Rihana-ye: The Peasants and the Lord of Desertedge

Hetiba-fe ge Hemanathe-ye Tiba
Rebels and Desertedge's lord

Hetiba-fe-ye tiniba hechu Hemanathe-ye tiba-be wivejo.
Freemen's headman secretly Desertedge's lord-to went.
Tiniba tiba-be wivaro: "Seba peti niba-fe-ye winiba,
Headman lord-to said: "I rebel peasants' elder,
ge niba-fe-ye gifa-fe faha wicho ge fomihana jivajo.
and peasants' cattle herd saw and living place know.
Here feba seba-de fugefe lila-ye diha-fe ko-vi,
If you me-to many gold-of pieces give-will,
seba feba-be peti niba-fe-ye faha fomihana varo-vi."
I you-to rebel peasants' herd living place say-will."
Tiba wivaro: "Seba feba-de se laveha ko-vi."
Lord said: "I you-to this price give-will."
Tiniba wivaro: "Feba seba-ge fisa-fe-le vejo-vi,
Headman said "You me-and hills-through go-will,
seba feba-be faha cho-gi jo-vi." Tiba hechu tiniba
I you-to herd see-to make-will." Lord secretly headman
fisa-fe-de yawa-le wivejo. Fiwa-le faha he wicho,
hills-to night-though went. Longtime-through hedr not saw,
sepe se-ve tigafa-fe-ye faha wicho. Tiniba tiba-be wivaro:
but this-after deer-of herd saw. Headman lord-to said:
"Se seba-ye baka-fe-ye faha." Fugefe hetiba-fe-ye
This my people's herd." Many rebels-of
biba-fe sewa-me tiba wibo. Tiniba tiba-be wivaro: "Here
warriors this time-in lord took. Headman lord-to said: "If
feba fesebaka-fe-ye hetiha ko-vi, kere fesebaka-fe
you our freedom give-will, so we
sese-ye hana-fe lavediha he ko-vi, ge fesebaka-fe-ye tiba
our own lands dues not give-will, and our lord
hetu jo-vi, fesebaka-fe tiba-be sese-ye hetiha ko-vi."
freely make-will, we lord-to his own freedom give-will."
Hemanathe-ye tiba wivaro: Seba seha jo-vi,
Desertedge's lord said "I this thing do-will,
here feba seba-ye hetiha ko-vi."
if you my freedom give-will."

NOTE: Readers may recognize this story as derived from one of the tales of
Robin Hood. In  the Rihana conworld, it is part of a cycle of stories about the
revolt of the peasants of the province of Desertedge (Hemanathe) by which they
gained considerable autonomy. Desertedge is the province of Pihana (the
southern land now ruled by the Rihana-ye people) closest to the border with Jasas
(which the Rihana-ye call Hemana, 'Desert." ) The rebel peasants were
ethnically Pihana-ye, not Rihana-ye, and some of these stories also exist in Pihana-ye
(Kushy yemu). I hope to submit some of the Kushy yemu versions later, as there
is much less Kushy yemu literature extant than Rihana-ye. Its position is
roughly that of late OE under the Normans (hence these rebel texts, following the
unhistorical legend that Robin Hood represented Anglo-Saxon nationalism.)
Speak treason fluently! (E. Flynn as R. Hood)
Note 2: Very alert readers may note this text was composed before some recent
developments in Rihana-ye, notably the conditional verb form.
Note also that strictly "rebel" is peti (adj) petiba (masc. noun) but in many
places the Eng. word "rebel" translates "hetiba" literally "freeman"
(lordless man) which the peasants called themselves.
John Leland