Malayan Literature | Page 9

the beauteous maid,
And
took a piece of wood with which to strike;
But Bidasari wept and
swooned away.
The King's voice sounded through the corridor,
As
he returned. The Queen then hastened forth
And left a mandar there
to close and guard
Fair Bidasari's room, that nothing should
Be seen.
Then asked the King of her, "Whom hast
Thou beaten now?" The
hypocrite replied,
"It was a child that disobeyed my will."
"Are
there not others for that discipline?
Is it for thee to strike?" His siri
then
He took, and kissed the Queen with fondest love.
All the
dyangs fair Bidasari's plight
Observed, and kindly pity filled their
breasts.
"How cruel is the conduct of the Queen!"
They said. "She
made us bring her to her side
But to maltreat the child the livelong
day.
It seems as if she wished to slay her quite."
Then secretly they
went, with some to watch,
And sprinkled Bidasari's brow. To life

She came, and opened those dear wistful eyes.
"My friends," she said,
"I pray ye, let me go
Back home again unto my father's house."
"Oh,
trust in God, my child," said one in tears.
"My lot is written from
eternity.
Oh, pray the princess great to take my life,"
The poor child
cried; "I can no longer stand;
My bones are feeble. Oh, she has no
heart!"
But the dyangs, for fear the Queen might see,
All fled.
Meanwhile the merchant and his wife
Wept all the day, and sighed
for their dear child,

Sweet Bidasari. Nor did gentle sleep
Caress
their eyes at night. Each day they sent
Rich presents of all kinds, and
half of them
Were for the child. But naught the wicked Queen
To
Bidasari gave. So five days passed
And then Dyang Menzara forth
they sent.
The merchant said: "Oh, tell the mighty Queen
That I
must Bidasari see. I'll bring
Her back in three days' time." The good

Dyang went to the queen and bowing low:
"The merchant fain
would see his child," she said.
At this the features of the Queen grew
hard.
"Did they not give their child to me? Now scarce
A day has

passed, and they must see her face.
Is it thine own wish or the
merchant's? I
Have said the girl could go where'er she would.
Can I
not have her taken back myself?"
Then the dyang bowed, beat her
breast, and went,
Sad that she could not Bidasari see,
And quaking
at the anger of the Queen.
Of the dyang, fair Bidasari heard
The
voice, and felt her heart break that she could
Not speak to her and
send a message home.
Upon the morrow, when the King had gone
Among his ministers and
men of state,
The Queen again to Bidasari's room
Repaired, to beat
her more. As soon as she
Beheld the Queen, poor Bidasari prayed

To her, "O sovereign lady great, permit
That I may go unto my
father's house."
The princess shook with rage, her face on fire.
"If
thou but sayest a word, I'll slay thee here."
To whom could Bidasari
turn? She bent
Before the will of God, and in a sweet
Voice said:
"O Lord, my God, have pity now
Upon me, for the cruel world has
none.
Grant now the Queen's desire and let me die,
For she
reproacheth me, though naught I've done.
My parents have forgotten
me, nor send
A word." The angry princess struck again
Her piteous
face, and as she swooned away
A napkin took to twist into a cord

And strangle her. She summoned to her aid
Dang Ratna Wali. "Help
me pluck this weed;
I wish to kill her." But the woman fled,
As
base as cruel. Bidasari's ghost
Arose before her. Yet the child came
back
To consciousness, and thought amid her tears:
"I'll tell the
story of the golden fish
Unto the Queen, that she may know it all;

For I can but a little while endure
These pains." She spoke then to the
Queen and said:

"O Queen, thou dost desire that I shall die.
Seek
out a little casket that doth lie
All hidden in the fish-pond at our
house.
Within it is a fish. Have it brought here
And I will tell thee
what it signifies."
The princess called Dyang Sendari: "Go
And
bring here the dyangs, with no delay
From out the merchant's house."
When they arrived:
"Go, now, dyangs, for Bidasari saith
There is a
little casket in the pond
Where she is wont to bathe. Go bring it me,


In silence, letting no one see ye come."
Then the dyangs replied:
"Oh, hear our prayer
For Bidasari. How her parents grieve!
Oh,
pardon, princess, let her go with us."
The Queen with smiles
responded: "The young girl
Is very happy here, and full of joy.
Her
parents must not grieve, for in two days
If Bidasari doth desire to go

I'll send her freely. She is vexed that ye
Come here so often." The
dyangs bowed low,
And smiled, and called enticingly: "Come forth,

O charming child, pure soul; it is not right
To treat us so, for we
have come to see
Thy lovely face, and in its beauty bask."
Sweet
Bidasari heard, and could not speak,
But answered with her tears. The
cruel Queen
Said to them: "Speak no more. But if ye bring
The
little casket, ye will fill the heart
Of Bidasari