A Collection of KachAri Folk-Tales and Rhymes :: FOLK SONGS AND NURSERY RHYMES.

FOLK SONGS AND NURSERY RHYMES.

J. D. Anderson

Addressed to a spoiled Child.

DerÂ

Build

lÙ,

house,

derÂ

build

lÙ,

house,

ÂfÂ

Father

FanzÂlÙ.

Fanzalu.

Dai nÂng,

If trouble come,

fÙdÙ nÂng,

or worry come,

ÂfÂ zuzÎnÂng.

Father will help.

To a conceited Child.

Âng gÙrÙng,

I am wise,

gÙrÙng,

am wise,

DainÂ gÙrÙng.

And the witch is wise.

Dau khÎthÙ,

And the bird’s behind,

khÎthÙ,

behind,

ÂngnÎ khÎthÙ.

The bird’s behind me.

Of Woman.

Dau-thep, dau-thep, dau golondÎ.
Wag-tail! wag-tail! bird with the goitre,
HÂbÂ rangÂ, hukhÂ rangÂ, fisÂ bÂflundÎ.
Work you can’t, and toil you can’t, bearing baby on your back.

A Nursery Rhyme.

BongfÂng dÔ,

Beat the tree,

bongfÂng dÔ,

and beat the tree,

bongfÂng nÂrengÂ.

and beat the orange tree.

Fitsiu-siu

Chirrup, chirrup,

firingÂ;

bhimraj bird;

bidÙi zÅkhaibÂ!

give twenty eggs to me.

What Women sing at Weddings.

ZÔ sit sit,

Pour, pour the beer,

Gogorleng;

ZÔ sit sit.

pour the beer.

DÂngnai dÂngnai sit,

Pour in torrents,

Gogorleng;

dÂngnai dÂngnai sit.

pour in torrents, pour.

Then you substitute other festive occupations, for instance:

Goe khau khau (cut, cut the betelnut).
ZÔ lÙ lÙ (pass round the beer).
Khurui sÙ sÙ (wash the plates), &c., &c.

“Gogorleng” is the traditional name for the bÂru or bohua, who plays the buffoon at weddings.

A Woman to her Lover.

SÔ mÂlÎbai, sÔbaÎ.
Come, my lover, come.
GangÂ zÂliÂ.
O! Ganges fisherman.
ThÂkÂnÎ kheru manÂbÂ.
If I don’t get silver earrings.
Âng-bÙ thÂngliÂ.
I, too, cannot go.

In the following verses the woman substitutes other ornaments or presents:

An exchange of Compliments.

A girl sings—

SilÂkhonÂrÙi gÅthÅfÙr,
Chinakona boys,
MoisÙ hÙnÙ fai!
Come and drive buffaloes.

Boy answers (derisively)—

HunÙ rangÂ, munÙ rangÂ.
I cannot drive, I cannot wive. 
ÂngkhÔ dÂ ling, fai.
Don’t cry to me to come.
Engkhut khÂrÙi khÙrÙ khÙrÙ.
The mess of rice goes bubble-bubble.
ÂngnÎ fÂtse fÙrÙ fÙrÙ.
My share is but trouble trouble.
Khuru khusuli.
You’ve got the itch.
Bidot zÂsuli.
Eater of meat.

What Women sing when the Bride is taken away.

DÂ gÂpse, ai—dÂ gapse.
Don’t weep, dear, don’t weep.
KhÂnu lai lÂngÂ.
Not to bind thee do they take thee;
Sunu lai lÂngÂ
Not to wound thee do they take thee;
BÂngÂl SimsÂnÙ lÂngÂ.
Not for Bengali or Bhutia do they, &c.
Ehe! hai! hÙi!—
Oh! ho! ho!

The second, third and fourth lines may of course be varied ad infinitum.

The lament of a Mother.

Thokon srong srong.
With multitudes of clubs.
ThÂngdangman, ÂfÂ Sokhai, nanglai.
Thou wentest, son Sokhai, thou.
Emfu blÎ blÂ thÂngdangman, &c.
Flashing thy sword, thou wentest, &c. 
KhaukhÂ dumÂ dumÎ, &c.
With great turban bound, &c.
Nang dangbÂ omÂ bidot zang zÂdangman, &c.
Whilst thou lived’st I ate pig’s flesh, &c.

and so on.

“Buffalo Girls come out to play.”

Ùi! SilakhonÂrÙi hingzau-fÙr,
Oh! Chinakona women.
NÂ gutnÙ fai.
Come and catch fish.
NÂ gutnÙ rangÂbÂ,
If you cannot catch fish,
LÙgÙse dÂlÂ fai!
Don’t come with us at all!

In other verses substitute “megong khÂnÙ,” or other things man and maid may do together.

A Love Song.

ÂgÙi BoisÂgi,
O! sister wanderer,
Âng khÔ dÂ bÂsi!
Do not spurn me!
SikhlÂ sipnÙ hÂiÂbÂ,
If you cannot sweep the yard,
Âng-bu sipfÂgan.
I will help you sweep.

In the next verse, for the last two lines, substitute—”DÙi lainÙ hÂiÂbÂ Âng bÙ lai-fÂ-gan,” and so on, with other female occupations. If a woman sings, the first line will be “ÂdÂ BÙidÂsi,” and she will select men’s work, as, e.g., “HÂthi hunÙ hÂiÂbÂ, ÂngbÙ thÂng-fÂ-gan.”

A Mother-in-law scolds her Daughter-in-law.

WÂ bÎzÔ nÎ gÂndeolÂ!
On bamboo top, Oh! dragon fly,
BÎrdau, bÎrdau, bÎrdang,
Flutter, flutter, fly,
BauharÎ godai zÔ zongnaiÂ,
My youngest daughter-in-law’s brewing beer.
KhÙiram-dÙiram zÂdang.
Is bitter-sweet.

BauhÂri godai khÂm songnaia sigram-zethram zÂdang, &c., &c.

My youngest daughter-in-law’s cooking rice is only hugger-mugger.

A Woman to her Husband.

HÎ dai dai hÙbÂbÂ,
If I weave him cloth.
ZimnÙ rangeÂ.
He can’t put it on.
MÂ huÂ zang gorop-khÙ!
What a husband have I got!
ZangnÎ khÂfÂlÂ!
Ah! my evil luck!
SÛnÎ khÂfÂlÂ.
My dreadful luck.

For the first two lines substitute—

GÂmsÂ dai dai hÙbÂ-bÙ.

GÂnnÙ rangeÂ.

PhÂli dai dai hÙbÂ-bÙ.

KhaukhÂnÙ (or khÂsÔnÙ) rangeÂ.

Courtship.

Man says—

“Ùi bÂze, Ùi bÂze!
Oh! sister-in-law!
Em bonÂnai hÙ.
Spread a mat for me.

Woman answers—

NangnÎ hingzausÙ nonggÂ hai!1
I am not your wife!
Em-sÙ bobai-nÙ.
To spread a mat for you.

Substitute other occupations in subsequent verses.

A Love Song.

Dui lainaiÂ sÙrÙ man?
Who was it used to draw water?
ÂgÙi BanbÂhi sikhlÂ man.
It was the maid, my sister BanbÂhi.

In following verses substitute “MikhÂm songnaiÂ, megong khÂwÂiÂ, hÎ dÂnÂiÂ,” &c., &c. If a woman sings, she sings “HÂthi hunaiÂ sura man. ÂdÂ bÙidÎsi zÅlÅman,” and goes on with male occupations.

Women’s work.

Dudugur,2 dudugur, mÂlÂ-Ùi.

FisÂ bÂnai-nÎ fÂlÂ-Ùi.

In other verses substitute other work for “fisÂ bÂnai-nÎ.”

Reproach of Women.3

BoisÂgi, ÂsÂgÎ, rÅ-rÅ,
Megong mikhÂm songblÂ, dÙilau, dÙi-sau!
HoÂ sÂse nÙ-bÙ-lÂ,
Gadau gÂsi!

1 A man speaking to a woman says “lÙi” (cf. “he-lÙi”); a woman speaking says “hai”, and a man, speaking to his wife or other woman with whom he is on familiar terms, says “Ùi”.?

2 “Dudugur” is the little drum on a handle, with a bead tied to it. The drum is shaken from side to side, and the bead beats it,—onomatopoeically, “dudugur, dudugur!”?

3 Not easily to be translated word for word. But the meaning is that a woman cannot think of her work if a man passes by.?

ASSAM SECRETARIAT PRINTING OFFICE (GENERAL) No. 140—304—16–8–95.

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