Story 207 - The Turtle Prince

^[1]

AT a certain city two noblemen^[2] stay in two houses. When they are there, for the two noblemen there are two Queens. One Queen bore seven female children; the other Queen bore six male children and a Turtle.

Then the same two noblemen spoke :

“Cousin, not contracting the marriages of your children and my children outside, let us ourselves do giving and taking,”

they said.

Having said,

“If so, let us marry the eldest children,”

they married them. The second two children they also married. The third two children they also married. The fourth two children they also married. The fifth two children they also married. The sixth two children they also married. There was no way to marry the seventh two children.

The matter of their not [marrying] indeed [was this:— the father of the girls] said,

“Cousin, my daughter is a daughter possessing much beauty. Because of it, your young child indeed is not good. Should you say, ‘What of the matter of his not being good, indeed !’ Your child is the Turtle; because it is so I cannot [marry my daughter to him],”

he said.

Then the other cousin says,

“Cousin, you cannot say so. The Turtle who is my young child says,

‘I, father, if there be not that marriage for me, I will jump into the well, and make various quarrels,’

the Turtle says. Because it is so you must marry your very child [to him], he says. If you cannot [do] so, let us cancel the marriages of the whole of the several persons,”

says the Turtle’s father.

Then he says,

“If so, cousin, no matter about cancelling the marriages; I will give my daughter to the Turtle,”

he said. Having thus given her, they contracted the marriage.

Having married them, when they were [there] there was notified by the King of the same city,

“Can anyone, having brought it, give me the Fire Cock^[3] that is at the house of the Rakshasa?”^[4]

he notified. The same King published by beat of tom-toms that to the persons who brought and gave it he will give many offices.

Secondly,

“I will give my kingdom also,”

he notified.

That word the Turtle having ascertained, he said,

“Mother, you go, and seeing the King,

‘The Turtle who is my son is able,’

say,

‘to bring and give the Fire Cock.’”

[She went accordingly.]

Then the King said,

“Tell your son to come to-morrow morning,”

he said.

The following day morning the same Turtle having gone says,

“I can bring and give the Fire Cock in seven days.”

Then the King said,

“Not to mention^[5] the Turtle, should anyone [whatever] bring and give it, I will give him offices and my kingdom also.”

The Turtle having come home said to the Turtle’s wife,

“Bolan, having cooked for me a packet^[6] of rice, bring it,”

he said.

Then the Turtle’s wife asked,

“What is the packet of cooked rice for you for ?”

she asked.

“It is arranged by the King for me to bring and give him the Fire Cock that is at the Rakshasa’s house. Because it is so, cook the lump of rice,”

he said.

“Having cooked the lump of rice I can give it, indeed. How will you take it and go ?”

she said.

Then the Turtle said,

“Having put the cooked rice in a bag, place it on my back and tie it. I am able to take it and go,”

he said.

After having placed it on his back and tied it, the same Turtle, having gone on the journey, while on the road went to a screen formed by Mahamidi [trees].^[7] Having gone there and unfastened the packet of cooked rice, and removed and put aside the turtle jacket, he ate the lump of cooked rice. Having eaten and finished, he hid the turtle jacket, and went on the journey [in the form of a Prince].

When he was going on the journey, it having become night while he was on the road he went to the house of a widow-mother.

Having gone [there],

“Mother, you must give me a resting-place,”

he said.

Then the widow-mother said,

“A resting-place indeed I can give,”

she said; “to give to eat [there is] not a thing.”

“If so, no matter for the food; should you give me only the resting-place it will do,”

he said.

Then the widow-mother asked,

“Where are you, son, going ?”

she asked.

Then he said,

“I am going for the Jewelled Cock at the Rakshasa’s house,”

he said.

The widow-mother then said,

“Son, go you to [your] village without speaking [about it]. People, many multitudes in number, having stayed in the resting-place here, went for the Fire Cock. Except that they went, they did not bring the Fire Cock. Because it is so don’t you go.”

Then he said,

“However much you, mother, should say it, I indeed must really go.”

“Since you are going, not paying heed to my saying, eat this little rice dust that I cooked, and go.”

Then he said,

“Except that to-day you cooked rice dust [for me], I shall not be able to cook [even] rice dust again for you,”

he said. [“Raw-rice, be created.”] With the same speed [as his saying it] raw-rice^[8] was created, [and he gave her power to do the same].

“Son, like the power which you gave, I will give you a power. You having gone to the Rakshasa’s house, at the time when you are coming back the Rakshasa will come [for the purpose of] stopping you. Then on account of it having taken this piece of stone and said, ‘Ci! Mountain, be created,’ cast it down; the mountain will be created. The Rakshasa having gone up the mountain, while he is descending below you will be able then to go a considerable distance.”

Taking that [stone and] power from there when he was going away, while he was on the road it became night. After it became night, again he went to the house of a widow woman.

The widow woman asked,

“Where, son, are you going in this way when it has become night ?”

Then he said,

“I am going for the Fire Cock at the Rakshasa’s house,”

he said.

“Don’t you go on that journey; the people who go for that Fire Cock, except that they go, do not return.”

“Don’t at any rate tell that fact to me indeed; I indeed must really go for the Fire Cock. I came here at the time when I wanted a resting-place.”

“A resting-place indeed I can give. To give to eat [there is] not a thing,”

the widow-mother said.

“No matter for the food; should you give me a resting-place it will do,”

he said.

While the person of the resting-place was staying looking on, because he could not eat, from what she had cooked of rice dust she gave him a little to eat.

“Mother, being unable to cook again for you, although to-day you cooked rice dust, I will give you a power,”

he said.

“Raw-rice, be created,”

[and he gave her power to do the same].

“If so, son, I will give you a power. Here (Menn̥a). Having taken away this bamboo stick, for the Rakshasa’s stopping you on the path when you are coming away, say,

‘Ci! Bamboo, be created,’

and throw down the bamboo stick. Then the bamboo fence will be created. The Rakshasa having gone up it, while he is coming down [on the other side] you will be able to come a considerable distance.”

When he was going away from there on the following day, while he was on the road it became night. It having become night, again he went to the house of a widow woman. Having gone there he asked for a resting-place.

“In this way when night has come, where are you going ?”

she asked.

Then he said,

“I am going to bring the Fire Cock at the Rakshasa’s house,”

he said.

“Except that thousands of robbers, thousands of archers^[9] go, except that the persons who went there went, they did not come back. Because it is so don’t you go.”

“I indeed must really go for the Fire Cock. For me to stay here [to-night] you must give the resting-place.”

Then she said,

“I can indeed give it. To give you to eat [there is] not a thing to give.”

“No matter for food for me; should you give me a resting-place it will do.”

The widow-mother having cooked a little rice dust gave him to eat.

“Mother, I shall not again be able to cook [even] rice dust for you. I will give you a good power.”

He gave her a power to create raw-rice.

“Better than the power you gave me I will give you a power. Having gone to the Rakshasa’s house, when you are coming, taking the Fire Cock also, the Rakshasa will come running to eat you.

When he is thus coming, here, having taken away this piece of charcoal and said,

‘Ci! Fire, be created,’

throw it down; the fire fence will be created. Then the Rakshasa having come will jump into the nre. Without speaking, slowly come home.”

[The Prince went, stole the Fire Cock, and escaped from the pursuit of the Rakshasa by means of the three gifts.^[10] The Rakshasa was burnt at the nre fence.]

[The Prince] having come there [again], and gone to the place where the turtle jacket is, putting on his body the turtle jacket [and resuming his turtle shape], came to his village. Having come there he handed over the Fire Cock to the King.

When he was giving it the King said,

“From to-day my country, together with the goods, is in charge for thee.”

“There are goods [belonging] to me which are better than that; I don’t want it,”

he said.

The same King, in order to make a [religious] offering of those goods, commanded a Bana (recitation of the Buddhist scriptures).

When the Turtle’s wife and yet [other] women are going to hear the Bana, the other women who are coming to hear the Bana, say,

“O Turtle’s wife, come, to go to hear the Bana.”

Having gone there, while they are hearing the Bana the Turtle, having taken off the turtle jacket [and become a Prince again], went to hear the Bana.

Then the Turtle’s wife thought,

“It is my very husband,^[11] this.”

Having thought it and come home, at the time when she looked she saw that the turtle jacket was there, and taking out the goods that were in it she put the same jacket on the [fire on the] hearth, and went [back] to hear the Bana.

The Turtle’s wife’s husband having come home, when he looked the turtle jacket was not [there]. Having got into the house he remained silent.

The Turtle’s wife came home gaily. Other women asked,

“What is [the reason of] so much sportiveness of the Turtle’s wife which there is to-day ?”

“You will perceive [the reason of] my playfulness when you have gone to the house.”

The other women, to look at [the meaning of] those words, came to the house of the Turtle’s wife with the Turtle’s wife. Having come, when they looked the husband of the Turtle’s wife is like a King.

This story is the two noblemen’s.

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The text of this story is given at the end of this volume.

[2]:

Hitanan̥ den̥nek.

[3]:

Gini kukula, the fire [coloured] Cock.

[4]:

Rassayae gedam.

[5]:

Tiya, putting [out of consideration].

[6]:

Gediyak, a round lump, made into a package.

[7]:

Premna latifolia.

[8]:

Kaekulu hal, rice from which the skin has been removed without first softening it in hot or boiling water. It is used for making milk-rice (kiri-bat), but not usually for rice used with curries, as the grains are apt to coalesce when cooked.

[9]:

Kola das, mala das.

[10]:

As on p. 70, vol. i.

[11]:

Lit., “man,” the word translated “wife” in this story being also literally “woman.” These words are commonly employed with these meanings by the villagers.