Story 172 - The Story Of The Mango Bird

IN a certain country a hen bird is eating the mangoes at a Wild Mango tree, it is said.

While a man was chopping the earthen ridges in the field at which is the Wild Mango tree, having seen the Mango Bird^[1] the man went up the tree, and having caught the Mango Bird and descended from the tree to the ground, struck the Mango Bird on the root of the tree.

Having struck it he asked the Mango Bird,

“Mango Bird, was that day good [or] is to-day good ?”^[2]

Then the bird says,

“Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
And looking if hardness in Mango root there be.”

After that, the man having placed the Mango Bird in a gap in the earthen ridge in the rice field, in which there was water, asks the bird,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

“Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
And ’mid the lower lands the frolic watery.”

After that, as the man was coming home taking the bird, there was a grass field by the path.

Having struck the bird [on the ground] in the field, the man asked,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

“Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree.
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
’Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea.”

After that, the man having taken the bird, as he was going home struck the bird on the road stile, and asked,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

“Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
’Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea,
Finding that the road stile would be crossed by me.”

After that, the man having taken the bird, as he was going to go (sic) into the house struck it on the door-frame, and asked the bird,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

"Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
’Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea,
Finding that the road stile would be crossed by me,
Learning the defects of the door-frame’s carpentry.”

After that, the man, having [broken the ligature round the end of a torch, and] lighted the torch, and set the bird upon [the flame, to singe off the feathers], asked,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

“Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
’Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea,
Finding that the road stile would be crossed by me,
Learning the defects of the door-frame’s carpentry,
Fracture of the tying of the torch by thee.”

After that, the man cut up the bird with the bill-hook, and says,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

 “Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
’Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea,
Finding that the road stile would be crossed by me.
Learning the defects of the door-frams’s carpentry,
Fracture of the tying of the torch by thee,
Looking the smith’s bill-hook’s cutting to see.”

After that, the man put the bird in the cooking vessel, and having placed it on the hearth [to cook], asked,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

“ Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
’Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea,
Finding that the road stile would be crossed by me,
Learning the defects of the door-frame’s carpentry,
Fracture of the tying of the torch by thee,
Looking the smith’s bill-hook’s cutting to see,
Looking at the sittings in the potter’s pottery.”

After that, this man, having apportioned the cooked rice on the plate, and having apportioned the flesh of the bird, while he was eating [it] asked,

“Mango Bird, was that day good, [or] is to-day good ?”

Then the bird says,

" Both that day was good and to-day is good
Through eating the mangoes of a Mango-tree,
Looking if hardness in Mango root there be,
'Mid the lower lands the frolic watery,
Keeping up old customs on the grassy lea,
Finding that the road stile would be crossed by me,
Learning the defects of the door-frame’s carpentry,
Fracture of the tying of the torch by thee,
Looking the smith’s bill-hook’s cutting to see,
Looking at the sittings in the potter’s pottery.

Sir, behold! Be good enough to remain looking .out.”

Having said [this], the Mango Bird flew out of the man’s nose. The man died just as the bird was flying away.

North-western Province.

 

Note:

The Sinhalese query and rhyme are:—

Ætamba kirilliye, edada honda adada Honda ?
“Edat hondayi, adat hondayi,
Ætamba gahaka aetamba kaen,
Ætamba mule hayiya baelin,
Owiti maenda paen keliyen,
Pitiye sameyan keruwen,
Man-kadulle yana ennan deggatten,
Uluwasse wadu-hadukan iganagatin,
Hulu-atte baemma kaedin,
Aciriye kaette kaepun baeluwen,
Badakaelaye walande indun baeluwen.
Ralakami, On (?) Bala-inda hondayi.”

There is a variant in the Sierra Leone district, given in Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider, and the Other Beef (Cronise and Ward), p. 160. A devil who lived near a town had forbidden traps to be set in the “bush” [forest and bushes] there. A stranger set a trap, and caught a pigeon. The pigeon then told him to carry it to his house. When he had done this, it told him to kill it; then to pluck off its feathers; then to clean it; to put the pot on the fire; to cut it up; to cook it immediately; to put in salt; to put in pepper; to taste the food; and lastly it told him to eat it up. He complied with all the instructions. In the evening he went to the “bush” again. When he opened his mouth to speak, the bird flew out, the man died, and his body was carried off by the devil.

In a Soninka story of Senegambia in Contes Soudanais (C. Monteil), p. 145, there are incidents of the same type. A hunter met with a female gazelle, which recommended him to look for a larger animal. He fired at it, but it did not fall.

Then he killed it with a charmed bullet, saying,

“Eh ! Who is the stronger ?”

The animal replied,

“Oh, oh ! It is not finished !”

It made the same remark when he cut its throat, when he skinned it, and also when he carried it home and learnt that his wife and son had died of colic. The man said no more words, but cut it up and placed it in a pot on the fire, on which it repeated the words.

After cooking it for some hours he found the meat as hard as at first, and it murmured,

“It is not finished.”

Neighbours seeing him cooking all day inquired what was in the pot.

A voice came from it,

“An antelope that won’t be cooked. It is not finished.”

At last the man threw a magical powder into the pot, and the meat 'then became cooked, and he ate it without any ill result.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Æt-amba hirilli.

[2]:

A form of comparison, meaning, “Which was the better, that day or to-day ?”