THE POETRY OF PRE-LITERATE PEOPLES
An unpublished anthology gathered by Kenneth Rexroth (ca. 1975)
Part 6: Asia
Uraon
Vedda
Bengali
Andaman Islanders
Semang
Uraon
[1]
The Departure of the Bride and Bridegroom
The water in the pool, mother
The water in the pool
The water in the pool is shining
The water in the pool glistens
The turtle rani in the palace
Goes with the otter raja.
[2]
Marriage Poem
The nest of the white ant is graced by the cobra
The cobra is taken by the charmer
The nest is vacant
The river’s pool glistens with the fishes
The big net is thrown by the boy who fishes
The pool is stagnant
The jungle sprang with the deer
The deer died in the trap
The jungle withers
The village lives in its boys
The bridegroom is taken to the spring
The village dies.
[3]
Marriage Poem
The deer graze on the slopes
The deer graze on the slopes
The deer graze
The fish sport in the pools
The fish sport in the pools
The fish sport
The bride sits in the mother’s lap
The bride sits on the father’s knees
The bridegroom catches fish
The bride jumps in the corners
Jumps, holding herself with glee, in the corners.
[4]
Marriage Poem
The spring water, mother
The spring water
The peacock drinks it
Gurgling in his throat
The cock drinks it
Tossing his head
The tiger drinks it
Biting with his mouth
The father drinks it
Minding his moustache.
[5]
Marriage Poem
Walking, walking on the path, mother, I saw
The fig tree blooming, I saw the fig’s blossom
A hundred blooms were smelling, mother, spreading
For twenty miles
Over forty miles the blooms were smelling.
[6]
Dance Poem
Who is the girl whose time is over?
Haire hai
In the Ganges her earrings are floating
Haire hai
It is the flirting girl whose time is over
Haire hai
In the Ganges her earrings are floating
Haire hai
Who is the boy whose time is over?
Haire hai
Whose sash of bells is floating in the Ganges.
[7]
Dance Poem
Come closer, girl, in your dress with the coloured border
Without you there is no pleasure
Come closer, girl, come closer
The shining girl is coming.
[8]
Dance Poem
In the clear waters of Palkote
The scarlet held its colour
Sit, rani, and untie your sari
Dreams are of oil, dreams are of scarlet
Tell me the end of the fig’s flower.
[9]
Dance Poem
The tiger and the bear are ploughing
The dog scatters the seed
The bear and the monkey pull the seedlings
The black farmer ties the bundles
And the mouse breaks the string.
[10]
Dance Poem
Which is the bird that cries in the river?
Which is the bird that calls in the night?
It is the wild goose that cries in the river
It is the peacock that calls in the night.
[11]
Dance Poem
Near the spring is a life-and-death tree
Throw stones, juri, and I will catch the flowers
If you throw stones and get me the flowers
I will let you dance the bheja with me.
[12]
Dance Poem
The deer barks in the four quarters of the night
Jungle boy, where is the abandoned calf?
The infant calf
Jungle boy, where is the abandoned calf?
[13]
Dance Poem
Juri, leave me
My clothes are coming down
Let them come down, juri
Let them come down
We will dance the bheja naked
We will dance the bheja naked
Vedda
[14]
Song Sung for the Cattle Herds
To Panikki Yaka the Chief
The sky is becoming purple, O You Friend!
The earth is becoming purple, O You Friend!
Blows even the wind also, O You Friend!
Even the small birds are flying also, O You Friend!
From behind the yellow sun, draw, draw the sun’s rays.
What is the reason of the delay, Chief Nila?
Shall I look, shall I look if a small heifer has stopped in the herd?
Even a small heifer is not in the herd, O You Friend!
Shall I look if a large heifer has stopped in the herd, O You Friend!
A large heifer is also not in the herd, O You Friend!
Should he take the bow, he is able to shoot well, the Panikkiya.
Should he take the cudgel, he is good at stopping the buffaloes, the
Panikkiya.
Should he take the noose, he is able to tie well, the Panikkiya.
Today he wil come here, the speckled Panikkiya.
[15]
Bandaraduwa, A Lament
From the pool the Brahmany kite has risen,
From the river the Brahmany kite has also risen,
From line to line at the pool, flying round it in circles,
Saying “no place, no place.” Alas! O God.
[16]
The birds are twittering
The birds are twittering.
A golden bud face was visible
A golden bud face was visible.
I asked, “Who is that?”
I asked, “Who is that?”
Then it was that dear cousin of ours.
Then it was that dear cousin of ours.
[17]
The dove at Kakuru Mountain is singing kudurun, kudurun.
There was rain at Kokkagala.
There was rain at Madegala.
There was rain at Madegala.
There was rain on the high land.
There is muddy water bringing down logs.
There has been a yaka ceremony below the rock.
I cannot go on the ground as there is dew.
Let us ride on the back of the buffalo.
Ane! our husbands having climbed up the kobboe creeper,
On its breaking having fallen;
Having climbed the koelina creeper,
On its breaking, too, have fallen;
Bending the bow made of woel-kobboe creeper,
Putting the canes at the back of the head,
Taking the betel bag at the waist,
Taking the axe at the waist,
Putting the dirty monitor lizard on the shoulder,
Sending in front the dog Kadiya,
“You are to come,” they say,
“Potubanda Nayide, you are to come,” they say,
“Potubanda Nayide.”
[18]
Invocation to the Kiriamma of Indigollaewa
Asking for Success in Hunting
Iri-kanda and Monara-gala are her resting-places.
She has a thousand arrows,
And bow-strings made with strength to pierce.
Look at the path on which her watery feet come and go.
Should the Goddess of Indigolla proceed along it,
There will be good luck.
She is the Lady who spins the clouds,
In order to sit behind the thunders of the waterfalls,
The Lady who subdues the water,
In order to sit behind the thunders of the water.
The Lady whose hand is small for the bow-string of the sounding bow.
The Lady who walks behind the boat of blood.
To the great king on that side,
That great resting-place was given up, it is said;
To the great king of this side,
This great resting-place is given up, it is said;
To the kings on both sides the resting-places on both sides
Were given up, it is said.
What opportunity was there still for sleep?
The wealthy great kings were killed, it is said.
[19]
Darling! Darling!
There you see the wind and rain are coming down
from outside the Seven Seas.
See the two.
See brother, thunder and lightning coming
from the direction of the sea.
Things are getting bad.
My body is losing strength.
Let us two go to the Rajawalo cave.
Ho! Ho! my two princes,
it is not possible to go there, stay.
Oh lovely princes!
In the forest are yaku and gods.
Are we not staying in the palace at night!
The sky is getting dark,
the earth is getting dark.
Are not kon fruits falling at Enagala and Malegala!
Let us go to the Rajawalo cave.
[20]
For want of gruel or food,
The life will not depart;
Owing to cold or wind,
The life will not depart;
Owing to rain or dew,
The life will not depart,
If there is no wife,
The life will depart.
Bengali
[21]
Lullaby
Why do you weep, my child?
The sky is bright; the sun is shining;
Why do you weep?
Go to your father: he loves you,
Go tell him why you weep.
What! You’re still weeping?
Your father loves you, I caress you:
Yet still you are sad.
Tell me then, child, why do you weep?
Andaman Islanders
[22]
Bring the boat to the beach
I will see your fine grown-up son,
The grown-up son who threw the youths
in the sea
The fine grown-up son.
My adze is rusty,
I will stain my lips with his blood.
Semang
[23]
The Monkey, Kra
He stamps with his feet, kra.
He drags along, kra.
He climbs and walks away, kra.
On the stalk of the rambutan, kra.
He swarms high up the semei bamboo, kra.
He swarms high up the [illegible word] bamboo, kra.
He climbs high up the [illegible word] bamboo, kra.
He hangs down, kra.
He stamps, kra.
They skip around, the children of the kra.
He drags along, kra.
The rambutan fruits of the kra.
The rambutan fruits of the kra.
He drags along, kra.
He bends the bough for a leap, kra.
Lets the bough fly upward, kra.
He runs along the branches, kra.
Carries fruit with him, kra.
Over the knotted seraya, kra.
Over the knotted rambutan, kra.
Running along the branches, he hoots, kra.
He peers forward, kra.
Among the young rambutans, kra.
And shows his grinning teeth, kra.
He peers forward, kra.
Dressed for the chase, kra.
With the porcupine’s quill through his nose, kra.
[24]
The stem bends as the leaves shoot up,
The leaf-stems sway to and fro,
To and fro they sway in diverse ways,
We rub them and they lose all their stiffness,
On Mount Inas they are blown about,
On Mount Inas, which is our home,
Blown about by the light breeze,
Blown about is the fog, blown about is the haze,
Blown about are the young shoots,
Blown about is the haze of the hills,
Blown about by the light breeze,
It nods upon the hills,
It nods upon the hills of Inas,
Hills of Beching, hills of Siong,
Hills of Malau, hills of Kuwi,
Hills of Mantan, hills of Lumu,
Upon every mountain is our home.
[25]
The Tiger
With great strides the tiger marches to the hut,
With lightning in his eyes he marches into the hut,
With glittering eyes he marches into the hut,
On the shore of the Sengon he marches into the hut,
Turning round in circles he marches into the hut.
[26]
The Coconut Ape
Proudly he walks up and down,
From bough to bough he skips,
He walks up and down,
On the snag-tree, the ape,
In his cheek-pouches he sticks
The sweet fruit of the manow.
Father, mother, look at him,
His brothers look at him.
He walks up and down,
He peers into the distance.
He sees the bateg’n fruit,
He grinds them in his fists.
“You give them to your father!”
His mother shrieks in warning.
Silence! Was it a whistle of the ape,
Or was it only a breath of wind?
Silence! Tense, they all listen.
They peer into the distance.
Soundlessly through the dusk of the rimba
The hunter waits and creeps.
On his shoulder the blow-pipe rests.
From the slim, smooth bamboos
Sharply loaded with the poisoned
Arrows, the pointed ones.
Hissing from the smooth pipe
Puffs the arrow, sharp, pointed,
Pierces to the heart of the ape.
Alas, the mother has seen it!
[27]
The fruit-cluster turns in the wind,
The fruit-cluster at the end of the spray,
The fruit-cluster turns in the wind,
The fruit-cluster we climb for,
The fruit-cluster at the end of the spray,
The fruit-cluster turns in the wind,
The fruit-bluster waves to and fro,
The fruit-cluster, whose fruit is acid,
The fruit-cluster turns in the wind,
The fruit-cluster turns round and round.
[28]
It is long, it hangs down, the burin,
The berries, berries of the burin,
It is long, it hangs down, the creeper burin,
Red burin,
It lies in close clusters, the burin,
Fetch, fetch the burin,
Gone already is the spray of the burin,
Red, red burin,
They are long, they hang down, the berries of the burin,
Fetch, fetch the burin,
The climb high, the berries of the burin,
Climb high, it is very high the burin,
The berries of the burin,
The red, red burin.
SOURCES
1-13. W.G. Archer, The Blue Grove: The Poetry of the Uraons. London, 1940.
14-20. C.G. Seligmann & Brenda Z. Seligmann, The Veddas. Cambridge University Press, 1911. [Reprint: Oosterhout, Netherlands, 1969]
21. Journal of American Folklore, Vol XVI. (MS. note: Judging by incomplete citation, probably from 2nd source such as Radin.)
22. A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, The Andaman Islanders: A Study in Social Anthropology. Cambridge University Press, 1922. New edition: Free Press of Glencoe, New York, 1964.
23-24, 27. W.W. Skeat & C.O. Blagden, Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula. London, 1906. [24 = Bowra p. 71]
25-26. Oskar Eberle, Cenalora. Freiburg im Breisgau, 1955. And Paul Schebesta, Die Negrito Asiens. Vienna, 1957. [trans. in Bowra]
28. Paul Schebesta, Die Negrito Asiens. Vienna, 1957. [Bowra]
Part 6 of The Poetry of Pre-Literate Peoples.
The Poetry of Pre-Literate Peoples is the manuscript of an unpublished anthology gathered by Kenneth Rexroth (ca. 1975). The Introduction and other editorial material by Rexroth in it are copyright 2024 and reproduced here with permission of the Kenneth Rexroth Trust. However, neither the Rexroth Trust nor Rexroth’s Literary Executor assumes any legal responsibility for my posting of the various translated song lyrics that Rexroth tentatively selected for inclusion in his anthology; they are posted here exclusively on my own responsibility. The sources of each of the translations are specified at the bottom of the webpage where they appear. These translations were originally published between 1875 and 1973. Most of the books and scholarly journals in which they originally appeared are long out of print, and many of them are in the public domain. I have reproduced them here as a noncommercial public service. If any of them are still copyrighted and the copyright owner has any objections, please notify me and I will remove them from this site. —Ken Knabb