Gordon. Ir, Bir, Dau and I

This is another story that appears in Indian Folk Tales by E. M. Gordon, who collected stories from the district of Bilaspur in the state of Chhattisgarh in central India. I have included only the English; see the original at Hathi.

I do not have a tale type for this formula story.

THE STORY OF IR, BIR, DAU, AND I

(bamboo by Dinesh Valke)

Ir said come let's cut bamboos, Bir said come let's cut bamboos, Dau said come let's cut bamboos, I said come let's cut bamboos.

Ir cut one bamboo, Bir cut two bamboos, Dau cut three bamboos, I cut small bamboo.

Ir said come make a gulel (pellet bow), Bir said come make a gulel, Dau said come make a gulel, I said come make a gulel.

Ir made one gulel, Bir made two gulels, Dau made three gulels, I made a small gulel.

Ir said come kill a bird, Bir said come kill a bird, Dau said come kill a bird, I said come kill a bird.

Ir killed one bird, Bir killed two birds, Dau killed three birds, I killed a litia (a small black bird) .

Ir said come gather fuel (lit. cow-dung cake), Bir said come gather fuel, Dau said come gather fuel, I said come gather fuel.

Ir gathered one fuel-cake, Bir gathered two fuel- cakes, Dau gathered three fuel-cakes, I gathered a small cake.

Ir said come broil the bird, Bir said come broil the bird, Dau said come broil the bird, I said come broil the bird.

Ir broiled one bird, Bir broiled two birds, Dau broiled three birds, I broiled a small bird : it was burnt and so much remained (here a gesture is made with the finger to indicate a small quantity).

Ir said come fetch a stool, Bir said come fetch a stool, Dau said come fetch a stool, I said come fetch a stool.

Ir he brought one stool, Bir he brought two stools, Dau he brought three stools, I sat just so.

Ir said come eat the bird, Bir said come eat the bird, Dau said come eat the bird, I said come eat the birdie.

Ir ate one bird, Bir ate two birds, Dau ate three birds, I ate the litia.

Ir said come buy a horse, Bir said come buy a horse, Dau said come buy a horse, I said come buy a horse.

Ir he bought one horse, Bir he bought two horses, Dau he bought three horses, I bought a she-ass.

Ir said come race my horse, Bir said come race my horse, Dau said come race my horse, I said come race my ass.

Ir galloped one horse, Bir galloped two horses, Dau galloped three horses, I galloped the ass.

Ir said come now to water, Bir said come now to water, Dau said come now to water, I said come now to water.

Ir went to one pond, Bir went to another (lit. two) pond, Dau went to a third pond, I went to ass-pond — in which my ass became entangled.

Ir's horse cried hon, hon, hon, hon; Bir's horse cried hon, hon, hon, hon; Dau's horse cried hon, hon, hon, hon; my ass cried chipon, chipon.

Ir said come let's eat mangoes, Bir said come let's eat mangoes, Dau said come let's eat mangoes, I said come let's eat mangoes.

Ir ate one mango, Bir ate two mangoes, Dau ate three mangoes, I ate small mango, then came the gardener.

Ir was beaten one stripe, Bir was beaten two stripes, Dau was beaten three stripes, I came off scot-free.


NOTES

This child's play-song was taken down verbatim from the lips of a girl twelve years of age, who had learned it from an old man, a beggar, who would make her repeat this song in order to help them in begging as they went from village to village together.