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OCTOBER, 1892.]
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE; No. 13.
313
His mother unfastened the cattle from the stalls and drove them towards the forest, but she and his sisters-in-law wondered what was the matter with him. They asked each other if any one of them had said or done anything to annoy him, but all pleaded ignorance. And his mother, thinking perhaps he was sick, called out her eldest daughter-in-law, and sang :
"Aika na go, aika na manjá mhone nd suns gé,
Lavd na ge, ldvá na súnê gavêtáná chávia ge; Kardvia ge, kdrd na sdné valchandchia xana ge, Paratávia gé, paratá súne dhondié sándié gé, Paedvia g8, pard na sine tuje jdsvanta dira g6." Listen, o listen, my eldest daughter-in-law, Put, О put, daughter-in-law, keys to the drawers; Take out, О take out, daughter-in-law, ingredients for medicine, Grind, O grind them, daughter-in-law, on the stone mortar,
Give to drink, O give to drink, daughter-in-law, to your beloved brother-in-law. When the cowherd heard what his mother had said to his sister-in-law, he sang in answer
- Dúkatli gé, ddkatli dil túmché mhotte na stináchanh pôtre 98."
Is aching, is aching, mother, your eldest daughter-in-law's stomach ? By this he meant, of course, to tell his mother that he had no need of the medicine, which she had told her daughter-in-law to give him, but that his sister-in-law herself wanted it. His mother, however, did not understand the drift of what he said, and thinking perhaps that he did not like to take the medicine out of his eldest sister-in-law's band, she called out to her second daughter-in-law, and thus sang to her :
" Aiká na gê, diká na manje madalas na súne ga,
Liva na gé, uvá na súné gavétáná chávia ge; Karávia gé, kárá na súné vakhandchia xdná 96, Paratavia g&, paratá súne dhôndié sdndié gé, Pázavia gé, paza na súné tájé jásvanta dira ge." Listen, O listen, my second daughter-in-law, Put, О put, danghter-in-law, keys to the drawers ; Take out, О take out, daughter-in-law, ingredients for medicine, Grind, O grind them, daughter-in-law, on the stone mortar,
Give to drink, O give to drink, daughter-in-law, to your beloved brother-in-law. When his mother had done singing to her second danghter-in-law to give the boy medicinethe cowherd, still in bed, thus sang to his mother :
"Dúkatói ga, dakatêi dié túmché madalé sinéchan potta 98." .
Is aching, is aching, mother, your second daughter-in-law's stomach ? His mother now thought that he would not take any medicine even from his second sister, in-law, and so she said nothing. A little while afterwards the cowherd arobe, and dressing himself very shabbily, took a horse from the stable, and took the road to his wife's house; though he had never seen his wife, much less her house. He thought, however, that the shepherd, who used to bring her message to him, wonld guide him there, and so he went on and on. On his way he came upon his sister's house, when his sister, seeing him dressed so shabbily, asked him what was the matter with him and where he was going. He told her how for two or three days successively he had received a message from his wife, and that he was going to fetch her home.
. Lit., Middle; but second is meant.
