Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3
by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words
This folk-tale entitled “the margosa tree” is gathered from oral sources sources, tracing its origin to ancient Ceylon (Sri Lanka). These tales are often found to contain similarities from stories from Buddhism and Hinduism. This is the story nr. 61 from the collection “stories of the durayas”.
Story 61 - The Margosa Tree
IN a certain city there is a King, it is said. The King thought of growing a Margosa tree without bitterness [in the fruit], so one day he made proclamation accordingly by beat of tom-toms.
While two friends of one village were coming to seek a means of subsistence they heard this sound of tom-toms.
When they asked at the hand of a tom-tom beater,
“What is the sound of tom-toms for ?”
he said,
“What is it ? His Majesty our King will give presents to any person who should grow and give him a Margosa tree without bitterness.”
One of the friends, saying,
“I can [do it],”
went to the royal palace.
“Canst thou grow and give me a Margosa tree without bitterness ?”
the King asked.
“Yes, your Majesty,”
he said.
“What things dost thou want for it ?”
the King asked.
“I want monthly a hundredweight- of sugar and a large pot of cow’s butter,”
he said.
After that, the King asked,
“Where wilt thou grow it ?”
“I must grow it on the edge of a river,” [1]
he said.
Having built and given him a house on the edge of the river, he gave him a hundred-weight of sugar and a large pot of butter monthly.
Seven times in succession he planted seven trees. Seven times the seven trees were washed away by the river.
During the time while he was there in that way, the other friend having come, asked,
“Where is the tree ?”
Then the friend who had planted the tree says,
“Either the King, or I, or the river.”
The words that he said meant,
“Either His Majesty the King will die; if not, I shall die, because of no means of subsistence.”
“Having cheated the King I get a living. When it is so, the foolish King has been caught by my trick.”
Duraya. North-western Province.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Raja ho, ma ho, ganga ho. “Either the King, or I, or the river” [floods] will come to an end (naeti wenawa). He meant that if the periodical floods in the river did not come to an end, the job would last during the King’s life-time, and that if he gave it up he had nothing else to live upon.