In a certain country dwelt a man and a woman, it is said. These two had a son and a daughter.
When a man came one day and asked for the daughter [in marriage] at the hand of the father, the father said, “It is good. Come on Wednesday.” The man having said “Hā,” went away.
Afterwards another man came and asked for the girl at the hand of the mother. The mother said, “It is good. Come on Wednesday.” The man having said “Hā,” went away.
After that, yet a man came and asked for her at the hand of the girl’s younger brother. The younger brother said, “It is good. Come on Wednesday.” The man having said “Hā,” went away.
Well then, the company of three persons having come on Wednesday and eaten rice and betel, caused the girl to come out [of the house], inviting her to go. Then the three persons endeavoured to call her to go in three [different] directions. Because the girl was unable to settle the dispute she ate a kind of poison, and lying down died there and then. Afterwards they buried her.
After that, the man who came first went to a sooth-sayer. The man who came next watched alone at the place where they buried her. The man who came last having said, “It doesn’t matter to me,” went to his village.
The man who went to ask for sooth having inquired about it, came to the place where they buried the girl. Having come and made incantations in the manner prescribed by the sooth-sayer, he made her arise, and got her [back to life]. After she had recovered she went to the village. The man also went there.
Now then, after the three men had come together there, the man who brought her back to life asked, “To whom do you belong?”
The girl said, “The man who watched alone at the grave is my mother. The man who went to inquire of the sooth-sayer is my father. The man who went to his village is my man.”
Having said this, the girl went with the man to his village.