The Cycle (2/2)

The present post presents page 2 of 2 of Ma Sanda's short piece "The Cycle". A short summary of Ma Sanda's life and works is available here.

Vocabulary:

မတ် ။ a quarter (of a Kyat, one Kyat weight, an hour, an inch, an acre)
ဟော ။ expression indicating surprise
ဟင် ။ exclamation registering disappointment, disapproval or surprise
ခြံ ။ garden
ရွှံ့ ။ mud, clay

Translation:

"A pile of fresh chilli is half a kyat, not a quarter of a kyat.

"Oh! That's half a kyat for one pile?"

"Yes, it's half a kyat. Selling it for a quarter, I wouldn't break even. It's because there's a low amount of commodities coming in."

"Ah..."

* * *

"Oh... the onions are young and they're small. Even that costs 14 kyat, does it?"

"Yes, [the onions] on that side are slightly big and so they're 16 kyat."

"How frustrating."

"Don't be frustrated. Our having to sell is what's frustrating. We have to buy it at a high price."

"Oh."

* * *

"Hey... you'll do it. One hundred is two kyat. In the past when I bought [this] it was half a kyat."

"I haven't been able to sell it for half a kyat for a long time, Aunty."

"I have to buy it because I want to shoot the dog that enters into my garden. The price of your slingshot balls keeps increasing."

"As for that, it's the same as other people, mam."

"Wow, it's the same as with which people? How many kyat does it cost you to buy one pyi of clay? Is it because not many transport trucks arrive that there aren't many commodities? It's because the new clay is not abundant like onions? Is the old clay expensive? Is it because the rain has destroyed your clay field that it has been ruined? Is it because frost has struck that [the clay] has died?"

"No, mam."

"Okay... so why has the price of your clay increased? Tell me, please."

"The clay hasn't gone up in price, mam. However, when I'm hungry I can't eat the clay, aunty."

"Ahh..."

Ma Sanda

1987