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314
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(OCTOBER, 1892.
“But," said she, "how will you find out your wife's house ? And how will you know her? You have never seen her before !"
"I will go," he answered, "and wait for the shepherd, who will surely guide me."
His sister then said to him :"Don't do so. Take these few stones with you. When your wife comes to the well and sings to the shepherd, you will know her ; and when she has filled her pitcher and is about to lift it up on her head, throw one of these stones at the pitcher, which will be then charmed, so that she will be unable to carry it!”
The cowherd took the stones, and riding his horse went away. As he went along he came upon the well and there saw a young woman drawing water, and suspecting that it must be his wife he waited there. Soon afterwards he saw the shepherd driving his sheep to the pastureground. When the woman saw the shepherd, she sang :
" Aiká na ré, áik na ré mánjia mêndéválá dádá ré,
Aura manga, aura rổ Trap sáng mát. jaetanta Bhartara rê :• Táji na rê rambhá na cháili kélú zasí ré, Kél zaśi na nimaná rasa bili ré. Bagitéi ré, bagitéi pánch dissú táji na ré váttu rê, Nahin té na lávilú dúsriasin na pátfá ré.'" Listen, O listen, brother shepherd, These words of mine; this message tell to my beloved husband :
Your wife has grown up like a plantain-tree, Like a plantain-tree, and like a lime she is full of juice. She will wait, she will wait for you for five days,
Otherwise she will marry another.' The shepherd listened to her, and promising to deliver her message, went away again, as he had not seen the cowherd. The cowherd now made sure that the young woman was bis wife, and waited till she had filled her pitcher, and when she was about to carry it, he hit it with one of the stones given him by his sister. As soon as the stone struck the pitcher, his wife was unable to lift it up. She tried all her strength, but to no avail; the pitcher was as if fixed in the ground. She looked about to see if there was any one about the place, whom she might call to help her, and saw the cowherd on horse-back, and as she, too, had not seen him before, she did not recognise him as her husband. She therefore thus sang to him :--
“Ehi na ré, éh na ré mánjia ghôréválá dádá ré."
Come, O come, my brother groom. But the cowherd answered:
" Pailá hátú lávin na gé titje shobalánás 98,
Ani dúsrá hátú ldvin na gé ghdgarila gé." One hand I will place upon your breasts,
And with the other I will lift up the pitcher. Upon this the wife sang to herself, addressing her mother :
" Sadânchanh khánam na die, sadanchas na pinan gå,
Sadánchi ghágar na dil, saddnchi na chumbalú gé, Azú mánsan sorú kônih khalan ge ?" My nsual food, mother, and my usual drink, My usual pitcher, mother, and my usual pad, Where is my strength gone to-day?
• Lit., who has eaten my strength to-day?
