Also, in
Bahasa Melayu, (the
national language of
Singapore and
Malaysia), a
frog. Here is a
nursery rhyme in the local
lingo about this creature, that is
popular with
children:
Hujan, O hujan kenapa engkau turun?
Macam mana aku tak turun,
Katak panggil aku!
Katak, O katak, kenapa kau panggil hujan?
Macam mana aku tak panggil hujan,
Ular nak makan aku!
Ular, O ular, kenapa kau nak makan katak?
Macam mana aku tak makan katak,
Memang makanan aku!
All the words are phonetically pronounced, that is pronounced as they are spelled, as are all words in Bahasa Melayu.
Here is the literal English translation:
Rain, O rain, why do you fall?
How can I not fall?
The frog calls for me
Frog, O frog, why do you call for the rain?
How can I not call for the rain?
The snake is going to eat me.
Snake, O snake, why do you want to eat the frog?
How can I not eat the frog?
It is my natural food.
A rather sombre and droll poem in my opinion. Children like to unleash this on people who have croaky, or otherwise just plain unattractive voices and taunt them with the 'Frog, O frog' line. I personally have not been subject to this, so cannot offer any opinion on how it must feel.