The legend of Don Valentin and the hen of the hill

Fuente: https://travelreportmx.com/impresionante-espectaculo-natural-de-africa-13-fotos/

The pacaá, or chicken hen, as it is also known, is a kind of chicken, its feathers are brownish green, its meat is very tasty, it is like the meat of the partridge.

Long ago in the province of Corrientes, in the places of the crossroads pertaining to the city of Empedrado there was a grocery store where the gauchaje met.

This grocery store was very popular because of the presence of an old man who went daily to drink sugar cane, the man was a person who lived alone and killed his boredom in the establishment.

The old Valentin was very popular for being a great storyteller, the gauchos of the area were coming to the grocery store to drink and listen to the anecdotes of Valentin.

One day the old man told a legend of his payment at the crossroads, when he was a child he heard a conversation from his parents, his father told his mother the disgrace to Don Tiburcio, the rich man of the town.

In a field bordering Don Valentin's father lived a very humble family, the field of this family was not very large, had no service, not even water, drinking water came from the field of Don Valentin, this made it impossible for the Family had large plantations, they could only have a small vegetable garden, which they watered with water that gathered from the rain in a land.
The house was an adobe and straw house, it was not very big, it had a gallery, two pieces and a kitchen, in spite of being a girl it was very comfortable, there only lived Tiburcio with his mom and his dad.

Tiburcio had been born in that house, the mother and father were strangers of the place, a very difficult time to live, there was too much poverty, one day the father of Tiburcio tired of so much misery decided to return to his payment in search of work, with the Promise to return with money or send them to seek.

That was how Tiburcio stayed with his mother, he told in his story, old Valentin, who took the opportunity to pause and drink a glass of cane.

Well since we are, I'm going to buy another cane bottle, it's not going to be that I ran out of steam in the middle of the story! The wise old man said, so that some listener offers to pay the cane, never lacked the generous gaucho who paid the cane, in the end and that was the charge of Don Valentin to tell their stories, said by the way was very liked In the area their story, came from far away to hear the old man speak.

With the little bottle of cane on his table Don Valentin continued with his story, the Tiburcio child who alone in the care of the mother, surrounded by a terrible misery, that could do that poor woman with a field without service, ate what little the orchard Produced, Tiburcio was too young to go out to hunt and the mother could not leave the child alone, they managed as best they could.

The country was bad, but these poor people lived in indulgence, supplanted the bread with boiled potatoes, cooked mate could not take did not have yerba, made tea leaves of orange or paico sweetened with honey of lechiguana, lunch and dinner was cassava Boiled with lettuce and tomato or roasted corn, Tiburcio and his mother lived on.

This passage of history to Don Valentin did it wrong, he told his story with his eyes full of tears, he was left without a voice because of the anguish, that he was helping with a cane juice and so he carried the story, between drinks and Cane drink

The old Valentin was telling and the gauchaje very attentive listened to his words, he did not fly a fly of interruption, the days, the months the years have been passing of the father of Tiburcio or news! Tiburcio had grown up as a well-developed young man.

Her mother one day said, son you are old enough to go hunting and bring some meat to eat, you are witness of our misery, as you will see I am not the same as before, I am a little older and tired, if not So I would go hunting myself, said his mother, Tiburcio was long badly bred, did not want to go hunting.

One day the mother cornered by misery decided to go hunting, she gave herself a hand, made a rubber band with some old elastics that she had and a piece of leather, with this instrument she went out to fish, she was lucky to begin with a saucepan and some pigeons .

Tiburcio was very happy, the mother tired of the hunt for the hunt had to start cooking, Tiburcio could not expect anything, this cooked it roasted spiced with lemon juice, a true Feast on the table, years without eating meat, a real party was presented in the house of this family.

The mother of Tiburcio the next day returned the conversation, son you saw how a poor old woman went out hunting for a while and brought something to eat, how a young boy like you allows your old mother to walk alone in the mountains? Ungrateful Tiburcio listened without saying anything.

Time passed, Tiburcio became adolecent, the poor mother was very tired, she did not have the strength to carry on with everything, one day tired of so much laziness decided to return to his payment.

Tiburcio was a bad person and very vague, did not like to work, to see only had no choice but to go to work, did not last in any job for his laziness, fate works mysteriously, one day found a grave of gold And silver buried in a wooden box, he became a millionaire in the twinkling of an eye, he told fervently Don Jancito.

The gauchos of the grocery store listened very attentively, their eyes glittering with astonishment at the turn of the story, the old sage, stopped his story to rest his voice and refresh his throat with a drink of cane, drank several drinks followed, resuming The story, the gaucho very entertained awaited the outcome of the story.

That unfortunate man luck accompanied him, bought a field with all the services, many animals and a large house in the village, was a rich and powerful man, time step became a respectable citizen, except for those who knew his story .

One day a little old woman knocked on her doors, her sick mother was starving, when Don Tiburcio opened the door, the mother was very happy to see him, she wanted to give him a kiss, but Tiburcio very proudly rejected it with air of greatness, See the reaction of your son said, che ra'y do not be bad at least invite me a mate che memby (son) the evil son replied.

"Opá the caá, opá the caá! (The grass was finished, the grass was finished) I answer in Guarani.

For being an evil son God punished Tiburcio, condemning him to live in the mountains surrounded by misery as was his whole life, so that he never forget his mistake, God put a song in his mouth doomed to sing all the sunsets, a sad song that Listen to the distance Opá the caá, opá the caá!

To name it to the lover is omitted the opa or whose sound is warned pacaá (no yerba) doomed to sing every day for what lasts his life.

Fuente: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXgC2t4RKIdsW8OAIUb7ppQ

Fuente: http://corrientesesasi.webcindario.com/ley_pacaa.html

José Luis
Corrientes Argentina