Story 8 - The Prince And The Princess

IN a certain city there are a Prince and a Princess, it is said. Because these two go together to the school the teacher said,

“You two came together to-day; on another day you must not do it again.”

When they were coming separately on that account, the Princess, being in front, one day went to the well, and having bent down while trying to drink water, her writing style fell into the well. Being there alone the Princess was unable to get the writing style.

After the Prince came up she said,

“Ane ! My writing style fell into the well; get it and give me it.”

Then the Prince said,

“I will get it and give you it if you will swear that you will not marry another person.”

The Princess said,

“I will not marry another ; I will only marry you yourself.”

Having touched the Prince’s body she swore it, and the Prince having touched the body of the Princess also swore it. Then he got and gave her the writing pin, and one of them went in front and one went behind.

Those two learnt their letters excellently. Afterwards, both having grown up, when they inquired about arranging the marriage for the Prince he said, "You must bring me in marriage such and such a Princess, of such and such a village. If not, I do not want a different marriage.”

Then the King said,

“Do you want the kingdom, or do you want the Princess ?”

The Prince replied, " I do not want your kingdom at all; I want the Princess.”

Afterwards the King went and asked for the Princess. Then the father of the Princess said,

“I will give the Princess to the persons who give me this well full of gold.”

So the Prince filled it and gave it, and the Prince and Princess having got married stopped many days at the Prince’s house.

Then the King said to the Prince,

“Because at first you said that you did not want the kingdom, that you only-wanted the Princess, you shall not live at my house. Go where you want.”

Then having gone to the Princess’s house, after they had been living there many days the father of the Princess said,

“Taking a well of gold, I sold the Princess. You shall not live at my house. Go where you want.”

So those two went away. As they were going the Princess went along sewing a jacket. Having gone very far, after they sat down at a travellers’ shed near a city, the Princess gave the jacket that she had sewn into the Prince’s hand, and said,

“Take this, and having sold it at the bazaar bring something to eat.”

The Prince having taken it to the bazaar, after he had told the bazaar men to buy it they said,

“We are unable to say' a word about buying this. It is so valuable that we have not got the means to purchase it.”

The guards of the King of that country having , been present looking on, and having seen this, told the royal servants to bring the jacket to the King. After they had brought it the King took it, and gave the Prince two bags of money. The Prince left one and took one away.

The King having called his servants, ordered them,

“Look at the place where that Prince goes and stays, and come back.”

Well then, the servants having gone and having seen that the Princess was stopping at the travellers’ shed, came running, and said at the hands of the King,

“There is a good-looking Princess at such and such a travellers’ shed.”

The Prince having left at the travellers’ shed the bag of money which he took, came for the other bag of money. While he was coming, the King, taking a horse also, went to the travellers’ shed by a different road, and placing the Princess on horseback brought her to the palace.

Well then, when the Prince, taking the other bag of money went to the travellers’ shed the Princess was not there. He called and called ; she did not come. Afterwards, taking both bags of money he comes away along the road.

The Princess, while she was looked after by the guards, having seen from afar that the Prince was coming, said to the servants,

"I am thirsty,”

and told them to bring an orange quickly. After it was brought and given to her, she opened the skin and wrote a letter thus :

“Give even both those bags of money, and buying two horses come near the palace, and having tied up the two horses stay there without sleeping. After the King has gone to sleep I shall descend down robes tied together, and having come to you, when I mount a horse you mount the other horse, and we will go off.”

Having placed the letter inside the skin of the orange and shut it up completely, so as to appear like a whole orange fruit, she threw it behind the guards, in front of the approaching Prince. The Prince thinking, because he was hungry,

“I must eat this,”

picked it up, and having gone into the shade of a Timbiri tree, sat down. When he opened the skin of the orange, having seen that there was a letter inside it he took it to the light, and read i( aloud.

A Karumantaya (a Kinnara, a man of the lowest caste) who was in the Timbiri tree heard all that was written in the letter. Well then, the Prince having given the two bags of money and taken two horses, and having come near the palace on the appointed day, tied the two horses there.

While he was there the Karumantaya also came, saying,

“Ane ! I also must stop here at this resting place.”

The Prince said,

“Do not stay here. Should the King hear of it he will drive us both away.”

The Karumantaya replied,

“Don’t say so. I also am going to stop here to-day,”

and stayed there. The Prince went to sleep; the Karumantaya remained awake.

After the King had gone to sleep, the Princess, descending down some robes, came there. When she was mounting a horse, the Karumantaya mounted the other horse, and both of them went off together.

Having gone off, when the Princess looked after it became light, she saw the Karumantaya. Afterwards she stopped the horse, and said to the Karumantaya,

“Get and give me a little water.”

The Karumantaya said,

“I will not; get it to drink yourself.”

After the Princess had said it yet another time, the Karumantaya dismounted from the back of the horse. When he had gone for water, the Princess cut with her sword the throat of the horse on which the Karumantaya came, and went off, making the horse bound along. The Karumantaya having run and rim a great distance, returned again because he could not come up to her.

While the Princess was going on horseback, she came to a place where seven Vaeddas were shooting with bows and arrows. Those seven persons having seen the Princess coming, said to each other,

“That Princess who is Coming is for me.”

The Princess having heard that saying, stopped the horse and asked,

“What are you saying ?”

Then each of the seven said,

“The Princess is for me, for me.”

Afterwards the Princess said,

“You seven persons shoot your arrows together. I will marry the one whose arrow is picked up in front of the others.”

After that, they all seven having at one discharge shot their arrows, while the seven persons were running to pick up the arrows the Princess went off, making the horse bound along. Those seven persons having run and run for a great distance, returned again because they could not come up to her.

The Prince having awoke, when he looked the two horses were not there, and the Princess was not there. So he walked away weeping and weeping.

Then, while the Princess was going near yet another city, putting on Brahmana clothes she went to the school at that city, and there having begged from a child a slate ^[1] and slate pencil,^[1] she wrote a name in Brahmana letters (Deva-nagari).

When she had given it to the children who were at the school, nobody, including also the teacher, was able to read it, Then the teacher took it to the King of that country, and showed him it. The King also could not read it. So the King appointed her as a teacher, saying,

“From to-day the Brahmana must teach letters at the school.”

Now, when the Brahmana had been teaching letters for a long time, men told the King tales about her : *' That is a w.oman indeed; no Brahmana.”

Then the King having said,

“Ha. It is good,”

told the servants, " Inviting that Brahmana, go to my flower garden. If it be a woman, she will pick many flowers and come away after putting them in her waist pocket. If it be a Brahmana, he will pick one flower, and come away turning it round and round near his eye.”

That Brahmana had reared a parrot. The parrot heard from the roof of the palace the words said by the King, and having gone to the school said to the Brahmana,

“The King says thus.”

Next day, the Ministers having come to the school said,

“Let us go to the flower garden,”

and inviting the Brahmana, went there. Keeping in mind the words said by the parrot, the Brahmana broke off one flower, and holding it near the eye came away turning it round and round. The King looking on said,

“From to-day no one must say again that it is a woman.”

Again, in that manner, when she had been there a long time, people began to say to the King,

“No Brahmana ; that is a woman indeed.”

Then the King again said to the servants,

“To-morrow, inviting the Brahmana, go to my betel garden. If it be a woman, she will pluck many betel leaves, and go away after putting them in her waist pocket. If it be a Brahmana, he will pluck one betel leaf, and holding it near his eye he will come away turning it round and round.”

Hearing that also from the roof of the palace, the Brahmana’s parrot having gone to the Brahmana said,

“The King says so and so.”

Next day, the King’s Ministers having gone to the school said,

“Let us go to the betel garden,”

and inviting the Brahmana, went there. Keeping in mind the words said by the parrot, in that very manner breaking off .one betel leaf, and holding it near the eye, she came away turning it round and round. The King, looking on at it also, said,

“From to-day I shall cut with this sword the one who says again that it is a woman.”

After that, the Brahmana having carved a figure like the Princess, gave it into the hands of the scholars, and said,

“Taking this, go and collect donations (samadama). After you have gone, inviting to come with you him who on seeing this figure recognises it, return with him.”

After the scholars, taking the figure, had gone to a city, the seven Vaeddas saw it, and said,

“Here is the Princess.”

Having drawn near they asked,

“How is it that she has gone away for such a long time since she went from here that day ? Where is she now ?”

Then the scholars, saying,

“She is now at our city; let us go there,”

inviting those seven persons, returned with them. After they had come to the school the Brahmana said,

“Cut them down, the seven persons.”

After they had cut them down, the Brahmana said to the scholars,

“Take this again. Again inviting him whom you meet, return with him.”

The scholars took it again, and while they were going to another city met that Karumantaya. After he had said,

“Ane ! Amme! Where did you go for such a long time ? Where is she now ?”

the scholars replied,

“The Princess is now at our city ; let us go there.”

After they had come to the school the Brahmana said,

“Cut down that one also.”

After they had cut him down, she said to the scholars,

“Take this again.”

The scholars, taking it, and having gone to another city, met with the Prince. Having come in front of it, the Prince fell down weeping. The scholars said,

“Do not weep. She is in our city ; let us go there.”

After they had come to the school, the Brahmana arose quickly, and having thrown off the Brahmana clothing, dressed herself in her Princess’s robes. Having prepared warm water and made the Prince bathe, the Princess cooked ample food, and gave him to eat.

While she was doing this, the scholars having gone to the King said,

“It was a Princess who was there. After we went to a city to collect donations, having met with the Princess’s Prince he came back with us. Both of them are now at the school.”

After that, the King, having come to the school, and having asked about those things from those two, built a house with a tiled roof, and gave it and half the village to the Princess as a present.

North-western Province.

 

Note:

In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 86, a Prince induced three persons who were quairelling over the ownership of some wonderful articles left by their master, a Fakir, to run for three arrows which he discharged in three directions. While they were absent, he took three of the articles, and seating himself on a magic seat which was one of the things, was conveyed away by it.

At p. 306 fl. of the same work, a Prince and Princess eloped when the latter was about to be married to another Prince. While on their way, she remembered some jewels which she required, and he returned for them. In the meantime a robber had come up in the dark, and finding her servant asleep had ridden off with the Princess, who thought he was the Prince. When daylight came she found out her mistake, sent him to a village for food, and then rode off alone; and calling at a goldsmith’s house for a drink, was detained and requested to marry him. On her agreeing, he gave her gold ear-rings and her jewels, with which she rode off, and stayed with a married couple, disguising herself as a man. An elephant selected her as King.

Then she got an artist to paint her portrait, and she hung it in a thoroughfare of the city, with a guard who seized all who recognised her. These proved to be the robber, her servant, the goldsmith, and the two who befriended her, and lastly the Prince. When the Prince saw her portrait he fainted. He was first made Prime Minister, and afterwards the Princess revealed herself to him, and he became King. The robber and goldsmith were imprisoned, and the others rewarded. The resemblance to the Sinhalese story is striking.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Evidently a modern interpolation, as the Princess was represented as using only a writing style.