PAGE 5
The Story Of The Tortoise
by
That afternoon, Nang Hsen Gaw, for the spirit was she, told old Nai how her stepmother had killed her at the well, and buried her, and how she had been changed into the spirit of the beautiful mawk moo flower the guard had brought to the house, and that she would soon go back to the king in the palace.
They neither of them had seen the little sparrow sitting on the roof, but she had been there all the time, and now flew off to the king and told him all that she had heard. The king gave orders that the wicked mother of Nang E should be executed immediately, and that a band of soldiers should go to the guard’s house to escort his bride back in state to the palace, where she reigned many, many years, till she saw her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up. As soon as the queen entered the gate, the tree began to play; the withered leaves put on a bright hue, and beautiful flowers burst into bloom; and while Nang Hsen Gaw lived, the tree bloomed and played sweetest music every day.
The lessons that this story teaches are: As surely as the wheels of the cart follow the oxen, so surely will wickedness be punished. If you sin you must suffer. The man who kills another will assuredly meet the same fate.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The Shans call the two front feet of a quadruped “hands.” The digits are called “fingers” not “toes.”
[2] The sacred peepul tree.
[3] The Shans do not usually say that a king “rules” over a country, but the expression generally used is that he “eats” it; a very suggestive and alas! too often only too true expression.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
PUC. Curry.
ZAYAT. A place built for the accommodation of travelers, also used as an assembly place for worship, especially during religious feasts; they are usually built near monasteries.
PARAH. (Burmese, payah ) a god; an image of Gautama Buddha.
KAM. Luck.
MAU. To be skillful.
AMAT LOeNG. The chief amat or chief counselor of a prince.
SOIE. The Indian ” viss “; a weight equal to about three and a half pounds avoirdupois.
CHATTIE. A cooking pot, usually made of earthenware.
HUeK. A deep rent in the earth with steep sides; a ravine; a torrent usually runs in it during the rainy season, but it is dry in the hot season.
HPEA. Spirit or supernatural being.
AMAT. A minister of State.
HSAN. A rice bag.
NANG ME PRAH. A queen.