Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
1 2 3 4
chan chan siku rembat
5 6 7 8
buah lalu di- b'lakang
the fruit (or ball) is passing behind (you)
9 10 11 12
mata pejam tangan lihat
your eyes (are) closed (but your) hand sees!
13 14 15 16
siapa chepat dia melompat
whoever (is) nimble (let) him take the leap.
The "fruit" (or piece of wood, as the case may be) was left in the
palm of one of the boys, and as soon as the reciter came to the end of
the rhyme the boy with the token had to jump out of the ranks before
he was stopped by the boys on each side of him, each of whom suddenly
stretched out his legs for the purpose of tripping up the runaway. When
they touched him he lost his turn, but if he succeeded in getting
clear without being touched he obtained the privilege of going to the
other end of the ground and calling any boy he chose out of the ranks
to carry him back again, at the invitation of the late spokesman. On
his return he was stopped in front of the ranks with the challenge:--
Q. Datang de'mana? (Whence do you come?)
A. Datang de' Bali. (I come from Bali.)
Q. Apa di-bawa? (What do you bring?)
A. Bawa kuali. (I bring a cooking-pot.)
Q. Siapa nakhoda? (Who is the master (of the vessel)?)
A. Nakhoda 'Che `Ali. ('Che `Ali is the master.)
Q. Mana sampan tunda? (Where is the boat you were towing?)
A. Putus tali. (Parted from the rope.)
Q. Mana pas? (Where is your pass?)
In reply to this last question the pass (i.e. the fruit or piece of
wood) was shown and both boys rejoined the ranks, whereupon the game
recommenced da capo.
Hantu Musang or "The Pole-cat Fiend," is a game in which a boy sits
down (between two others) with a cloth thrown over his head, the
ends of which are twisted up (like rope ends) by the two boys on each
side of him; the cloth fits his head like a cap, with a long end at
the back and in front. First the boy in front pulls his end of the
cloth and then the boy at the back pulls his end, thus causing the
boy between them to rock to and fro. This treatment is continued for
some time while they repeat the following rhyme:--
Chok gelechok ....
Gali-gali ubi. A-digging tapioca
Mana kayu bongkok Wherever (there is) knotted timber
Disitu musang jadi. There the pole-cat breeds.
Chang gulichang ....
Serak bunga lada Scatter (?) pepper-blossom.
Datang hantu musang The pole-cat fiend has arrived
Ayam sa'ekor t'ada. And not a fowl is left.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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