Page images
PDF
EPUB

ON TWO ACCUMULATION DROLLS OF "THE

PRAWN AND THE CROW TYPE."

BY

SAKATCHANDRA MITRA, M.A., B.L.

In a previous paper,' I have discussed the characteristics of the first variety or group of Accumulation Drolls or Cumulative Folk-tales of "The Old Woman and Pig Type"; and have published a new specimen thereof from Eastern Bengal.

In the present paper, I shall deal with the interesting features of the second variety or group of Accumulation Drolls or Cumulative Folk-tales of the afore-mentioned type, and publish, for the first time, the English translations of two new variants thereof which may be classified under this second group or variety.

I have already fixed the story-radical of this second variety or group of Accumulation Drolls as follows:

(1) The hero asks for assistance from some animal, inanimate object or human being which or who agrees to help him provided he fulfils some condition.

(2) He, in order to fulfil this condition, solicits assistance from another animal, inanimate object or human being which or who also agrees to help him provided he fulfils some other condition.

(3) In this way, he goes on making his requests for help; and, in the very same way as before, the animals, inanimate objects or human beings appealed to go on agreeing to help

[ocr errors]

Vide my paper " On an Accumulation Droll from Eastern Bengal in The Journal of he Department of Letters of the University of Calcutta, Vol. X, pp. 145-153,

him provided he would fulfil some other condition prescribed by each of them.

(4) Finally, he attains his object or is killed."

Under the afore-mentioned second group or variety, I classified four Accumulation Drolls or Cumulative Folk-tales which were known to folklorists up till that time (1901).

As an additional specimen of the afore-mentioned second variety, I published, in my paper (referred to above) in The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, a new Cumulative Folk-tale which I had collected in Lower Bengal and which I named "The Prawn and the Crow."

The main incidents of this new Bengali Accumulation Droll of the afore-mentioned second group or variety may be briefly described as follows:

(1) A female prawn was basking in the sun on the margin of a tank.

(2) A hungry crow, happening to see the prawn, expressed a desire to eat her. Hearing this, she told the former to, first of all, wash his beak clean with Ganges-water, and that, if this would be done, she would allow herself to be eaten by him. To this proposal of the prawn, the crow agreed.

(3) Thereupon he went to the river Ganges, and asked for some water from her for washing his beak with. Hearing this, the Ganges told him to, first of all, bring an earthen cup whereinto she would pour some water to enable him to wash his beak with. To this proposal of the river Ganges, the crow agreed.

(4) Thereupon he went to a potter, and asked for an earthen cup from him, in which he might take some water from the river Ganges for washing his beak with. Hearing this, the latter told him to, first of all, bring him a deer's horn by means of which he would dig out earth for making

1 Vide my paper on An Accumulation Droll and Rhyme from Bihar with Remarks on Accumulation Drolls" in The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. LXX, Part III, No. 2, for 1901, pp. 99-104.

the cup with. To this with. To this proposal of the potter, the crow agreed.

(5) Thereupon he went to a deer, and asked him for one of his horns, which the potter wanted for digging out the earth with. Hearing this, the deer told him to, first of all, bring some grass for him to eat, so that, after eating it, he might give him the required horn. To this proposal of the deer, the crow agreed.

(6) Thereupon he went to a grass-cutter, and asked for some grass from him to give to the deer to eat. Hearing this, the latter told him to, first of all, bring a scythe for cutting the grass with. To this proposal of the grass-cutter, the crow agreed.

(7) Thereupon he went to a black-smith, and asked for a scythe from him for giving to the grass-cutter. Hearing this, the latter told him to, first of all, bring some fire for melting the iron with, so that he might forge a scythe out of the molten iron. To this proposal of the black-smith, the crow agreed.

(8) Thereupon he went to the fire, and asked for some fire from him for giving to the black-smith. Hearing this, the latter agreed to comply with the former's request.

But, as the crow went to take the fire, he got burnt and died.

(9) To the afore-mentioned five specimens of the Accumulation Droll of the second variety, I would add the two undermentioned new variants thereof, of which the first one appears to be from Lower Bengal, and the second from Eastern Bengal.

The first of these new variants appears to be a Cumulative Folk-rhyme which is crooned as a nursery-rhyme in the households of Lower Bengal. Even if it be the appeal (in a metrical form) made to different human beings and beasts for assistance, which is recited by the hero of some hithertounpublished Cumulative Folk-tale, I, for one, have not come across the whole text thereof.

However, I publish herein below, for the first time, the text, in Devanagari script, and the English translation of this interesting Cumulative Folk-rhyme, of which the version, in Bengali characters, has been printed at page 72 of a book of Bengali nursery-rhymes and lullabies entitled: Khuku manira Chhada (or "The Rhymes of the Jewel-like Baby ") :-1

[blocks in formation]

About setting (a pot of) Rice (over the Fire) to cook.

1. (0) brother house-holder!

Will (you give me)

fire ?

2. (so that I may) forge (a) scythe (with which I shall) reap grass;

3. (so that) the cow may eat (this grass, and) may give milk;

4. (so that) the deer may drink (this milk, and), (being strengthened thereby), may fight (with another deer);

5. (so that in the course of this fight), the deer's horn. may get broken (and fall off), (so that I may pick up this broken horn, and, by means of it), may dig out earth;

Compiled by Yogindranath Sarkar, published by the City Book Society, No. 64, College Street, Calcutta, B. S. 1326.

6. (so that, with this earth, I) may make (lit., mould) (an) earthen pot (in which I) shall fetch water;

7. (so that, with this water), (I) may wash (my hands); 8. (and), thereafter, (I) shall set (the pot of) rice (over the fire) to cook.

The second of these two new variants is a Bengali version printed at pages 59-63 of the Tunțunir Bai or "The Book of the Tuntuni Bird" [or the Indian Tailor-bird (Ortomus Sutorius)] which I have already referred to in my previous paper "On an Accumulation Droll from Eastern Bengal" in this Journal.

As this interesting Cumulative Folk-tale is written in Bengali and is, therefore, not known to the storiologists of Europe and America, I am publishing herein below for the first time, the English translation thereof which runs as follows:

The Story of the Sparrow and the Crow.

Once upon a time, there lived a sparrow and a crow who were on the most friendly terms with each other.

One day, the sparrow happened to see that a householder had spread out, in his courtyard, a thick mat whereon the latter had placed his paddy and chillis to dry in the sun. Seeing this, the sparrow said to the crow: "O friend! let us lay a bet as to which of us two will be able to eat up the whole lot of paddy or of chillis first-whether you will be able to eat up the whole lot of chillis before me, or whether I shall be able to consume the whole matful of paddy before you?"

The crow, having agreed to the sparrow's proposal, said: "O friend sparrow! I shall certainly eat up the whole matful of chillis before you and that, in case I should fail to do this, you shall exact the penalty from me by ripping open my breast and sucking out my heart's blood therefrom."

Hearing this, the sparrow replied: "O friend crow! There can be no doubt whatever that I shall eat up, before

« PreviousContinue »