Ti Papiyon Ak Flè Yo

Vwala te gen twa (3) papiyonpapiyon
butterfly
Symbol of joy, beauty, and freedom in Haitian fables. Youn te woujwouj
red
Red — the color of strength and half the Haitian flag, youn te wozwoz
pink
Pink — a gentle, warm color, youn te jònjòn
yellow
Yellow — the color of the sun and hope.

There were three butterflies. One was red, one was pink, one was yellow.

Pi gran plezi frè ak sè sa yo se te benyen nan solèysolèy
sun
The sun — hero of this story. It watches, feels, and acts from compassion la ak danse sou bèl flèflè
flowers
Flowers — represent community. They cannot thrive alone nan jadenjaden
garden
Garden — jaden — where community gathers and wisdom grows an. Yo pa te janm bouke paske yo te toujou gen kè kontankè kontan
joy / happy heart
Literally: happy heart. In Kreyòl, the heart is where all emotions live.

Their greatest joy was bathing in the sun and dancing on the beautiful flowers in the garden. They never tired because they were always happy.

Yon jou, te gen yon gwo laplilapli
rain
Rain is the trial in this story — it tests whether the butterflies will separate or stay together. ZèlZèl
wings
Wings — what butterflies use to fly, dance, and embrace each other yo te mouye tranp. Tout kote yo te eseye kouri, lapli pi rèd.

One day, there was a big rain. Their wings got soaked. Everywhere they tried to fly, the rain fell harder.

Pandan y ap vole konsa, yo wè yon choublakchoublak
hibiscus
The hibiscus is one of Haiti's most beloved floral symbols. Here it only welcomes those who look like it — a lesson in exclusion.

While flying, they saw a hibiscus.

Papiyon wouj la di, « Gade choublak sa a menm koulè ak mwen. Kite m al mande li pou l louvri pòt li pou nou ka pare lapli a. »

The red butterfly said: “Look — this hibiscus is the same color as me. Let me ask it to shelter us.”

Choublak la reponn, « Papiyon wouj la mèt antre paske li gen menm koulè ak mwen. Men papiyon woz la ak papiyon jòn nan, nou mèt rete deyò. »

The hibiscus replied: “The red butterfly may enter because it shares my color. But the pink and yellow must stay outside.”

Papiyon wouj la di, « Si frè ak sè mwen yo pa ka rantre, m ap rete deyò ak yo. »

The red butterfly said: “If my siblings cannot come in, I will stay outside with them.”

Lapli a te tonbe pifò. Yo wè yon flèdizèflèdizè
moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
A small, brightly colored flower whose petals open around ten in the morning — the source of its Kreyòl name (flè dizè, "ten o'clock flower"). Like the hibiscus, here it only welcomes those who match its color ki gen menm koulè ak papiyon woz la. Papiyon woz la mande l pou yo abri anba li. Li reponn menm jan an.

The rain fell harder. They saw a flèdizè the same color as the pink butterfly. She asked for shelter. Same answer.

Papiyon woz la di, « Si frè mwen yo pa ka antre, an nou bay vag. M pito rete deyò ak yo. Mèsi anpil. »

The pink butterfly said: “If my siblings can’t enter, let’s go. I’d rather stay outside with them.”

Lapli a te tèlman fò, ti papiyon yo te vlopevlope
wrap / embrace
To wrap around each other for warmth and protection — the deepest act of solidarity in this story youn ak lòt pou fè yon sèl. Dlo lapli a ak dlo nan je yo te anvayi tout kò yo. Yo pa te ka sipòte ankò.

The rain was so strong the butterflies wrapped around each other to become one. Rain and tears flooded their bodies. They could not bear it anymore.

Solèy la te dèyè yon nyajnyaj
cloud
The cloud blocks the sun’s view — but the sun sees through it and acts from compassion, not color l ap gade. Sa te fè li lapenn. Li te wè kijan ti papiyon yo te rete soude malgre gwo lapli ak van. Li pouse nyaj la pou chase lapli a.

The sun was behind a cloud, watching. It felt sad. It saw how the butterflies stayed together despite the storm. It pushed the cloud away.

Limiè li te klère tout jaden an. Li seche zèl papiyon yo. Li chofe kò yo. Yo te sispann kriye. Ti papiyon yo te pran plezi yo nan jaden an jiskaske solèy la te kouche.

Its light brightened the entire garden. It dried their wings. It warmed their bodies. They stopped crying. The butterflies enjoyed the garden until the sun set.

"Mizè yon kongo se mizè tout kongo."

The suffering of one is the suffering of all.

Kreyòl	English
pa	not — "Li pa ka antre." (She cannot enter.)
ak	and/with — "Wouj ak ble." (Red and blue.)
men	but — "Men lapli a fò." (But the rain is strong.)
paske	because — "Paske li renmen yo." (Because she loves them.)
si	if — "Si nou ansanm..." (If we are together...)

Kreyòl

English

not — "Li pa ka antre." (She cannot enter.)

and/with — "Wouj ak ble." (Red and blue.)

men

but — "Men lapli a fò." (But the rain is strong.)

paske

because — "Paske li renmen yo." (Because she loves them.)

if — "Si nou ansanm..." (If we are together...)

The word "Kongo" carries layered meanings.

“Mizè yon kongo se mizè tout kongo.”

Negasyon ak Koneksyon · Negation & Connectors