these lines:—
Sapu-sapu bĕringin, Brush, brush the banyan-tree,
Katimbun dayong-dayong, A pile of oars lies stacked;
Datang ’Che Aji Lĕbai Here comes ’Che Aji Lĕbai
Bawa buaya kudong. Bringing a maimed crocodile:
Kudong kaki, kudong tangan,Maimed in foot and maimed in hand,
Tiada buleh bĕrpulangan. It can’t go home again.Here both players double up one leg under them as they sit; then they repeat the
lines just quoted, doubling up the left leg at the end of the recital; then they close
the fists and pile them one on each other, the lowest resting on one of the
player’s knees, and say—
Pong along-along ......
Kĕrinting riang-riang, Crick-crick (?) (sing) the crickets (?)
Kĕtapong kĕbalok ......
Minyak ʿArab, minyak sapi,Arabian oil and ghee;^177
Pĕchah tĕlor sa-biji. Here’s one egg broken.Here the lowest fist is flattened out. In the same way each of the four eggs (i.e.
fists) is broken till the top is reached, when the four hands are moved up and
down on the left knee of one of the players as the chant recommences—
P’ram p’ram pisang ... the plantain,
Masak sa-biji di-gonggong bari-bariThe fruit-bat seizes a ripe one,
Bawa lari, And takes it away
Tĕrbang-lah dia! As off he flies!Here both players raise their hands above their heads; then one player
commences to rock to and fro (with arms now folded), the other holding him (or
her) by the arms and crying—
Goyang-goyang Pah PonggorSwing, swing, Father Ponggor;
Pah Ponggor mati akar! Father Ponggor, the climbing rattan is dead!
Si ʿAli ka padang Si ʿAli’s gone to the plain,