| Description |
Translation (Seng Pan & Keita Kurabe)
This story is called "The origin of the banyan tree." Once upon a time, there was a widow and her son who loved each other in a village. The son grew up and got married. He had a household. But when he had a household his wife hated his mother-in-law. The man ploughed the field. He also went hunting. He always left his wife and mother at home. His mother became old. She became blind. She ate her son's wife's cooking at home. The man sent good meat from his hunts for his mother to eat. He sent good meat for her to eat. But when it arrived at them the daughter-in-law ate the good meat. She fed her mother-in-law only the bones. When the man caught fish for his mother, his wife ate the fish all by herself. She fed her mother-in-law leeches. She also fed her only burnt rice. The mother-in-law could not even chew it. She could not eat what her daughter-in-law cooked. To show her son what her daughter-in-law fed her she hid them in the corner of the shelf above the hearth. Then, when her son returned he asked his mother, "Mother, I sent meat and fish for you." "Are you eating well?" Then his mother said, "Son, your wife feeds me these things" "saying you sent them for me." "But I cannot eat them." "I have hidden them to show you when you come back." "Are these the food you sent me?" She showed the food to him. When he saw them they were bones, leeches, and burnt rice. So he asked his wife why she didn't let his mother eat the food he sent. The wife replied, "I fed her what you sent." "I don't know where she got those bones and leeches from." She lied to him. He wondered whether he should believe his mother or his wife. His mother was frustrated with the wife. She couldn't do anything. She lived like that. After a while, she became ill and passed away. When she died people tried to carry the body to put her down to sleep. But no one could lift it. It was too heavy. No one could lift it. Many strong young men tried to lift it. But the body was too heavy to lift. It was stuck to a rug made of split bamboo. Every one of the relatives tried to lift it. But no one could lift it. The villagers were troubled. "Hmm, this old woman had one daughter-in-law." "Let's let her daughter-in-law carry it." When they let her to lift her mother-in-law, the dead body suddenly held onto her limbs with great force. It strangled her to death. No matter how much the people there tried to separate them they could not be separated. The daughter-in-law and mother-in-law had to be buried together in the same coffin. A banyan tree grew at the place where they were buried. That is why a banyan does not grow alone. It always grows together with other trees.
Transcription (Lu Awng & Gun Mai)
Ya hkai na maumwi gaw "Lagat Hpun Byin Tai Wa Ai Lam" nga ai re. Moi shawng de da mare langai mi hta, grai tsawra hkat ai kanu hte kasha la kasha, gaida yan nu nga ai da. Kasha gaw asak ram wa ai hte num la nna dinghku de ai da. Rai tim, dai hku dinghku de ai shaloi gaw shi la ai num gaw kamoi hpe grai n tsaw ra ai da. Dai la wa gaw yi sun mung galaw, jau gawng mung jawng rai nna nta kaw gaw madu jan hte kanu hpe sha tawn da da re ai da. Kanu gaw asak kaba wa sai hte myi mung n mu nna nta kaw kanam shadu jaw ai sha, sha sha re ai da. Dai la wa gaw shan gap nna lu la ai shan ni hpe kanu sha na matu ngu nna shan tsawm ai ni shagun jaw tim, nta kaw du yang madu jan gaw shan tsawm ai shan zin ni gaw shi sha kau, kamoi hpe gaw nra ni sha jaw sha sha re ai da. Kasha gaw kanu sha na matu ngu nna nga ni hkwi jaw dat tim, madu jan gaw nga shan ni gaw shi sha kau na she, kamoi hpe gaw dawng byen ni hpe sha shadu jaw ai da. Shat jaw sha yang mung di kap sha jaw sha rai nna kamoi gaw n lu maya sha re ai da. Dai zawn rai nna, kanam shadu jaw ai lu sha ni gaw n lu sha, n mai sha re ai majaw, kanam jaw sha ai lu sha ni hpe kasha wa yang madun na ngu nna garap ntsa na jut shara mi kaw makoi da da re ai da. Dai hku rai nna, kasha wa ai shaloi gaw kasha gaw kanu hpe san ai da. "Ah nu, nang hpe jaw sha na matu shan ni, nga ni shagun dat ai," "atsawm lu sha sai i?" ngu nna san ai da. Dai shaloi kanu gaw "Ma e, nang shagun ya ai nga nna," "na madu jan gaw ngai hpe ndai ni jaw sha sha re ai re." "Rai tim, ah nu gaw n lu sha, n mai sha re ai majaw" "nang wa yang madun na ngu na zing da ai." "Nang shangun ai lu sha ni gaw ndai ni re i?" Kasha hpe shi makoi zing da ai lu sha ni hpe madun dan ai da. Dai hpe kasha mu ai shaloi gaw, nra tawng ni, dawng byen ni, shat di kap ni rai taw ai da. Dai majaw shi madu jan hpe shi shagun ya ai lu sha ni hpe hpa majaw n jaw sha ai i ngu san yang, madu jan gaw "Nang shagun dat ai ni hpe ngai jaw sha sha re ai le." "Dai nra tawng ni, dawng byen ni gaw shi gara kaw na la da da re ai kun ngai n chye ai," ngu nna madu wa hpe bai masu tsun ai da. Madu wa gaw kanu na ga mahtang kam ra na zawn zawn, madu jan na ga mahtang kam ra na zawn zawn rai nna yak, kanu mung kanam hpe mung grai pawt mayu tim, kaning n chye di rai nna dai hku nga nga re ai shaloi kade nna yang, kanu dinggai gaw machyi nna si mat wa ai da. Dai hku si mat nna mang hpe tawn da rai nna yup kau na matu mang hpe wa hpai ai shaloi gaw kadai hpai tim, dai mang gaw grai li taw ai hte kadai mung n lu hpai ai da. La wa ngan n-gun grai ja ai ni law law wa hpai tim, mang dai gaw grai li ai hte chyinghkyen kaw sha kap nga ai da. Jinghku jingyu ni kadai wa hpai tim n mai hpai taw ai majaw mare masha ni yawng mung grai myit ru ai hte "Um... dai ram ram yak ai dinggai gaw, shi kaw kanam langai sha nga ai." "Shi kanam hpe mahtang bai hpai shangun yu ga," ngu nna kanam hpe bai kamoi na mang hpe wa hpai shangun ai shaloi gaw dai si taw ai mang gaw kalang ta kaman hpe lagaw da, lata da, aja wa ahpum chyit rai nna manat sat kau ai da. Dai kaw na ni mung dai kanam hte kamoi hpe kade gang gaw yu tim, n lu gang gaw ai hte dai shani gaw kamoi hte kanam hpe du-u langai kaw sha bang nna lup kau ra ai da. Dai hku shan moi hpe lup da ai shara kaw lagat hpun tu wa ai hte dai kaw na lagat hpun gaw shi hkrai sha galoi n tu ai hte kaga hpun langai mi galoi mung gayawp na tu lawm lawm re ai re da.
Picture Story Version
https://doi.org/10.15026/0002000058 |
