sina wile ala musi e musi wile la, sina musi e musi ante sewi.

These are the words as recovered from the awoken well:

jan Sipi li pana e musi tawa jan Muwila.
jan Sipi li toki e ni: sina wile musi ala musi?
jan Muwila li toki e ni: ala.
jan Sipi li toki e ni: tan seme?
jan Muwila li toki e ni: mi wile musi ala.
jan Sipi li toki e ni: tan seme?
jan Muwila li toki e ni: mi ken musi ala.
jan Sipi li toki e ni: tan seme?
jan Muwila li toki e ni: mi kama musi ala.
jan Sipi li wan e noka kepeken jan Muwila.
jan Sipi li toki e ni:

mi pakala.
sina pona.
pona a!

Here follows a relaxed translation:

Tipi offers Muwila a game. He asks: “Do you want to play?” Muwila anwers: “No.” Tipi asks: “Why?” Muwila pleads: “Because I don’t want to.” Tipi asks: “Why?” Muwila says: “Because I can’t.” Tipi asks: “Why?” Muwila says: “Because I won’t.” Tipi shakes Muwila’s hand and says with a smile: “Ok, I lose, you win. Congratulations!”

Associative musings:

Finite games are played to win. You cannot play if you are forced to play or refuse to play. You may consider that some games are not worth playing or that there is a nausea about winning at the cost of the other players. If this is the case one should note that one is actually playing another game, where the rules and definitions of winning are differently. Be aware that the rules and motives for winning may not be more laudable than the ones you are escaping from.

One way of escaping the turtle-upon-turtle tower of game refusal, is to stretch a finite game into an infinite game that is only played to continue playing. It is up to you to define the rules that transform the finite game into an infinite one or someone else will.

Read a newer koan (Everyone is a hypocrite and that is fine.)

Read an older koan (The truth is as ugly as it is.)