Tree planters (12/12)

This post presents page 11 of 12 of Ma Sanda's short story "The tree planters" from her book Ban-pwint-khayay [Blossoming star flower].

Vocabulary:

ကျေပွန် ။ to fulfill one's duties
ရှင်သန် ။ to thrive, flourish
ကြက်သီးထ ။ to have goose pimples
ရှိန်း ။ to intensify
ငြူစူ ။ envious, jealous, bear a grudge
အဆင်သင့် ။ to be opportune, favourable, ready

Translation:

"[She] gave her lifeblood for, and she loves, [her own people], her own country. Not only her but also her sisters fulfilled their country duty to their country. You must always remember the investment of much lifeblood that was made in order for the great tree of freedom to thrive."

Poe Tha and Bo Aung were quiet. They gazed at the brown Thabyay flowers on the alter and got goose bumps.

*

As for "the impudent grandmother", she did not move. The next day she looked at Poe Tha and asked as she always did "who is he?"

Strangely, Poe Tha did not at all feel in his mind like he was becoming disheartened, or bore a grudge, or wanted to laugh. After that he respectfully answered.

"He is someone who is favourably eating the fruits from the trees that you planted around you. In the future I'll water these great trees."

(Barani Magazine, November 2005)