Kōmeḷeḷe jān William Swain
Jitdam ej bōk jikin n̄e ruo ak elōn̄ļo̧k dam (foredeads) rej jelmae doon im ekkonono kōn men otemjej rejelōt mour eo ilo Majōl. Ak etke ekkonono kake ilo Amedka? Elōn̄ iad rej jerbal im mour ilo Amedka in im n̄e rej retire, rej rool n̄an bwidej ko aer. Ri Majōl rot in relak rool n̄an aelōn̄ ko ad, elan̄n̄e re kar jab jitdam mokta jān aer kar itok n̄an Amedka in, ebwe aer kōņaaņ jebwābwe. Ak e bar wōr jet iad rej kōjerbali wōt men ko rar ekkatak ippān jibwier im jimmaer, jekdoon ia eo rej pād ie. Ri Majōl rot in jej kwalok lōmņak kein ijin n̄an kakememej er jej watōk er lukkuun Ri Majōl jekdoon jete iiō in aer kar jako jān barijet in bok im ņa ko jikid. Rane rō le ilikin melele kein eokwe emōj aer meloklok nemān bwiro im anberia.
Jimmaō, ilo broken English eo an ekkā an ba: “play while play, work while work.” Ij kōjerbale wōt men in ilo mour e aō kōn jidik oktak: “play when it’s time to play; work when it’s time to work”—oktan ilo Kajin Majōl: “ikkure n̄e ej iien ikkure; jerbal n̄e ej iien jerbal.” Ak naan in emaron̄ ke jerbal āinwōt in: “buromōj n̄e ej iien buromōj; uiejlol n̄e ej iien uiejlol?” Ak ilo wāween in: “ekkatak n̄e ej iien ekkatak; jikuul n̄e ej iien jikuul?” Eokwe lōmņak eo an jimmaō ņe.
Ke eaar jek tipn̄ōl eo waan, iaar pād wōt epaake jimmao n̄an aō lale wāween an eoeo eam, ellōkko, im inwijet. Rainiin ij watōke iniwijet bwe ej ino en eaorōktata ilo tipn̄ōl en waad kōke jimmaō eaar ba n̄an n̄a: “Kōjniplej lōkōmen̄ i’āne, Inwijet lōkōmen̄ i’meto.” Jejeļā ke iniwijet en ej ino en eaorōk ilo tipn̄ōl en, ak ta in kōjniplej? Im etke keidi n̄an “iniwijet” en? Jej ke kōjerbale naan in jimmaō eaar katakin eō elōn̄ iiō ko remootļo̧k?
N̄an kom ro rej ba kom rikijijin, eokwe ewi melelein naan in kōjniplej ilo naan kein ilo al in: “Kōjniplej eo nejin Anij ej itok n̄an laļ; iruj in ke ri melōtlōt ke raar ba: Raar kennaan, kennaan im ba; Jeraam̧m̧an eo jān lan̄ n̄an laļ; nin̄nin̄ in būtabōt jooj kōkatūbtūbi.” Ealikkar ke jon̄an an aorōk “kōjniplej” in jān lan̄ aolepen laļ ej kōkatūbtūbi ālkin aer ekkatak im eo̧ro̧n̄i naan ko an ri melōtlōt ro.
Ak ālkin pād ilo Amedka kein elōn̄ iiō, naan in kayak ko kom ar ron̄ jān jibwimi im jimaami, elapļo̧k aer aorōk n̄an kom ro rej kiiō rool in retire ilo aelōn̄ ko ad. Ewōr jet emōj aer jepļaak n̄an Majōl im mour eo elam waan im dik kōllā bill ie. Elan̄n̄e kwōj lōmņak in bōk kooj in, eokwe kwaar jitdame ke jibwūm im jimaam kōn bwidej en kwōj lōmņak in jepļaakļo̧k n̄an e in retire? Elōn̄ lamlam im bwidej ko ad im am jeļā elan̄n̄e bwidej en ej marujinkwōt ak katlep, ke ta kitdre, enta kalikkar etke kwe en ioon bwidej en.
Juōn Ian bwidej ko im ejjelok emaron̄ kōmakit eok jān e ej waienbwe. Kwaar jeļā ke men in? Tōle Mour im Imōn Kalotlot rej āinwōt kōn melele in in kwōj ioon wāto kein kōnke kwaar jouj n̄an armej eo an bwidej kein. Oktak eo juōn ej wōņāān am kar uno im eo juōn ej wōņāān am kar kauik alap eo an bwidej en ke ej nan̄inmej im ejjeļo̧k nukwin ar lale.
Erkein jet Ian weto kan ad ilo manit en ad rej: imōn ato, imōn katutu, kwōdaelem, imōn aje, bwil in bōro, mejaljal-jān-kabin-namwe, katlep. . . Eokwe bwidej ej kwōj jepļaakļo̧k in retire ioon ewi jekjek in?
Ewōr juōn baamle eaar bar rool ruo iiō remootļo̧k n̄an Majōl jān Amedka in, kajju n̄an aelōn̄ ko ilikin. Āliktata in amro bwebwenbato juōn Jima iiō emootļo̧k ke eaar itok n̄an Majuro en ilo pirokiraam kan an local government kan. Ej aikuij kar “bar ekkatak” tōtto im rejeb.
Ij lōmņak elan̄n̄e eaar aikuij in ekkal, enaaj kar aikuij jeļā kōtak; eaikuij kar jeļā ta in tur, an̄inwōļā, ak ia en jōkpād en ej ettōr ie imween. Ak tur en ej pād ia? Jeaikuij naaj bar kajjitōk men kein n̄an kakememej kōk. Elan̄n̄e emōj an kar jimaad uitdame kōj kaki. Āinwōt an al en Eddie Enos ba:
Kajjitōk ta in wewā,
Kajjitōk ippān lellap ran;
Kajjitōk ta in jemān-aj,
Kajjitōk ippān lōllap ran…
Im aaet, ejimwe naan in “jitdam kapeel.” Eo ej jitdam, ekapeel ilo jadewōt jekjek ilo mour eo an ilo Majōl. Enaaj bar jelōte kom ilo Amedka in barāinwōt. Kōn men in, komin jitdam!