Indian Antiquary Vol 22

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 67

FEBRUARY, 1893.)
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE; No. 15.
The parrot (popa!) then began :
"Listen, o king. There once lived in a certain country a well-to-do couple, husband and wife. It came to pass that the husband had to go to a distant country for employment, and there he had to spend several years. In his absence the wife was day and night visited by a paramour, with whom she ate and drank and made merry. When some ten or twelve years had elapsed she received a letter from her husband that he was soon coming back, and that she might expect bim on a certain day. That day soon came, and with it her husband, who came home with a large fortune; but when he reached his house, to his great regret he found his wife sick. Of course, she was not really sick, but only pretended to be so, and had tied up her head and ears with a kerchief, which gave her an appearance of a really sick person.
"During the day she sent a message privately to her paramour not to visit her, as her husband had come home, but that she would come to his bouse. The day passed, and night came on, and the husband, who had to perform the domestic business himself on acccunt of his wife's illness, being quite fatigued, went to bed and slept very soundly. In the dead of night the wife arose and took the road to her paramour's house.
"Now it happened that a dakait, who had learnt that the husband had come back after amassing a large fortane, thought of visiting his house that night with a view to carrying on his vocation of plundering. So just as the dákait at the dead of night was about to break into the house he saw the wife come out of it.
"I will not rob the house to-night, but will follow this woman, and watch where she goes, and what she does," said the dákait to himself, and went quietly after her.
"She went on and on for a long while till she came to her paramour's house, which she entered, and there saw her paramour apparently sleeping. But he was really desd, having boon visited by the wrath of God, and killed in his bed 12 Thinking he was only asleep, she called out to him in endearing terms, and threw herself on the corpse, but not a word came from him in return. Upon this she shook him and asked him why he was angry, why he did not speak to her, and such like qaestions. At length, after trying to make him speak for more than hour, she ceased from her attempts; but before going away she thought :- Well, well, if you will not speak to me, let me at least kiss you for perhaps the last time.'
"But as she put her lips to the corpse it opened its mouth and bit off her nose ! Streams of blood ran to the ground, and she was at a loss to know what to do; for how could she go home withoat & nose? What would her husband and her neighbours say? What answer was she to give when questioned about her nose? In this plight, and thus thinking she retraced her steps homewards.
"On her way there was a hut in which lived an old woman, on whom she called, told her everything, and asked her advice. The old woman was at once ready with an answer, and told her to resort to the following stratagem :
4 Go home,' she said; and quietly lie down beside your husband, and when you have been there for a little while, get up and make a noise, saying, My husband has bitten off my nose, my husband has bitten off my nose.' When people collect at the noise they will believe you!
"Having taken the old woman's advice, the wife went home, and lay down by the side of her hashand, who was still fast asleep. After balf an hour or so she got up and suddenly commenced bawling out :- My husband has bitten off my nose, my husband has bitten off my nose!' It was nearly dawn by this time, just at the time when people generally begin to be awake, and in consequence a great throng of neighbours was attracted by the wonderful story of a husband
The original expression for these words are: pun to nihald notd, tidld Parmdeordsan khidat dhari, ani tå meld; the literal meaning of which is: "but he was not asleep, God went him punishment, and he died."