Story 79 - How Gourds Were Put In Small-mouthed Pots

AT a certain time a man cut a sesame chena. In the sesame chena the sesame flowers blossomed. There was a female child of the man’s.

The child one day having gone to the sesame chena, while she was there the King came, in order to go near the sesame chena.

Thereupon the King asked at the hand of the girl,

“Girl, the flower that has blossomed, where did it come from in the plant ?”

Then the girl asked at the hand of the King,

“Before your mother was married where were you ?”

At that time, the King having become angry at the word which the girl said, told the girl’s father to come.

After he came he said,

“Because your girl said such a wicked word, come [to me after] putting a hundred gourd fruits in' a hundred [small-mouthed] copper pots.”

Thereupon, the man being afraid at this word went home, and remained a dead dolt (manda).

Then the girl asked,

“Why, father, are you without sense ?”

Then the man told her the word said by the King.

Having heard it, the girl said,

“Father, why are you frightened at that ? I will tell you a stratagem for that”

and told him to bring a hundred [small-mouthed] copper pots. After he brought them, she told him to bring a hundred gourd-flower fruits (the small fruit at the base of the flower). After he brought them, she told him to put the hundred gourds into those hundred copper pots, and after he put them in, the girl and the man went to the King, and handed them over.

Having given them, as they were coming away, the King said to the girl,

“I will cause thee to be in widowhood.”

Then the girl said,

“I will get a dirty cloth [set] on your head.”

The King, after that man and girl went away, came and married her. Having married her, and stayed a little time, in order to make her a widow he went on a journey which delayed him six months.

Having waited until the time when he was going, what does this girl do ? Having made up her hair-knot on the top of her head, tying it there, tying on a bosom necklace (malayak) like the Hettiyas, she went to the sewing-shop. Learning sewing for the whole of the six months, she sewed a good hat, putting a dirty cloth at the bottom [inside it], and above it having fastened [precious] stones; it was at the sewing-shop.

At that time, as that King, the six months having been spent, was coming home through the middle of the street, he saw a costly hat in the shop; and having given a thousand masuran, taking the hat and placing it on his head, he went away.

Having gone, he said to the girl,

“I caused thee to be in widowhood, didn’t I ? I said so.”

Then the girl said,

“On your head you got my dirty cloth, didn’t you ? I said so.”

The King said,

“You are not old enough^[1] to get your dirty cloth on my head.”

Thereupon the girl said,

“Break up the hat and look.”

Then when the King broke up the hat and looked the dirty cloth was there.

After that, having said, “The two persons are equal to each other,” they remained in much trust [in each other].

North-central Province.

 

Note:

In Indian Night’s Entertainment (Swynnerton), p. 315, a girl, the daughter of a smith, whom a Prince wanted to marry, in order to show her cleverness made some large earthenware jars, and without burning them painted and enamelled them, and introduced a small water-melon into each. When the melons had grown so as to fill the jars, she sent two of them to the palace, with a request that the melons should be taken out without breaking the jars or melons. No one being able to do it, she obtained permission to visit the palace, wrapped a wet cloth round each jar until it became soft, expanded the mouths, extracted the melons, and remade the jars as before.

The smart village girl is known in China also. There is an account of one in Chinese Nights’ Entertainment (A. M. Fielde), p. 57, the incidents being unlike those of the Sinhalese tale, however.

In the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton’s ed., vol. iii, p. 202) there is a story of a smart village girl and a King of Persia, Kisra Anu-shirwan, in which the King married the girl.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Lit. "  Your age is insufficient.” This is a not unusual form of village repartee.