind,” Little Mutt muttered.
11- “I want to become a termite hill instead, may Buddha fulfill my wish! The termite hill is solid, it can never break up, not even the stormy wind can break it apart,” Little Mutt thought.
12- Little Mutt then became a termite hill, it remained still in blissful peace. Not even the wind can push it down to the ground.
13- Just then came a longhorn buffalo with itchy horns. As it saw the termite hill, it sped towards it to violently rub its itchy horns until the termite hill was shaken and damaged.
14- Little Mutt’s feeling was very hurt because, as a termite hill, he could not withstand the buffalo’s strength.
15- “Dear Tevoda (Angel)! I change my mind, please help me! Let me change again, let me become a strong buffalo instead.”
16- Little Mutt then became a large and strong buffalo. As it was filled with rage, it went around goring everything along its path, no matter how big any termite hill is, the buffalo destroyed it with its horns.
17- When night time came, the buffalo owner tied Little Mutt, the strong buffalo, to a tiny leather rope.
18- The buffalo’s feeling was very hurt, because, tiny as it may look, Little Mutt, the buffalo, could not shake it off itself no matter how hard it tried. Little Mutt’s feeling was very hurt by the leather rope.
19- By then, Little Mutt no longer wanted to be a buffalo, and he had a new idea. Immediately, he prayed to the Tevoda again, asking the angel to turn it into a leather rope.
20- As Little Mutt became a buffalo leather rope, it tied other animals without any mercy and Little Mutt was very happy to see its wish fulfilled.
21- Just then, a hungry dog was looking for something to eat when it came upon the buffalo leather rope. The hungry dog then chewed on the leather rope with great delight.
22- Little Mutt, the leather rope, became very hurt, it could not believe that the solid leather rope could break apart just because of a small dog. So Little Mutt said that it did not want to remain as a leather rope anymore.
23- Little Mutt then begged the Tevoda with an aching heart: “May you please help me till the end, let me become a dog back!”
24- Since then on, Little Mutt had no more wishes, as it becomes a mutt again, it repeated to itself: “A dog’s life is the best!”
25- The moral of the story, lest we forget: “Little Mutt’s ideas are not good! No matter how much it twists and turns, once a dog, always a dog.”
[Mutt: mixed-breed dog, a dog that has characteristics of two or more breeds. Source: Wikipedia]
2- Under the scorching sun, Little Mutt became angry as it became hungry. He then prayed to Indra.
3- “Lord Indra, please help me, let me change into the sun so that I may shine over the earth,” Little Mutt prayed.
4- ??? (Indra then exhausted Little Mutt’s wish.)
5- As Little Mutt was happily shining, dark clouds came and hid the sunshine. The sky became dark, but tirelessly, Little Mutt had another wish.
6- “This time, let me become clouds instead,” Little Mutt prayed while thinking that clouds could spread far and wide and they could even hide the sun.
7- Just then, Little Mutt became dark clouds which covered the entire sky. Darkness fell upon the earth, even the sunshine could not filter through the dark clouds.
8- Suddenly, the weather changed, strong winds blowing to the east blew away and dispersed all the clouds.
9- Now then, Little Mutt wanted to become the wind instead: “Let me become the stormy wind so that I may chastise and blow the earth.”
10 – As Little Mutt blew with rage over the world, there was a termite hill that remained still. Little Mutt was furious: “Ha! You are more powerful then the stormy wind,” Little Mutt muttered.
11- “I want to become a termite hill instead, may Buddha fulfill my wish! The termite hill is solid, it can never break up, not even the stormy wind can break it apart,” Little Mutt thought.
12- Little Mutt then became a termite hill, it remained still in blissful peace. Not even the wind can push it down to the ground.
13- Just then came a longhorn buffalo with itchy horns. As it saw the termite hill, it sped towards it to violently rub its itchy horns until the termite hill was shaken and damaged.
14- Little Mutt’s feeling was very hurt because, as a termite hill, he could not withstand the buffalo’s strength.
15- “Dear Tevoda (Angel)! I change my mind, please help me! Let me change again, let me become a strong buffalo instead.”
16- Little Mutt then became a large and strong buffalo. As it was filled with rage, it went around goring everything along its path, no matter how big any termite hill is, the buffalo destroyed it with its horns.
17- When night time came, the buffalo owner tied Little Mutt, the strong buffalo, to a tiny leather rope.
18- The buffalo’s feeling was very hurt, because, tiny as it may look, Little Mutt, the buffalo, could not shake it off itself no matter how hard it tried. Little Mutt’s feeling was very hurt by the leather rope.
19- By then, Little Mutt no longer wanted to be a buffalo, and he had a new idea. Immediately, he prayed to the Tevoda again, asking the angel to turn it into a leather rope.
20- As Little Mutt became a buffalo leather rope, it tied other animals without any mercy and Little Mutt was very happy to see its wish fulfilled.
21- Just then, a hungry dog was looking for something to eat when it came upon the buffalo leather rope. The hungry dog then chewed on the leather rope with great delight.
22- Little Mutt, the leather rope, became very hurt, it could not believe that the solid leather rope could break apart just because of a small dog. So Little Mutt said that it did not want to remain as a leather rope anymore.
23- Little Mutt then begged the Tevoda with an aching heart: “May you please help me till the end, let me become a dog back!”
24- Since then on, Little Mutt had no more wishes, as it becomes a mutt again, it repeated to itself: “A dog’s life is the best!”
25- The moral of the story, lest we forget: “Little Mutt’s ideas are not good! No matter how much it twists and turns, once a dog, always a dog.”
