Book Name:

Fables and Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest

[1] Once upon a time Jágong [2] the Maize-plant made boast, and said, "If Rice should cease to exist, I alone should suffice to sustain Mankind."

But Dâgun [3] the Liane and Gâdong [4] the Jungle Yam each made a like boast, and as the parties could not agree, the case was brought before King Solomon.

Said Solomon, "All three of you are perfectly right, albeit it were perhaps better that Jágong should sustain Mankind because of his comrade-ship with Káchang the Bean." [5]

Thereat the wrath of Dãgun the Liane [6] and Gãdong the Yam waxed hot against Jágong, and they went off together to hunt for a fruit-spike of the Jungle Fig-tree, [7] whereon to impale him, but found none. And meanwhile Jágong hearing news of their quest, set to work to find Arrow-poison. And when he had found it he poisoned Gãdong therewith (wherefore to this day the Jungle Yam has narcotic properties). Then Gãdong the Yam being wroth thereat speared Jágong in turn (wherefore to this day the cobs of Maize are perforated). And Jágong reaching out in turn seized the pointed shoot of a 'Wilang' stem and wounded Dãgun therewith.

At this juncture the parties to the quarrel went before the Prophet Elias, who said, "This matter is too great for me, take ye it before Solomon."

And Solomon said, "Let them fight it out between them, that the rage of their hearts may be appeased."

Wherefore there was battle between them for twice seven days. Now Mãta Lémbu the 'Ox-eye' Tree [8] stood nigh to watch the battle, and its skin was grazed by bullets (whereof its bark still shows the scars). But the 'Pêrãchak' Shrub [9] on the other hand was filled with fear, and instead of drawing nearer, in order to see the battle, it stood upon tiptoe (wherefore it still grows long and lanky). But 'Ándram' the sedge [10] was the most afraid and ran to a place afar off, but as it still heard the noise of battle it plunged into the river (wherefore to this day it grows over the surface of water).

And when the twice seven days were ended, the battle being still undecided, the combatants were parted, and a space was set between them by Solomon. And Gãdong the Yam made he to sit down, and Dãgun the Liane to lie down. But Jágong the Maize-plant and Kachang [5] the Bean he made to stand together.

Comments:

[1] This story was taken down on the banks of the Upper Tembeling River, in the interior of Pahang. As the object of the last tale was to explain in a playful (semi-serious, semi-comic) vein the origin of the most striking characteristics of certain animals, so the present story attempts to account for the chief characteristics of certain objects in the vegetable world.

Unfortunately I have not, in two or three cases, been able to identify the plant, though the general tenour of the story is perfectly clear. The identifications which follow are taken from a list of Malay plants by H. N. Ridley in J. A. S., S. B. [No. 30], July, 1897.

[2] Jdgong is the Malay name for Indian Corn or Maize, which is largely grown as a 'catch'-crop in the Malay Peninsula.

[3] Dãgun is a Gnetum, probably edule.

[4] Gãdong is Dioscorea doemonum Roxb. (Dioscoreaceae). It is a climber with large tubers, which are used in the manufacture of dart-poison, and also eaten after repeated washings to extract the narcotic properties which they contain.

[5] Kachang may here be any kind of cultivated bean, such as is grown (in company with maize) as a 'catch'-crop.

[6] The Liane referred to is a kind of creeper called Wilang (unidentified).

[7] Libut, the tree so called in Pahang (also Belibok in Ulu Kêlántan), is almost certainly the "Kelebok" tree of the W. coast (Selangor &c.). It is a species of Ficus (? Roxburghii, Wall., Urticaceae), a large ficus, "with clusters of big figs on the stem." It is a light wood, used by the wild tribes for making the butts of their blow-gun darts.

[8] The "Ox-eye tree" (mãta lémbu) is also unmentioned in the Dictionaries.

[9] The Pêrãchak (also Pêrachek and Pêrachet) is Tabernoamontana Malaccensis, Hook. fil. (Apocynaceoae).

[10] "And'ram" is also unmentioned, but may probably be taken as a dialectal variation of menderong, a common kind of sedge used in mat-making. [Scirpus grossus, Vahl. Cyperaceae.)

Abstract: