The Penguin Book of Classical Indian Love Stories and Lyrics Page 22

  Rano’s first impulse was to draw his sword and kill the guilty pair. But when he looked at Momul’s sleeping face, he had not the heart to hurt her. So he put by her side his camel-switch, and then, going softly downstairs, mounted his camel, and rode back to Umarkot.

  When Momul woke next morning, she saw by her side Rano’s camel-switch. Going into the courtyard, she saw the tracks of his camel both coming and going. Then she guessed that Rano had come during the night, and seeing her in Somal’s arms, had thought her faithless and had gone away. She sent him a message begging him to come back to her and telling him that the man whom he had seen sleeping, as he thought, at her side, was not a man at all, but her sister Somal. But Rano bade the messenger tell Momul that he could not disbelieve what he had himself seen, and that no woman would have worn a man’s clothes. Momul sent a second messenger explaining the true facts, and many others afterwards. But Rano would not believe them; and at last he bade the messenger repeat to her these words: ‘I will never forgive you, Momul, not though you come to my door as a beggar to ask my pardon.’

  When the messenger gave Momul this message, she was at first overcome with grief; then she dressed herself like a sanyasi in a saffron robe, and, with a begging-bowl and a staff in her hands, went begging from village to village until she reached Umarkot. There she went to Rano’s house and asked for alms. The young vizier did not pierce her disguise, but, being attracted by her face, asked, ‘Whence have you come, holy sir? When did you become a sanyasi? Were you brought up in this holy state, or did you grow weary of the world and become the pupil of some saint?’ ‘Nay, fair youth,’ replied the sanyasi, ‘I am no man’s pupil. I have learnt all the wisdom that man can teach, and I am myself a guru, so give me alms in the name of God.’ Rano was greatly pleased by the reply, and bade the anchorite enter his house. Momul did so, and for many days she stayed with Rano as his honoured guest.

  One day Rano challenged Momul to a game of dice, and asked her what the stakes should be. ‘If I win,’ said Momul, ‘I shall stay with you always. If I lose, I go away tomorrow.’ ‘As you please,’ answered Rano laughing; and the two sat down to the game. Rano made his throw, and Momul lifted her arm to make hers. Unhappily, in doing so, she bared her arm, and Rano saw on it a mole, which he had often noticed on Momul’s arm. He rose and in a harsh voice bade her begone. She threw aside her saffron robe, hoping that he would melt at the sight of the form that he had once so often embraced. But he pushed her out of the house and into the street, and shut the door in her face.

  Momul, broken-hearted, went out from the town, and hiring villagers to help her, built a great pyre in the plain. Then she mounted it and set fire to it with her own hands. The news that a suttee was burning herself outside the town reached Rano’s ears, and he went to see. The sight of Momul about to die filled him with remorse, and he cried to her, ‘Momul, come back to me. I was wrong. I believe you.’ But Momul shook her head, and said, ‘Dear one! now that you know I was true to you, I need no further happiness. You love me now; so let me die. Were I to live longer, you might again mistrust me.’

  When she had spoken, the pyre fell inwards, and a great sheet of flame wrapped the princess round and consumed her. Then the memory of her beauty came back to Rano, and he felt that without Momul his life was worth nothing. Going close to the burning pyre, he sprang upon the spot where Momul had vanished in the flames. Thus in death the lovers were united.

  ‘Momul and Rano’, from Tales of Old Ind by C. A. Kincaid, 1938.

  Gwashbrari and Westarwan

  * All the mountains mentioned in this tale are prominent peaks in Kashmir and belong to the mid-Himalayan range. The Westarwan ridge is the longest spur into the Valley of Kashmir. This and the remarkably clear tilt of the strata doubtless suggested this fanciful and poetical legend.

  The Story of Khamba and Thoibi

  * The Manipuri word khamba means ‘to restrain, to make to stop’.

  † This is a game like skittles, but on a small scale. The kang is the seed of a large king of creeper called gila in Bengal; it is propelled by the finger at a number of pins set in a row. It is principally played by the Manipuri women.

  ‡ The Manipuris are said to be derived from four tribes—Moirang, Luang, Kumal and Meithei; they have now all assumed the name Meithei, which tribe seems to have conquered the rest.

  § The dress of a Manipuri woman consists of a skirt called phanek, worn straight across the breast under the armpits, a jacket called phurit, and a chadar, the two latter are often dispensed with.

  ¶ A small brown coin used in Manipuri; about 45 to the rupee.

  ** Hockey was the great national game of the Manipuris, whether on foot or horseback; it was played by all classes, from the Raja downwards. To be a good hockey-player was a sure way of rising to notice in the state.

  †† This festival is called Laiharouba, and is still commonly held; it is a remnant of paganism which has not succumbed to the Hinduism now prevailing in the country. The god in whose honour the festival is held is placed in the midst, and all the men and women, both married and unmarried, dance round it gaily decked with flowers, songs are sung, and the village fiddlers attend.

  ‡‡ A kind of red coxcomb.

  §§ A kind of yellow and brown orchid; it flowers in October. It is one of the most handsome of the orchid tribe.

  ¶¶ The maibis are a kind of priests, or rather priestesses: for they aregenerally, though not always, women. They preside at the different festivals, act as fortune-tellers, and are reputed to have some skill in medicine.

  *** It is customary in Manipur for the bridegroom, before the marriage, to bring a present of fruit and vegetables to the bride’s house, which is taken by her relations. It appears to be considered equivalent to a formal offer of marriage. It is called Haejing puba.

  ††† The clump of bamboos which grew from the stick, and the stone with Thoibi’s footprint, are still shown, as is Khamba’s coat, which is kept at Moirang, the scene of the story. It is said to be of gigantic size.

  ‡‡‡ Tigers were caught in Manipur by surrounding the jungle in which they were with a net, outside of which a bamboo palisade was built, the whole place being closely surrounded by men armed with long, heavy spears; the tigers were generally shot, but in former days it was customary to spear them.

  Princess Pepperina

  * I smell a man, I smell a man.’ This is a common expression put into the mouth of jinn, etc. in stories, and is the counterpart apparently of the English ‘Fee, fa, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman.’

  Baludada and Bayobai

  * Lit. translation of the son’s reply: ‘If you wish to get me a wife, get me such a one as will take care of my father’s beard and mother’s sari, such a wife I want, or I do not want a wife.

  † From this point the story runs as that of ordinary person, and not that of a prince and princess, for they are now called Baludada and Bayobai respectively throughout, and the kings and queens are mentioned merely as parents.

  ‡ Twelve years is generally supposed to be the time when a girl attains her puberty and many years ago girls in Salsette were married at that age. The consummation of the marriage, however, did not take place for a few months, and often for the period of a year, though the wife lived in her husband’s house.

  § Boram (singular, bor) are fruits which ripen about the months of January, February and March. They are both sweet and sour. The tree is also known by the name of bor.

  Hir and Ranjho

  * ‘Zabar’ is the sign for the vowel ‘a’ and ‘zer’ the sign for the vowel ‘i’.

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  First published by Penguin Books India 1996

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  Copyright © Penguin Books India 1996

  This photograph is from Ruskin Bond’s collection of old postcards.

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  ISBN: 978-0-140-25887-5

  This digital edition published in 2014.

  e-ISBN: 978-9-351-18814-8

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