Min tibetanska barndom i Zorgay - Life and Culture on the Tibetan ...

excuse. We children were good at that. He answered quietly, "I
played on the way with other students." Father paused a
moment, but as there was no reason for him to object to our
sleeping together, he agreed.
Brother glanced at me <strong>and</strong> winked impishly. My heart
flooded with happiness. We went to bed at once <strong>and</strong> felt like
two birds freed from a cage. We thought our parents were the
people we wanted to escape from because we could not do
whatever we wanted in their presence. They were always
ordering us to do this <strong>and</strong> that.
We often told each other Tibetan folktales when we
were in bed together. From Tjobajo, I first heard tales about
Uncle Denba, the classic Tibetan trickster. Some tales were
sexual in nature. Mother <strong>and</strong> Gr<strong>and</strong>mother never told me those.
We stopped laughing <strong>and</strong> burst into laughter again, our eyes
filling with tears of joy. Here is one story my brother told me:
One day, Uncle Denba had nothing to do. He sat by a wide
river alone, seemingly lost in thought. An unlucky passerby
saw him <strong>and</strong> went over hoping to hear some interesting jokes.
The man looked rich <strong>and</strong> was riding a stallion as
vigorous as a lion. His saddle’s pommel <strong>and</strong> cantle were
decorated in silver with colored woolen cloth. He wore a
sheepskin robe with a leopard-skin collar trimmed in otter fur.
As if to further flaunt his wealth, a shiny rifle was slung across
one shoulder <strong>and</strong> he wore a sword in a silver scabbard
decorated with coral.
"Great Liar Denba, tell me a lie," said the man as he
dismounted.
Uncle Denba looked up, stared at the man, <strong>and</strong>
intoned seriously, "Sorry, today I can’t tell you any lies
because I left my book of falsehoods at home. If you want to
hear some, then come some other time <strong>and</strong> I’ll tell you."
This very much disappointed the man. Then Uncle
Denba seemed to reconsider <strong>and</strong> said, "I know it’s
inconvenient for you to come again. You’re from faraway,
right?"
The man nodded.
"OK!" said Denba. "Since you are so interested in my
lies, there is no reason for me to refuse. Please lend me your
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