Opening the text
The Lhota Nagas

John Stuart Mill · en
The music of this song will serve as a specimen of Lhota harmony. I am
indebted to Mrs. Hutton for the notation.

The introductory and final chants precede and follow each verse and are
sung on the syllable a.

Another traditional song is the following lullaby sung by a widow to
her child:—


            Ole iyi le he-e,
            O iyi e he-e,
            O kakao ntitscona chitata chonchiato?
            O iyi e he-e,
            O zükitacho niyuhungcho chonchiato?
            O iyi e he-e,
            O zükitacho khencheng soko niyutokoka.
            Chitata tichonchia,
            O kakao.
            Ole iyi le he-e,
            O iyi e he-e,
            O ango o-o,
            O ntitscona chitata chonchiato o?
            O iyi e he-e,
            O ntena chitata chonchiaka a.
            O iyi e he-e,
            O kiyonipo etchhi tyengro ekamochina.
            O iyi e he-e,
            O elaniki shiato nichamkao maka.
            O chitata tichonchia a,
            O iyi e he-e.


This may be translated as follows, omitting the meaningless chant of
Ole iyi le he-e, etc.:—


        “My little one, why are you crying so much?
        Is it because you want a drink of ‘madhu’ that you are crying?
        I will give you well-kept ‘madhu’ to drink.
        Do not cry so much.
        O my little one,
        O my child,
        Why are you crying so much?
        Even if you cry like this
        Your father, who has become a young brave among the dead,
        Cannot come back and call you and take you in his arms.
        O do not cry so much.”


Songs composed to celebrate some particular event are meaningless to
anyone who does not know the full details of the circumstances to which
they relate. An interlined and much expanded translation will help to
explain the following specimen. It tells of the various people who were
concerned in the founding of the new village of Japfu from Mekula, a
migration which greatly annoyed those who remained in the old village.


            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho yanthan yanra Pithango.
    (Ho for Pithango plotting to found the new village of Japfu.)

            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho yangen yanra Renowo.
    (Ho for Renowo of the old village plotting to stop them going.)

            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho chapha Tsirenthang.
    (Ho for Tsirenthang as fat as a carrying basket.)

            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho oyam phanka Zaremo.
    (Ho for Zaremo, who went because he could never say No.)

            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho holo iye hele,
            Ho maorale Konchiyo ho esonlanicho.
    (Ho for Konchiyo, the old man, burrowing into the scheme like a
    beetle in straw.)

            Ho hati lishomo kamiki.
    (He has become as fond of heavy jungle as a giant tortoise. [220])