[3] Elawa gihin melawa āwā, “Having gone to that world I came to this world.” This is a common saying, meaning in village talk, “What a long and tiring journey I have had.” According to the Rev. C. Alwis it also means, “I almost died, and recovered.” (The Orientalist, vol. i, p. 62.) [↑]
No. 7
The Turtle Dove
In a certain city there are two Princes, it is said. A flower-mother[1] cooks and gives food to the two Princes. The mother of the Princes is dead; the father is alive. The King has married another Queen, and because the Queen is not good to the Princes they live with the flower-mother.
One day, while they were living in that manner, the two Princes having gone to shoot birds with bows and arrows, walked until night-fall, but were unable to find any birds. As they were coming back, there was a Horse-radish tree (Murungā)[2] at the front of the King’s palace, in which was a turtle dove. The younger brother saw it, and said to the elder brother, “Elder brother, there! There is a turtle-dove.” The elder brother shot at the turtle-dove, and it fell dead.
Afterwards, the younger brother having picked it up and come back, said at the hand of the elder brother, “Elder brother, are we to give this to our father the King, or are we to give it to the flower-mother?”
Then the elder brother said, “Why should we give it to our father the King? We will give it to the flower-mother who gives us food and clothing.” Taking the turtle-dove, the two Princes came to the house of the flower-mother, and gave it into the flower-mother’s hand.