M160
How the spotted dog obtained seed.

Sung by Yang Xiu.

Introduction.

This song does not say to whom it was in the sky that the dog had to go for seed and the dog’s fault, in this version of the story, is that he brought back only one kind of seed, namely, maize, instead of the wide variety which was available.

The full significance of the penultimate line of the song is impossible to translate as it depends upon a play upon the Miao words. The dog is told, "You can only eat maize (ghad ghwb) afterwards (ndruf ghad ghwb)".


Translation in verse
Literal Transcription
Notes

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Word97 Introduction
Word97 Translation
Word97 Transcription
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