Introduction.

The version of the Ndlie-jia story sung by Tao Zi-gai is twice as long as that recorded by Wang Ming-ji. In part this is due to the differences in style between the two singers and to the inclusion of additional material, but there is also a certain amount of repetition. This may have been caused by the singer losing the thread of the song as he had to pause for each line to be written down. The repetition has in turn led to a certain disruption in the sequence of events.

Ndlie-jia’s repeated, and slightly enigmatic, reference to a walnut means that, when a man has spoken, his word stands as invariable as a walnut kernel which always has four sections. Nggu-ra-jio-ni-bang uses a similar metaphor when Ndlie-jia asks her to return with him. She says that the water flowing over the rock has worn it smooth and slippery, that is, it can no longer be crossed. Time has moved on and the situation has changed, there can be no coming back. The reason was of course that she was now married to a dragon.

Translation
Literal Transcription
Notes

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