In a certain country, during the time when a King was exercising
sovereignty the King married a Queen, it is said. In the Queen's womb,
begotten by the Great King, three Princes were conceived, it is said.
While the three Princes were in the state approaching full age,
the eldest Prince of the three Princes improved himself in throwing
stones with the stone-bow, it is said. During the time when he was
improving himself thus, he became a very skilful and dexterous person
at stone-bow throwing. After that, the same Prince having abandoned the
stone-bow began the shooting of animals with the bow and arrows. By
that means, having shot at animals and killed animals, while eating
the flesh with good joy and pleasure he passed the time in happiness
with his father the King, and his mother the Queen, and his younger
brothers who were the other two Princes.
At the time when he passed the time thus, his mother reached the
other world. Not much time after it the Great King effected the
wedding festival for yet [another] Queen from another country. The
Queen was a childless proud woman. Because it was so, her happiness
was in passing the time in discourtesy.
Furthermore, by this Queen there not being any notice of the three
Princes, and as she was passing the time in anger and jealousy,
the three Princes spoke together, "When our father the King has
gone to war with any city, we three persons, taking three bags of
masuran and causing a bag of cooked rice to be made ready, will go
to another country."
[After] saying [this], at the time when they are there the King
received the message to go to a war. As soon as he received it, [225]
having spoken to the Princes and the Queen, "Remain in happiness,
looking after the country and the palace," the Great King having been
adorned to go went away.
After he went, the three Princes, making ready the bags of masuran
and cooked rice, and forsaking the country, having started to go to
another country, went off. While they were thus going, a very severe
water-thirst [226] seized the elder Prince. While going seeking water,
perceiving that there was no water he said to the other young Princes,
"Having gone to a high hill or up a large tree, look if there is water
near." Then a Prince having gone up a tree, when he looked said that
very far away a pool of water is visible.
After that, having gone to the quarter in which is the pool and having
met with water, staying there and dividing the bag of cooked rice they
ate. Having eaten and drunk, and having finished, they spoke together,
"Let us three pluck three [lotus] flowers from this pool. [After]
plucking them let us go to three countries. When we have gone there,
should there be harm to anyone whatever of us, the flowers of the
remaining two will fade." Having said [this], the three Princes
[plucked three flowers, and taking them with them] went to three
countries.
After they went there, while the eldest Prince was going on the
road, a palace of great height was visible. When he went to the
palace that was visible, there was a Princess [at it] possessing much
beauty. Having seen this Prince's splendour [227] that very Princess
fell down unconscious, without sense. Afterwards the Prince having
restored the Princess to consciousness, asked, "What happened?"
The Princess having spoken, said, "Having seen your beauty, Sir,
it caused a great dizziness to seize me, and I fell down."
After that, the Prince, begging a little water from the Princess,
drank. After he drank, "Why is there no one in this palace?" he asked.
The Princess spoke, "My father the King, and mother went for bathing
their heads with water. [228] I and the flower-mother alone are
[here]," she said.
When the Prince asked on account of it, "Will the party come
now?" "They will come now quickly," said the Princess.
Then the King and the Queen, [after] doing the head-bathing, came. The
King and the Queen having seen this Prince became greatly afraid. "Of
what country are you, Sir? Who and whose?" they asked the Prince.
The Prince says, "I am a son of such and such a King of such and such
a city," he said.
Because of it, the Great King asked, "Came you with the thought of
perhaps a war, or what?"
Then the Prince said, "No. After my mother died, while I was remaining
in great sorrow, when my father the King, marrying another Queen,
was there, for me a great shame entered my mind because of the
Queen's unseasonable action; and while the King went for a war I
having forsaken my country came to this country."
After that, the truth of it went to the Great King, to his mind. As
soon as it went there, [229] when a [little] time was going by, having
married and given the King's daughter [to him], and made it public
by the proclamation tom-tom, and having handed over the country also,
he decorated them [with the regal ornaments].
While he was exercising the kingship of that country, the other
Princes of the country, having become angry concerning this Prince
and having thought of a means of killing him, said, "We will give the
flower-mother five hundred masuran to give him this small quantity
of poisonous drug, having deceived the Princess by some method or
other." [They said to her], "Should you do as we said, we will give
you these presents." Should she be unable in that manner they told
her to [tell] the Princess to ask where the Prince's life is.
In that way, the flower-mother having prepared a new [sort of] food for
the Prince, and having also put [into it] this drug and deceived the
Princess, at the time when the Prince is eating food she told her to
give him this new food. This having seemed the truth to the Princess,
at the time when the Prince was eating food she gave it. The Prince,
too, having been much pleased with the food, and having eaten and
drunk, finished. Owing to it, anything did not happen.
On the following day the flower-mother says to the Princess, "Where is
the Prince's life?" She told her to ask. When she asked the Prince on
account of it, "My life is in my breast," he said. When she told it
to the flower-mother in the morning, the flower-woman said, "What he
said is false." She told her to ask thoroughly.
At night on the following day, when she asked he asked for oaths from
the Princess, [of a nature to ensure] the impossibility of escaping
from them, that the Princess must not tell it to any person. Afterwards
the Princess swore, "I will not tell it." Then the Prince says,
"My life is in my sword," he said.
On the following day, when the flower-woman asked, having deceived
the Princess, the Princess said, "If you will not tell it to anyone
I will tell you. [For me] to tell it, you [must] take an oath with
me," she said. When the flower-mother swore to it the Princess said,
"The Prince's life is in the Prince's sword."
From the day when she heard the fact for herself, that flower-mother to
an extent never [done] before, began to pile up a heap of firewood and
coconut husks. When the Princess asked, "What is that for?" she says,
"For us to put in the hearth at the time when rain rains," she said.
While not much time was going in that way, one day not having shut
the door of the palace, at night this flower-mother stole the Prince's
sword, put it into that piled up heap of firewood, and set it on fire;
but the handle for holding the sword was left outside the flames. That
fire fell into the heap. [230] At the time when it was thoroughly
burning the Prince's life was becoming ended here. After the sword
was burnt the Prince completely died.
Not allowing them to bury the dead body, the Princess having caused
a coffin to be made, and placed the dead body inside the coffin,
remained in much grief.
While she was thus, the flowers of the Prince's brothers having faded,
when they came seeking him ascertaining the truth they went to the
palace. At the time when they went, having seen the Princess who
was in the palace they asked the Princess, "Why? For what [reason]
are you without cause (nikan) in this great trouble?" they asked.
To that the Princess says, "At the time when a Prince of such and such
a King of such and such a country came to this country, my father the
King having asked the Prince his age, and looked [into his horoscope],
married and gave me to him; and having given him charge to rule the
country also, that person (her father) died," she said. "After that,
while he is exercising the kingship this flower-mother told me to
ask where the Prince's life is. When I asked, the Prince's life is
in the Prince's sword, he said. After that, whether such and such a
thing occurred I do not understand," she said.
When those Princes sought for the sword there was no sword. Afterwards
they looked in that heap of ashes on the fire ground. They met with
only the piece of that hilt for holding. Having met with it, one
person having gone running and having come [after] plucking limes,
began to polish that piece of sword. The other having opened that
coffin (lit. corpse-box) was near it. While he was there, by an
authorisation of the Deity the sword was restored (lit. went right)
better than it was [before]. Then life being as though [re-]established
for the Prince also, he arose.
After that, having investigated about these matters and looked [into
them], perceiving what the flower-mother did he impaled that woman
and killed her. Afterwards these three Princes and the Princess sought
their father the King, and went to [their own] country.
Western Province.