Once upon a time there lived a man named Pong Bulubembe.
[Pong Bulubembe - Goat's Hair]
Every day he went into the forest to cut branches, and his wife stayed at home. One day his neighbor Dakku Ra-rana saw that Pong Bulubembe went into the forest. Then he climbed into his house through the south window, entered the room and began to play with his wife Bunga Jelita.
[Bunga Jelita - Beautiful Flower]
And on the north side of the house there was a parrot. He saw what Dakku Rarana and Bunga Jelita were doing in the room, flew into the forest, sat on a tree next to Pong Bulubembe and said:
Most Honorable Pong Bulubembe,
Stop cutting your branches!
A shameful thing has happened:
Their breath was mixed,
Their legs were intertwined.
-What are you saying? – Pong Bulubembe asked the parrot.
The parrot said again:
A shameful thing has happened:
Their breath was mixed,
Their legs were intertwined.
Pong Bulubembe ran home as fast as he could. He began to search the room, lifted the mat and saw: under it lay a gold bracelet.
- Whose bracelet is this? - he asked his wife.
Bunga Jelita replied:
“I don’t know who could leave their bracelet.”
Then Pong Bulubembe said:
“Tell everyone in the village: Tomorrow Pong Bulubembe is throwing a Merauk festival.”
The next day, Pong Bulubembe prepared everything for the holiday. He fenced the area with a bamboo palisade and left only one narrow passage. It was through this that guests were supposed to enter. And in the aisle stood Pong Bulubembe with a gold bracelet. He tried on a bracelet for everyone who came in. Many people passed by him, but the bracelet did not fit anyone. Finally, Pong Bulubembe asked:
– Is everyone already assembled?
Someone replied:
- No, not everything yet.
- Who isn’t there? Pong asked Bulubembe.
“Dakku Rarana,” they answered him.
“Call him here,” Pong Bulubembe ordered.
People said:
- He is sick and lying down.
“Then bring it,” ordered Pong Bulubemba.
People went for Dakku Rarana and brought it to the festival. At the entrance they tried on the bracelet, and it fit him just right. Then Pong Bulubembe ordered the people to collect the branches of the chemara tree and build a fire. Then he ordered Dakka Rarana to be tied up and thrown into the fire. Bunga Dzhelita saw that her beloved was engulfed in flames, threw herself into the fire, and they both burned in the fire.
Three nights later, Dakku Rarana's mother went to the ashes, took a pinch of ashes and put it in a golden bowl. Three more nights passed, and Dakku Rarana and Bunga Jelita came to life and took on their former appearance. They came to Pong Bulubembe's house and began peeling rice nearby. Pong Bulubembe asked:
-Who is cleaning the rice there?
The slave went to look and said to Pong Bulubemba:
– Dakku Rarana and Bunga Jelita.
Pong Bulubembe said:
- Ask them if they came to life?
Dakku Rarana and Bunga Jelita answered the slave:
– We went to our ancestors.
Then they gave the slave a bar of gold and said:
– This was sent to Pong Bulubemba by his ancestors from the other world.
Pong Bulubembe took the gold and ordered the slaves:
- Go, cut down the chemaru tree - I also want to visit my ancestors.
They piled a whole mountain of chemara in the garden and set it on fire. As the fire began to flare up, Pong Bulubembe jumped into the fire and immediately breathed his last.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru