Story 237 - The Story of the King

IN a certain country, during the time when a King was exercising sovereignty the King married a Queen, it is said. In the Queen’s womb, begotten by the Great King, three Princes were conceived, it is said.

While the three Princes were in the state approaching full age, the eldest Prince of the three Princes improved himself in throwing stones with the stone-bow, it is said. Daring the time when he was improving himself thus, he became a very skilful and dexterous person at stone-bow throwing. After that, the same Prince having abandoned the stone-bow began the shooting of animals with the bow and arrows. By that means, having shot at animals and killed animals, while eating the flesh with good joy and pleasure he passed the time in happiness with his father the King, and his mother the Queen, and his younger brothers who were the other two Princes.

At the time when he passed the time thus, his mother reached the other world. Not much time after it the Great King effected the wedding festival for yet [another] Queen from another country. The Queen was a childless proud woman. Because it was so, her happiness was in passing the time in discourtesy.

Furthermore, by this Queen there not being any notice of the three Princes, and as she was passing the time in anger and jealousy, the three Princes spoke together,

“When our father the King has gone to war with any city, we three persons, taking three bags of masuran and causing a bag of cooked rice to be made ready, will go to another country.”

[After] saying [this], at the time when they are there the King received the message to go to a war.

As soon as he received it,^[1] having spoken to the Princes and the Queen,

“Remain in happiness, looking after the country and the palace,”

the Great King having been adorned to go went away.

After he went, the three Princes, making ready the bags of masuran and cooked rice, and forsaking the country, having started to go to another country, went off. While they were thus going, a very severe water-thirst^[2] seized the elder Prince.

While going seeking water, perceiving that there was no water he said to the other young Princes,

“Having gone to a high hill or up a large tree, look if there is water near.”

Then a Prince having gone up a tree, when he looked said that very far away a pool of water is visible.

After that, having gone to the quarter in which is the pool and having met with water, staying there and dividing the bag of cooked rice they ate.

Having eaten and drunk, and having finished, they spoke together,

“Let us three pluck three [lotus] flowers from this pool. [After] plucking them let us go to three countries. When we have gone there, should there be harm to anyone whatever of us, the flowers of the remaining two will fade.”

Having said [this], the three Princes [plucked three flowers, and taking them with them] went to three countries.

After they went there, while the eldest Prince was going on the road, a palace of great height was visible. When he went to the palace that was visible, there was a Princess [at it] possessing much beauty. Having seen this Prince’s splendour^[3] that very Princess fell down unconscious, without sense.

Afterwards the Prince having restored the Princess to consciousness, asked,

“What happened ?”

The Princess having spoken, said,

“Having seen your beauty, Sir, it caused a great dizziness to seize me, and I fell down.”

After that, the Prince, begging a little water from the Princess, drank. After he drank,

“Why is there no one in this palace ?”

he asked.

The Princess spoke,

“My father the King, and mother went for bathing their heads with water.^[4] I and the flower-mother alone are [here],”

she said.

When the Prince asked on account of it,

“Will the party come now ?”

“They will come now quickly,” said the Princess.

Then the King and the Queen, [after] doing the head-bathing, came.

The King and the Queen having seen this Prince became greatly afraid.

“Of what country are you, Sir ? Who and whose ?”

they asked the Prince.

The Prince says,

“I am a son of such and such a King of such and such a city,”

he said.

Because of it, the Great King asked,

“Came you with the thought of perhaps a war, or what ?”

Then the Prince said,

“No. After my mother died, while I was remaining in great sorrow, when my father the King, marrying another Queen, was there, for me a great shame entered my mind because of the Queen’s unseasonable action; and while the King went for a war I having forsaken my country came to this country.”

After that, the truth of it went to the Great King, to his mind. As soon as it went there,^[5] when a [little] time was going by, having married and given the King’s daughter [to him], and made it public by the proclamation tom-tom, and having handed over the country also, he decorated them [with the regal ornaments].

While he was exercising the kingship of that country, the other Princes of the country, having become angry concerning this Prince and having thought of a means of killing him, said,

“We will give the flower-mother five hundred masuran to give him this small quantity of poisonous drug, having deceived the Princess by some method or other,”

[They said to her],

“Should you do as we said, we will give you these presents.”

Should she be unable in that manner they told her to [tell] the Princess to ask where the Prince’s life is.

In that way, the flower-mother having prepared a new [sort of] food for the Prince, and having also put [into it] this drug and deceived the Princess, at the time when the Prince is eating food she told her to give him this new food. This having seemed the truth to the Princess, at the time when the Prince was eating food she gave it. The Prince, too, having been much pleased with the food, and having eaten and drunk, finished. Owing to it, anything did not happen.

On the following day the flower-mother says to the Princess,

“Where is the Prince’s life ?”

She told her to ask. When she asked the Prince on account of it,

“My life is in my breast,”

he said. When she told it to the flower-mother in the morning, the flower-woman said,

“What he said is false.”

She told her to ask thoroughly.

At night on the following day, when she asked he asked for oaths from the Princess, [of a nature to ensure] the impossibility of escaping from them, that the Princess must not tell it to any person.

Afterwards the Princess swore,

“I will not tell it.”

Then the Prince says,

“My life is in my sword,”

he said.

On the following day, when the flower-woman asked, having deceived the Princess, the Princess said,

“If you will not tell it to anyone I will tell you. [For me] to tell it, you [must] take an oath with me,”

she said. When the flower-mother swore to it the Princess said,

“The Prince’s life is in the Prince’s sword.”

From the day when she heard the fact for herself, that flower-mother to an extent never [done] before, began to pile up a heap of firewood and coconut husks.

When the Princess asked,

“What is that for ?”

she says,

“For us to put in the hearth at the time when rain rains,”

she said.

While not much time was going in that way, one day not having shut the door of the palace, at night this flower-mother stole the Prince’s sword, put it into that piled up heap of firewood, and set it on fire; but the handle for holding the sword was left outside the flames. That fire fell into the heap.^[6] At the time when it was thoroughly burning the Prince’s life was becoming ended here. After the sword was burnt the Prince completely died.

Not allowing them to bury the dead body, the Princess having caused a coffin to be made, and placed the dead body inside the coffin, remained in much grief.

While she was thus, the flowers of the Prince’s brothers having faded, when they came seeking him ascertaining the truth they went to the palace.

At the time when they went, having seen the Princess who was in the palace they asked the Princess,

“Why ? For what [reason] are you without cause (nikan) in this great trouble ?”

they asked.

To that the Princess says,

“At the time when a Prince of such and such a King of such and such a country came to this country, my father the King having asked the Prince his age, and looked [into his horoscope], married and gave me to him; and having given him charge to rule the country also, that person (her father) died,”

she said. “After that, while he is exercising the kingship this flower-mother told me to ask where the Prince’s life is. When I asked, the Prince’s life is in the Prince’s sword, he said. After that, whether such and such a thing occurred I do not understand,” she said.

When those Princes sought for the sword there was no sword. Afterwards they looked in that heap of ashes on the fire ground. They met with only the piece of that hilt for holding. Having met with it, one person having gone running and having come [after] plucking limes, began to polish that piece of sword. The other having opened that coffin (lit. corpse-box) was near it. While he was there, by an authorisation of the Deity the sword was restored (lit. went right) better than it was [before]. Then life being as though [re-established for the Prince also, he arose.

After that, having investigated about these matters and looked [into them], perceiving what the flower-mother did he impaled that woman and killed her. Afterwards these three Princes and the Princess sought their father the King, and went to [their own] country.

Western Province

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Laebunu wahama.

[2]:

There being several thirsts besides that caused by want of water,—such as thirsts for spirituous liquor, power, knowledge, happiness, etc.—the villager usually defines the former as water-thirst, diya or watura-tibbaha.

[3]:

Tejase daeka.

[4]:

Paen is-nanayata. It includes the bathing of the whole body.

[5]:

E giya wahama.

[6]:

That is, the fire burned into the midst of the heap, where the sword was placed.