An Indonesian Fairy Tale
Many princes, so handsome, were showing their incredible achievements, feats, university degrees, PhD’s, riches. They were competing for her hand. No, she wasn’t dazzled, awed, though one would offer her his kingdom, she didn’t care. That was not “him”. She wouldn’t marry a fortune, a great name. Someone said: “She’s a fool to reject, refuse such profitable offers which could support herself for life.”
When she once visited a village – but this could only happen in a fairy tale in Indonesia, in my imagination, in my mind – did she meet a young man who was herding his buffaloes. He was strong, so simple, so frank, so natural, so unsophisticated, so open, so unaffected, as though she saw Adam before her, who was without education, wealth, clothes, instead of a herdsman.
Except himself, he had no chance, nothing to offer, to show off to ever convince this fairy before him of his worth and he never thought of ever trying to charm, enchant her. And I pictured him when he just came out of the river sitting on his buffalo, without a shirt, un-combed hair, barefoot yet even asked whether he might kiss her. There was no prince ever dared to ask it.
She later returned and said: “will you marry me?” Dazzled, stunned, when undreamed of, un-hoped for, he was granted, offered a heavenly bride.
He took her home to his cottage, celebrated the wedding with a meal just of lalap, ikan asin, pepes oncom, (that is uncooked vegetables, dried salted fish, red roasted pie of fermented soy bean) eating together on a banana leaf with their fingers, sitting on a mat and drinking water out of a kendi (earthen water vessel) as there were no chairs, no table, plates, cups, forks and spoons. Cozy, warm they nestled in each others arms on the wooden, worn out bale-bale (bedstead). This was heaven. She was content helping him in the vegetable garden, bathing in the kali (river) or pancuran (water from a spring flowing through a water pipe) or from a well and he taught her how to do it.
“There is no electricity, no TV, telephone, no car, no newspaper, no ... She has to live in want. That’s hell.” So the people exclaimed. “Sure” she thought, “but with him near me, hell doesn’t terrify, scare me.”
And I imagined her waking up with the warble of the birds, cock crow, She saw the dew on the grass and stepped on it, enjoyed the rustle, the coolness of the wind, saw, heard the gurgling, splashing of flowing clear mountain water in winding ditches, brooklets, watched the glorious sun, the moon rise, the golden sun set, she saw the fireflies in the evening, …and her husband coming home. This was paradise. She, a City’s daughter had become a child of Nature.
She never vowed to be faithful before God, she never regretted, sorrowed her choice, though she knew she should work hard, that one day he would grow old. She was so happy just to be Eve, a lovely woman who had Adam in the “guise” of a herdsman as her dear husband for as long as life. But this is as I picture it in my mind.
December 2009
Comment
“Such A Love
Happens Only In A Fairy Tale” so they say.
That is to
comfort themselves after years of disappointed married life with so petty,
almost no love. Ha, ha. They haven’t got a love, large enough that such
happiness could still befall them.
I believe I could
love almost any woman at long last and almost any woman at long last could love
me. Now don’t you be jealous dear little fool.
That’s what
Opa Johan told his wife.
February 2012
