September 20. Story of the Day: Oh Brother Moon!

This story comes from an online pamplet entitled Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bhutan by Yeshi Lhendup. The author notes that this is translated from the Tshangla language.

This is ATU 2043. Where is the warehouse? which is a story type told in question-and-answer style.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

OH BROTHER MOON!

WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?

(Kuri Chu River)

Oh Brother Moon!

Where do you sleep?

On the bank of Kuri Chu,

What do you eat?

I eat rice.

What is your curry?

Fish from the Bongri Chu.

Where is your leftover food?

Left on the manual grinding stone.

Where is the manual grinder?

It was burnt by fire.

Where is fire?

It was put out by water.

Where is water?

It was drunk by ja tsha [a hybrid ox].

Where is the ox?

The ox was taken to the field for ploughing.

Where is the field?

It was scratched up by the chicken.

Where is the chick?

It is on the manshing tree.

Where is the manshing?

It was cut down by the axe.

Where is the axe?

The axe was thrown in the blacksmith's workshop with a clang.

Bhutan. Let the children play

This is from Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bhutan by Yeshi Lhendup.

LET THE CHILDREN PLAY

Let the children play;
They need a small basket to play;
The basket needs canes to weave;
The cane needs a knife to cut;
But the knife is with the blacksmith;
You need la-tsi (musk) to please the blacksmith.
But la tsi is with the brokpa;
You need a bangchang to please the brokpa;
You need a changsho (bamboo net) to sieve the chang.

(chang)

So you want a mare;
And you want a foal from a mare;
You want to send the foal to India;
And bring money from India;
So you want to take money to Tibet;
And bring flag cloths from Tibet;

And hoist a flag on the roof of your house.

Bhutan. Brother Moon! Give me the left-over food.

This is from Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bhutan by Yeshi Lhendup.

This is ATU 2043. Where is the warehouse?

BROTHER MOON!

GIVE ME THE LEFT-OVER FOOD

Brother Moon!
Give me the left-over food.
It was kept on a shelf.
Where is the shelf?
It was burnt by a fire.
Where is the fire?
It was put out by water.
Where is water?
It was drunk by an ox.
Where is the ox?
It fell down and died.
Where is the place the ox fell down?
A flood washed it.
Where is the place of the flood?
Artemisia plants have grown over it.

(Artemisia in Bhutan)

Where are Artemisia plants?
An ox had eaten it.
Where is the ox?
It was taken for ploughing.
Where is the ploughed land?
Maize has been grown.
Where are the maize crops?
It has been cooked.
Where is the food?
It was kept on a shelf.
Where is the shelf?
It was burnt by a fire.

This Khengkha language version comes from Dangphu Dingphu: The Origin of the Bhutanese Folktales by Dorji Penjore in Journal of Bhutan Studies (Winter 2009; online here).

A cho la la
ma ma shag pa wai le
lang na bleg pa
lang a ni
gami nyum pa
gami a ni
khe na cho sa
khe a ni
jasa bari thong pa
jasa bari a ni
brag ning ga'i pa
brag ning ga'i pai deb a ni
rod pai khor pa
rod pai deb ani
dung mai nyng khrong pa
dung mai nyung a ni
bari chu sa
bari a ni
leng tsho ro khor pa
leng tsho sa'i deb a ni
a shom khrong pa
a shom a ni
to cham pa
To a ni
lang na bleg pa
lang a ni
ga mi nyum pa