(Version in Hokkien)
Chow Mek Kar Niau Mi
Ka Kah Ngiang Ngiang How!
Lau Ah Po Heng Chua Ji
Heng Kah Ngiang Ngiang How!
Bak Sart Teng Kachuak
Kachuak Bok Bok Thiau
Bak Sart Si Khiau Khiau!
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(Version in English)
A grasshopper bit the kitten
The kitten cried out loud!
An old women pays her debts
Pay till she cried out loud!
A lice stung the cockroach
The cockroach jumps in a frenzy
The lice dies!
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About this rhyme/ditty:~
This rhyme/ditty came about to keep children entertained/distracted perhaps during bathing time when the water in the morning is so cold!
The author/owner has compiled for record, a collection of early Hokkien sayings, proverbs, rhymes and ditties to capture the essence and spirit of his hoi polloi, a community originating from the southern province of Fujian, China where individuals climbed aboard bum boats, crossing the South China Sea to settle in faraway lands to escape the brewing civil unrest and a way out from hardship carrying along with them in their journey, nothing except their trademark ponytails and their beliefs, very much rooted in Confucianism. These ditties retell their story and their lifestyle way back then so that the younger generation can gain an insight and foothold to their origin..
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