Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

662
APPENDIX
Kabau. l^he Kahaii Fruit.
Yam kabau lang-yamJ
Bends the Kabau, and h&r^d.s- about.
Keau-plakeau ^ batang kabau.
Waves-to-and-fro ^ the stem of the Kabau.
Putih panau antok * kabau.
White awaf mottled is the bark of the Kabau.
Antok kabau (jadi) hau-chandong.^
Bark of the Kabau (becomes) chopping-knifo (?).
Tegot rhak jadi kumbang.^
Break its branch^ become borer-bee (?).
BiJdok daun jadi layang.^
Fall its leaves become swallow (?).
Bedcik bunga' tabor mclukut.*
FalU its blossom like s.CA.X.X.^xed rice-meal.
Btdok bunga' g^mar panas."
Fall J its blossom like rain of/zr/w^-sunshine. '"
Odo nachar pleh kabau.
Do-not eat the fruit of the Kabau.
Nachar pleh kabau bul-leh.
Ifyou eat the fruit of the Kabau you will iJ^^'poisoned-indeed.'^
Odo yong kapada' bilang.
Do-not forget this in-the telling. '-
Bilang kabau esok j6mah.
Telling of the Kabau to-morrow aud for-ever.
Lalu ka-bale jo'oh bale.
Pass to M^-Hall and drink '^ in the Hall.
Gerdah-gerdah jo'oh bale.
Creak-creak ! ive drink in the Hall.
Bale panjang, bale bcsar
The Hall that is long, the Hall that is broad.
1 " Yam " was explained as =Mal. broken (or brittle?) the borer -bee
" mclentur" (" to sway ") and " lang- develops or multiplies ("jadi"). Orcan
yam" as = Mai. "mdlempei." Prob- it mean when the branches are broken,
ably they are the same word. it swells up ("kembang") round the
2 " KJau - plakeau " was also ex- break, as many trees do ?
plained as = " melentur,' but it is ob-
" Possibly in allusion to some belief
viously onomatopoeic and hence should
perhaps rather be rendered "creakcreak"
(the noise made by the swaying).
3 = Creaks (?).
connecting swallows with the leaves,
But "layang" may also = " mela-
vang," to flutter (Bes. " tohyt "').
* = " Wen punai " 4 ="Lantok" (Mai. "kulit").
in Besisi."
^ f/;/. "hayu" = Mal. " hangat,"
6 I can make no sense of this, unless
it is the handle of the chopper that is
which is " bhasa
for " hayong
halus," or "polite,"
" in the "bhasa kasar "
referred to, as made from the bark. {i.e. the "vulgar speech").
" I can make nothing of this. "Kum- i" ^27_ heat, or hot. " Z?V. Vomit,
bang'' is the borer-bee. If right, it ^^ Or "what is told you."
may mean that where its branches are '^ Make merry.