Dabra Zamaddo's Qwǝrbana Dǝngǝl encounters a leopard as a child

Summary

In the country of Gebsawit there was a child named Qwerbana Dengel, over whom Mary kept special watch. One morning Qwerbana Dengel took a calf to the field. He played all day with other children, and when he returned home in the evening he left the calf behind. His mother told him to go retrieve the calf, and when Qwerbana Dengel arrived back at the field he found a leopard. The boy led the leopard out of the field by beating it with a stick. Despite being a fierce and dangerous creature, the leopard did not attack the child, thanks to Mary’s protection.

Translation

Translated by Getatchew Haile from EMML (HMML) 6835, f. 139r, in 2013.

A miracle which Our Holy Lady, Virgin in two ways, Mary, Bearer of God, worked for a certain child in the land of Gǝbtsawit who was called Qwǝrbana Dǝngǝl because she loves whoever is named after her name and because her Son, too, has given her the Covenant to save him. Therefore, she kept the child. One day, his mother ordered him to keep a calf. The child went to the field, taking the calf. He spent the day playing with children. In the evening, he came home; but the calf remained in the field. When he came home, his mother asked him, saying to him, “Where did the calf remain?” When she asked him, he went back to the field, but he found a leopard. He took it home beating it with a stick. He brought it to the gate of the fence. When the child was late, his mother came out to look for him. As for the leopard, whenever it came to the gate of the fence, it would be shy to enter the gate and would flee to the field. Every time it fled, the child would overtake it and beat it on its face. It was never angry, but only fled to right or left. When the mother saw the leopard removing itself and the child beating it with the stick, she said to him, “My son, leave it alone. It will come later on its own will”. The child did this in ignorance. But his mother knew that it was a leopard; she did not reveal its name, lest the child be shocked by hearing its name. See, our brothers, this miracle that Our Holy Lady, Virgin in two ways, Mary, Bearer of God, worked – that she worked on this child! Because the child was her trust, she did this beating of a leopard so that the power of her miracle may be revealed, although the nature of a leopard is wrathfulness. It would attack even when they slander it, not to speak of beating it. It would wound, destroy and abolish the memory of even an adult who is armed with shield and spear, not to speak of a child. As for the child, because his trust was in Our Holy Lady, Virgin in two ways, Mary, Bearer of God, (the leopard) did not charge him with what would commensurate the beating. It just proceeded walking and came until the gate of the house in order for the power of her miracle to be revealed. May her prayer and blessing be with her servant Gabra Maryam forever and ever. Amen. Getachew Haile, 1st ed., 2013. Voices from Dabra Zamaddo: Acts of Abba Bartalomewos and Abba Yohannǝs 45 Miracles of Mary, pp. 232-233. Harrassowitz Verlag. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc2rjq6

TO CITE THIS TRANSLATION

Getatchew Haile. 2013. "ID 1025: null" Voices from Däbrä Zämäddo: Acts of Abba Bärtälomewos and Abba Yohannǝs, 45 Miracles of Mary, edited by Getatchew Haile, page 232-233. Updated by PEMM Copyeditor Taylor Eggan. From EMML (HMML) 6835, f. 139r. https://pemm.princeton.edu/stories/1025.