ESTORIAN JUDIT

 

Si Judit annai ha utot i agagå'-ña si Holofernes

I taotao siha ni i mañåsaga giya Juda gusese’ man maleffa ta’lo as Yu’us.  Pot ayo na nina’ fan guatutuye as Yu’us un nuebo yan na’ luhan na desgråsia.  Si Holofernes, heneråt giya Asiria, yan i sendalu-ña siha, ha håtme i Rainon Juda.  Gi uno na siudå i man Hudios, ni Betulia na’ån-ña, ha po’luye si Holofernes pongle ya ha chochomma i taotao guennao na siudå nu i hanom.   Ha na’ fan sesen ñålang ha’, ya esta måtto gi hinasson-ñiha i man Hudios para u entrega i siudå guato gi as Holofernes yanggen ti manmañodda’ siha åtgun ayudo gi halom singko dias.

Un såntos na biuda, ni si Judit na’ån-ña, ha hungok todo este ya nina’ ma’åse’ i korason-ña nu i man masåså’pet na achataotao-ña siha.  Si Judit ha adotna gue’ ni man guaguan na alåhas ya ha palai gue’ ni paopao na låña.  Sumisiha yan i muchachå-ña, humånao si Judit guato gi kampamenton Holofernes.  Pine’lon-ña si Holofernes na si Judit ha abandona i taotao-ña siha, yan pot i bonitå-ña si Judit, sinedi si Judit as Holofernes para u såga ha’ gi kampamenton i enemigo.

Gi mina’ kuåttro dias, mannå’e si Holofernes dångkulo na gupot ya gumimen mampos na bino, tånto ke umå’åsson gi kamå-ña mumaigo’.  Annai måkpo’ i gipot gi annai esta ges painge, yan todo i taotao siha gi oriya man mamaigo’ man sen måffong, kahulo’ si Judit ya ha chule’ i espådan Holofernes, ni eståba ma kakana’ gi un halige, ya ha utot i ilu-ña si Holofernes!

Despues, humuyong gi kampamento, måtto gi siudå, ya ha agånge todo i taotao siha, ilelek-ña, “Tina hamyo si Yu’us, ni ti ha abandodona i sengsong-ña!”

Annai man makmåta i ehetsiton i taotao Asiria, ya ma sodda’ i tataotao Holofernes na ma utot i agagå’-ña, ma tutuhune man malågo.  Si Judit ma na’ må’gas giya Israel, ya ma alåba i palao’an gi taiguine siha na finiho : “Hågo i onran Jerusalen; hågo i minagof Israel!”

NOTES

• The story uses a lot of proper names that begin with J. Since these are all borrowed from Spanish, we pronounce the J as an H, as in Juan and Jose. So Judit is pronounced HOO-DIT. Juda is pronounced HOO-DA. Jerusalen is HE-ROO-SA-LEN.

• Other personal names I keep in the Spanish style of spelling, even though we will pronounce them in a Chamorro way. So it is spelled Holofernes, but Chamorros will say HO-LO-FET-NES. Israel is IS-RA-ET.

• Achataotao-ña. Acha means “equal, same.” So, this term means “fellow men.”

• Tina. The root word is tuna, which means “to praise.” But in this sentence Judith is commanding a group of people to praise God, so it becomes tina. If Judith were telling one person to praise God, she would have said tuna.

• Sengsong. From songsong, which can mean city, but also people, as in a community or race or nation.