Santal (South Asian people) -- Folklore; Santali literature -- Translations into English; Tales -- India
Once again, when the brothers were from home, her sisters-in-law
ordered her to go to the jungle, and bring a bale of leaves with
which to make the family cups and plates. They said to her, "Go to
the jungle and bring a large bale of leaves, but do so without in
anyway tying them." What could the girl do? She had been ordered to
perform an impossibility. If she refused, or failed to do it, her
sisters-in-law would beat her, and deprive her of food. So she went to
the forest bewailing her unhappy lot in the following plaintive song;
Woe is me! For I must bring
Of forest leaves an unbound bale
Oh! brothers dear, I weeping sing
While business you far hence hath lured.
As she was sitting in the forest weeping a Horhorang serpent drew
near and said, "Wherefore daughter do you grieve?" She replied,
"My sisters-in-law hate me and have ordered me to bring leaves
without tying them into a bundle. I cannot do this, and I fear their
resentment, so I cannot help weeping." The Horhorang said, "Vex not
yourself. Go and pluck your leaves and bring them here." She did so,
and the Horhorang twined himself round them binding them into a sheaf,
which the girl placed upon her head, and carried home.
When her sisters-in-law saw the leaves, and had looked to see that
none had fallen by the way they were greatly chagrined. They had
expected an opportunity to reproach her with disobedience, and a
reason for punishing her.
Although her sisters-in-law had imposed so many impossibilities upon
her, yet they had been unable to defeat her. Just at the proper time
some one had appeared to help her.
They had seen a bunch of flowers on the top of a high tree, and one
day when their husbands were away, they said to her, "Climb up into
the tree and pluck the flowers, we wish to dress our hair with them on
the occasion of your marriage." No sooner had she clambered up into
the tree than her sisters-in-law placed thorny bushes all round in
such a manner as to prevent her coming down again. They then went home.
A few days afterwards, the brothers, when returning from a distant
market to which they had gone rested for a little under this tree. A
tear drop fell on the hand of one of them. Looking at it he said,
"Look brothers, this tear drop resembles those of the daughter." Then
they looked and saw her high up in the tree. They quickly brought
her down, and she related how in time past she had been persecuted
by her sisters-in-law whenever they were absent. The brothers were
wroth with their wives for having used her so cruelly.
The brothers put their sister into a bag, and carried her home on a
bullock's back. When the wives came out to welcome them, they asked,
"Where is the daughter?" They gave no reply.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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