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The Son of Oxala Who Was Named Money

1995; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 18; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/cal.1995.0114

1080-6512

Mestre Didi, tr Peres Phyllis,

Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance

The Son of Oxalá Who was Named Money Mestre Didi Many years ago, Oxalá had a son by the name of Money, who was very presumptuous and arrogant, to the point of saying to Oxalá, his father and king, in front of many people, that he was as powerful as his father, since he was accustomed to walking with Death and could take her anywhere. To prove this claim, one day he planned to bring Death however he could, as he had told Oxalá he could in the presence of the whole kingdom. And so, it occurred to him to lie down at a crossroads. As soon as he came across one, he lay down, remaining quiet and waiting for what might happen. The people passed by the road, saw him lying there and commented: “Chi! Look how that man is lying there, with his head towards the house of Death, his feet towards the door of Disease, and his sides towards the place of Discord.” After these words were spoken by the people who passed by there and by what he had found out himself, he got up and said: “So, ironically, I know already everything that is necessary to learn and know; my plans are already made.” And from there he went directly to the house of Death. Arriving at her country house, he began to beat on the doleful drums that Death used when she wanted to kill specific people. He already had gotten a net on the road and was prepared, waiting for Death to come and complain. And so it passed. Death, hearing the sounds of the drums, arrived very quickly in order to find out who was playing. The man Money wrapped her in the net and took her to Oxalá with these words: “Here is Death as I promised to bring her before you in person.” Oxalá responded, “Leave here with Death and all of the best things that you can carry from the world because you are the cause of good and of evil. Disappear from here! Take her and you can conquer all of the universe.” And because of this, in the name of Money, all types of crimes continue to be committed. O Filho De OxalÁ Que Se Chamava Dinheiro Mestre Didi Translated by Phyllis Peres Há muitos anos passados, Oxalá teve um filho por nome Dinheiro, muito presunçoso e arrogante, a ponto de dizer a Oxalá, seu pai e rei, na presença de várias pessoas, que era tão poderoso quanto ele, pois era acostumado a andar com a Morte e levá-la para qualquer lugar. Para dar prova disto, um dia ele saiu pensando como poderia trazer presa de qualquer forma a Morte, conforme tinha dito a Oxalá, na presença de todos do reinado. Nisto, ocorreu-lhe a idéia de deitar-se em uma encruzilhada. Dito e feito, logo que encontrou uma, deitou-se nela, ficando quieto, aguardando o que poderia acontecer. As pessoas que passavam pela estrada e se deparavam com ele deitado ali na encruzilhada, diziam:—Chi! Como está aquele homem deitado ali, com a cabeça para a casa da Morte, os pés para a porta da Moléstia e os lados para o lugar da Desavença. Depois de ditas estas palavras pelas pessoas que por ali passavam, e que ele se achou sòzinho, levantou-se e disse:—Então “de ironia” já sei tudo o que era preciso saber e conhecer; estou com os meus planos já feitos.—E lá se foi ele direitinho para a casa da Morte. Chegando na chácara dela, começou a bater nos tambores funestos de que a Morte fazia uso, quando queria matar as pessoas indicadas. Assim ele, que já estava de posse de uma rede que tinha conseguido no caminho, ficou preparado, aguardando que a morte viesse a ele para reclamar. Dito e feito, a Morte, ouvindo os sons dos tambores, chegou bastante apressada a fim de saber quem estava tocando. O homem Dinheiro envolveu-a na rede e levou-a ao maioral Oxalá, dizendo-lhe estas palavras:—Aqui está a Morte que prometi trazer em pessoa à vossa...