How did it happen? A wife was pregnant, shoe bore a child, Moon, to begin with. She returned, became pregnant again, and this time bore Sun. Far in the wilderness was a man, and he had a pretty daughter.
Sun and Moon grew up and one day went for a stroll. In the wilderness they came upon the pretty daughter, and they asked her, “Where have you got your house? We live in that wilderness,” they said to the girl. “Show us exactly where you live.”
She replied to them, “We live in that wilderness. And there a great many dangerous animals.”
Moon, the elder one of the brothers, said to the girl, “Do you like us? Shall we woo you?”
She said to them, “Yes, I am capable of liking you but may not.”
Sun then asked, “Who is it that does not like us?”
She said, “It is my father.”
Moon said to the girl, “Well, then, we shall wait for two days, and on the third we shall come to your village. We shall send our father’s children.”
They waited for two days, and on the third they sent the children, then they started out for the wilderness. And when they were quite close, they caught sight of the girl far off at the other edge of the jungle. They went to meet her and asked her, “Well, where is your village?”
She said, “Our village is here in the wilderness.”
They asked her, “I, I! Are there people that live in the place where is no hut?”
She said, “Yes, we live in the wilderness, we have no hut.”
They said, “We wish that you would show us where you live.”
The girl said, “All right, then.” And she went on ahead to show them the way.
A big snake then appeared. Sun and Moon said, “Let us not be afraid!” They were not frightened, but went along on their way. When they had got as far as the foot of a certain tree, they found a number of snakes confronting them; but they went farther along and came upon a place full of hairs like horsehair, forming a sort of darkness before them. Nowhere were they able to see any path to take.
Sun said to the girl, “You! Have you brought us here so we should die at your place?”
She said to them, “No, but we have not yet arrived at our village.”
And he, Moon, said to Sun, “Brother Sun, what are we to do now?” They said to the girl, “Tell us if you like us, and whether we are to woo you? We now wish to return home.”
They girl said to them, “Go, and come back the day after tomorrow!”
They went away and returned home.
They reached their home. And Moon loved the girl very much, more than Sun did. The following morning Sun went to herd their father’s cattle, and Moon hid himslef from Sun and went alone into the wilderness to seek the girl and take her to wife.
When he had got there, someone said to him, “Who is it?”
He said, “It is I”
He was asked, “Who are you?”
He answered, “It is I, Moon.”
He was asked, “Whither are you going?
He said, “I am coming hither.”
The other one asked him, “From where have you come?”
Moon said to him, “I come from our village.” And he added, “And you, what are you doing here?”
“I am not doing anything in particular,” said the stranger.
And I, neither am I doing anything in particular – I am just out for a walk,” answered Moon.
The other asked him again, “Why have you come here?”
“Not for anything special.”
The other mad said to him, “I, I? Not for anything special?”
Moon replied, “I, I! I did not come here for anything special! I have come here without any purpose.”
The strange man said, “Why do you ask me what I am seeking, but conceal and refuse to reveal your own business?”
Then Moon was frightened and said to himself, “I do not know these people, and they do not know me. I will return home!”
He returned home and said to Sun, “Brother, when I left you I saw a lot of queer things.”
Sun said to Moon, “Well, lets go some day and you shall show me those things; just now I am busy tending cattle.’
Their mother said to them, “Go ye and find the girl, I will do the hearding.”
They went, and when they got to the wilderness, they saw swords appearing. They fought against the sword but saw no human being. The swords disappeared, and they went on farther and saw trees which grew so densely before them the there was no path. Sun drew his sword and cut down some threes. The trees then disappeared altogether, and they did not see them again. They went farther ahead altogether, and they did not see them again. That went farther ahead and came to a pond; they were close to it. They saw teeth coming up out of the interior of the pond. They approached quite near. Two teeth passed right between them, one passed them to the left and another to t he right. Moon fell back behind Sun; he was frightened.
Sun said to him, “I, I Moon! Are you afraid? You are the elder one, go on ahead, let us walk on!”
“Yes, let us go on then! We are equally brave.”
Then teeth returned into the pond, and Sun and Moon walked on. When they had not got very far, they saw hairs coming up out of the pond. Moon looked at the girl’s father, for it was he, and said to Sun, “My brother, here we shall perish!”
“It cannot be helped!”
The hairs returned, however, into the pond. When they had got close to the pond, again Sun sat down on a tree at the edge of the pond together with Moon. The beard of the girl’s father came up to them but returned into the pond. Bones of dead people came up.
Moon said, “Oh! I am dying!” and suddenly he ran away.
Sun was left behind, alone there, sitting on the tree. The water rose, part of it came on one side of him and part of it on the other; it flowed all around him. He was sitting in the midst of the water, which presently returned to the pond. Sun did not budge from the spot. The water, however, returned to the river. Then smoke rose up out of the water. Sun said, to himself, “I do not intend to die here, although my brother got frightened and ran away. I am going to remain, so that I may see the girl” The smoke ceased, and the water flamed like fire. The fire, however, soon went out.
After that there came out of the water a human being – it was the girl! She came and took the young man by the hand and said to him, “Now we will go home to our place, and I shall give you food.”
The girl said to the pond, “Get out of the way for this man! I am going to cook food for him.” The water drew off the side of the pond, went over to one side.
The girl went and cooked food which she brought and gave the young man, and he ate. She said to him:
“I, it is you that is to take me to wife, because you are a man who is not afraid of anything. And you, now you are my husband because you are not afraid of all the things that were shown you, but your elder brother ran away.”
Then the girl’s father said to Sun, “Take the girl. When you have gone home you are to tarry there with her for five days, and then you yourself and your father are to bring the girl back here!
They started off. Moon had returned and sat down in the compound. He had a sword, and he said, “When Sun comes along with that girl, I shall kill him.”
Then the girl approached, and Sun was walking in the front of her. They came and found that Moon was in the compound. They asked him, “Moon, is there anyone at home in our village?”
“Sun, come here!”
Sun carried a sword. He went forward, and sat down. The mother came out and Sun said to her, “Mother, go and take the girl and conduct her into the village!”
The mother asked him, “This girl, is it you that have taken her to wife, or is it Moon?”
“She is my wife, Moon ran away.” Sun repeated: “Moon ran away.”
The latter grasped his sword. Sun looked up and saw the sword quite close to him, for Moon gave him a cut. And he, Sun, who also carried his sword, slapped Moon, and they fought. Sun was badly cut by Moon.
The mother cried a great deal. She took millet and all kinds of provisions and spoilt them for Moon. And she threw millet and all the other foodstuffs on the fire, saying, “You, Moon, have damaged Sun in this way. May you be destroyed in the same way! And the mother took some milk, and she and her husband poured it into a calabash bowl with millet and beer. Thereupon they blessed Sun, that he would shine brightly for mankind. The girl remained on in the village as Sun’s wife, but Moon had no wife, and he who had formerly been more brilliant than Sun no longer was so.
Ever since that time and even now Moon avoids Sun; they will not agree to approach each other at the same fire, nor to eat food together. When Sun goes down, Moon comes out; when Sun comes out of the village, Moon rapidly runs away. Is not that a curse? Moon has become small, and Sun has become big.
[ AKAMBA ]