The forest in everyday life 3 – Poverty, emigration

Ignatia von Moos is visited by Theres Götschi, a young inhabitant of Sachseln who wishes to emigrate.

Theres: May I?

Isch erlaibt?

Ignatia: Madame cantonal councillor!

Jetz lueg ai da! S’Getschi Theres!

Theres: Frau Regierungsrätin!

Frai Regiärigsrätenä!

Ignatia: Not any more! Joseph hasn’t been in the government for two years now. Hopefully he hasn’t done anything to bring the future gendarme’s wife to come round.

Come in, take a seat!

Nimmä! De Joseph isch sit zwei Jahr nimmä i de Regierig. Är hed doch hoffentlich nyd aagstellt, dass diä zuäkymftigi Frai Landjäger hechscht perseenlich verby chund.

Chum sitz zuächä!

Theres: Thank you

Dankä.

Ignatia: Would you like a coffee?

Nimmsch äs Kafe ?

Theres: I’d prefer a sour juice.

Liäber ä suirä Moscht.

Ignatia: And? To what do I owe the honour?

Und? Was verschafft i miär diä Ehr?

Theres: Saying adieu!

Ade sägä!

Ignatia: Does your husband earn so much that you can take a vacation?

Verdiäned etz di Ma scho ä sevu, dass dui i Fery chasch?

Theres: Nothing of the kind.

Nyyd ä serigs.

Ignatia: Cheers!

Proscht!

Theres: Switzerland has a problem. We have too much riff-raff. In Sachseln alone there are over two hundred people who cannot get by without alms.

D Schwyz hed es Problem. Miär hend vil z vil derä Gsindel. Äläi z Sachslä uber zweihundert, wo ohni Almosä nid chenntid uberläbä.

Ignatia: For years the municipal council has been attempting to stop the street beggars and raise their children to be good people.

De Gmeindrat probiert scho sit Jahr und Tag diä Gassebättlery abzstellä, und denä ihri Gofä zu guätä Mänschä z erziäh.

Theres:Is it even possible to teach them to be good people when they have learned nothing but idling around lazily?

Chasch de diä zu guätä Mänschä erziäh, wenns nyyd anders glehrt hend als umälungerä und de Tag uis uf dä fuilä Huit zhockä.

Ignatia: Now some of them are different! And the community distributes milk and bread. What’s more, they receive a measure of milk from us for sixteen rappen instead of eighteen.

Äs git de ja aber ai anderi! Usser däm verteilt d Gmeind Milch und Brot. Und bi ys chemits s Milchmäs fyr sächzäche statt fyr achzächä Rappä uber.

Theres:I know only too well from Spichtig Sepp, my husband-to-be, what it is like to be a gendarme who has to go through the entire community every morning between early mass and the bells for bedtime prayers, seeking out all the beggars and driving them across the border, from canton to canton. And then people are annoyed that they have no home, but nobody gives them a roof over their heads.

Vom mym kynftigä Maa, em Spichtig Sepp, weiss ich mume zguät, was äs heisst, als Landjeger jedä Morge zwischä Friähmäss und Bettzytlyte diä ganz Gmeind miässä abschuänä und alli Bättler und Landstrycher zämätrybe. Verjagt wärdits. Uber d Gränzä, vo Kanton zu Kanton. Und de regt me sich drubert uif, dass sie niänä däheimä sind, aber niämer gid ne es Dach uberäm Chopf

Ignatia: The municipal council does what it can. Relatives used to have to care for the paupers, today the community has to take on that role.

De Gmeindrat macht, was er cha. Friecher hend ja diä Verwandtä diä Armegnessigä miässä underhaltä, hyt muäss das Gmeind tuä.

Theres: Yes, because the relatives would otherwise become beggars themselves.

Ja, wil suscht diä Verwandtä sälber a Bättelstab chemdit.

Ignatia: Nobody would want that either. Would you like a bit more?

Das wynscht mer ai niämerem. Wotsch nu?

Theres: A sip can’t hurt.

We’ve made sure that the municipality has to pay us a hundred francs! And all at once too!

Äs Schlyckli cha nid schadä.

Miär hend etzt defyr gsorged, dass ys Gmeind muäss hundert Frankä zahle! Und zwar uf ei Chlapf!

Ignatia: What kind of silly talk is that!

Du bisch e dummi Schnorri!

Theres: South America! Brazil! The municipality pays for the journey there. And the pastor has ensured that we will be permitted to marry just before we set off. But we’re not the only ones! There’s Strähler Theres, the illegitimate daughter of Rohner Ludi, and a few others too. The community has signed a contract with an agency that works for Ruffli, you know, the travel agency in Sisseln. Instead of forcing impoverished people out of their holes, I’m now going to travel with Sepp to another world, a better world!

Sydamerika. Brasiliä! Und d Gmeind zahlt d Uberfahrt. Und dr Pfarrer hed drfyr gsorged, dass miär grad nu vor der Abreis hyratä derfid. Aber miär sind de nid diä einzigä! Im Rohner Ludi sy unehelichi Tochter, d Strähler Theres, und nu es paar ander. D Gmeind hed ä Vertrag mit somenä Agänt abgschlossä, wo fyr ä Ruffli, weisch diä Reiseagentuir vo Sisslä, schaffed. Anstatt diä Armegnessigä am Morge us de Lecher z trybe, fahr ich etz zämä mit em Sepp in en anderi und besseri Wält!

Ignatia: Congratulations!

Gratuliärä!

Theres: If you don’t see any way of feeding a family here in your Heimat because there are more and more people but the forest and the Alps can’t get any bigger, then there’s no other option than looking for a new Heimat. We have to pay back the travel costs, but only once we’ve made our first million over there.

So what do I owe you for the cheese? Thirty-two rappen, by my reckoning? I certainly don’t want people to say that Götschi Theres went to South America and didn’t even pay her debts at home.

Wemmer i de Heimet kei Meglichkeit me gsehd, ä Famili durezbringä, will miär hiänigä immer meh und meh Lyyt hend, dr Wald und d Alpä sich aber nid land la uisdehnä, de blybt eim doch nyd anders me ubrig, als en nywi Heimet z suächä. D Reisecheschtä myämer erscht zruggzahlä, wemmer dänä de diä erscht Million gmacht hend.

Also, was bini diär nu schuldig fyrä Chäs? Zweädryssg Rappä, wenn ich s richtig zämäzehlt ha. Wott de bimeich nid, dass es heisst, s’Getschi Theres sygi ab uf Sydamerika und het derheimä nid emal ihri Schuldä zahlt.

Ignatia: Thirty is fine!

Dryssg isch ai guät!

Theres: Many thanks! Greetings to Sepp and we’ll probably see each other again on the other side in the next life. “Obrigada pela cidra”, and don’t forget me!

Dank heigisch! Seisch em Sepp e scheenä Gruäss, und miär gsächid ys wahrschindlich erscht däne im nächschtä Läbe wider.

«Obrigada pela cidra”, und vergässid mich de nid!