| Tuesday, September 25, 2007 |
Hmanlai hian hmeichhe tleirawl pakhat hi a awm a, a hming chu Ngaiteii a ni a. Ngaiteii chuan pa a nei tawh lova, a pa chu tuiah a tlahlum a, a thi tawh a.
Ni khat chu Ngaiteii leh a pi chu lovah an feh a, bal an cho a, an lo mawngah chuan li thuk tak hi a awm a. Chu li chu Ngaiteii pa tlakhlumna a ni a, chuvangin Ngaiteii pa thlarau chu chu li-ah chuan awmin an ring a. Chumi ni chuan Ngaiteii chu a tui a hal chhen mai a, a pi chuan tui a zu chawi sak thin a. Nakin deuhah chuan Ngaiteii chu a tui a hal leh ta a, a pi chuan, 'Ngaite, ka hah tawh em a, nangman tui zu chawi mai rawh, amaherawhchu, li i zu hmuhin 'Ekhai' zu ti hauh suh la, ngawi reng ang che' a ti a. Ngaiteii chuan, 'Aw le,' a ti a, a kal ta a. Lo mawnga li a zu thlen chuan a lo dum kuk mai a, api thusawi kha a theihngilh a, 'Ekhai' a ti ta a. Chuveleh tuiah a tla ta a, a pi chuan Ngaiteii a lo haw har tak ema avangin tuiah a tla ta niin a ring a, amah zawng turin a kal ta a. Nakinah chuan sakhi nupa hi a hmu a, Ngaiteii an hmu em tih a zawt a, anni chuan heti hian an chhang a :
'A hmuh chu kan hmu a,
Tuipui ral tiau ralah,
Ngaiteii pa'n va lak e,' tiin
Tichuan Ngaiteii pi chuan Ngaiteii chu a pa thlarauvin a la ta niin a ring a. Nakin deuhah chuan Varung nupa hi a hmu leh a, Sakhi nupa a zawh ang bawk khan a zawt a, anni pawh chuan sakhi nupa chhan ang bawk khan an chhang veleh a. Ngaiteii pi chuan tui chhungah chuan Ngaiteii chu a hmu ta a.
'Ngaite, ka lo zuangthla dawn' a ti a, a zuangthla ve ta a. Ngaiteii chuan a pi a hmuh leh avangin a lawm hle mai a, tichuan a pi chuan, 'Khawiahnge i pa thlarau chu a awm?' tiin a zawt a, Ngaiteii chuan, 'Tunah chuan a feh a, nakinah rulah a chang anga, a lo haw ang' a ti a.
Tlaiah chuan Ngaiteii pa thlarau chu rulah a chang a, a lo haw ta a, a inkual ta rui mai a, reilote-ah chuan mihringah a chang leh ta a. Ngaiteii pi chuan, 'Ngaiteii hi ka hawn leh dawn e,' a ti a. A pa chuan, 'Awle, i kalpui dawn nia, amaherawhchu reiloteah Ngaiteii chu lokal leh rawh se,' a ti a. Tichuan Ngaiteii leh a pi chu lawm takin an haw dun ta a. Mahse, Ngaiteii chuan a pa hnena kal leh chu a duh ta lova, a pi hnenah chuan rei tak a awm ta a.
Ngaiteii pa chuan Ngaiteii a hnena a lo kal leh har tak em avang chuan, a awmna tui chu a tilian ta chiam mai a. Ngaiteii awmna khua chu a chim dawn ta mai a, tuilian ri chuan, 'Ngai, Ngai, Ngai' a ti a. Tichuan mite chuan 'Ngaiteii avangin kan khua tuiin a chim takngial dawn e, engtinnge kan tih ang le?'an ti a. Mi thenkhat chuan, 'A puan kha thlak ula a tha ang,' an ti a. Ngaiteii puan chu tuiah an thlak a, tui chu a kam ta deuh a, mahse reiloteah tui chu a lo lian ta pung pung mai a, mite chuan, 'Ngaiteii samkhuih kha tuiah thlak rawh u,' an ti leh a. Ngaiteii samkhuih chu an thlak a, tui chu tlemin a kam leh ta a. Ngaiteii banbun te, a thi te, a thil neih zawng zawng chu an thlak sak ta a, mahse tui chu a lian leh zel a. A tawpah chuan mite chuan, 'Ngaiteii hi kan thlak mai loh chuan kan khua zawng zawng hi kan boral vek mai dawn si a,' tiin ui tak chungin Ngaiteii chu tuiah chuan an thlak ta a. Tichuan tui chu a kam ta ruai ruai a, a kam hlen ta a; mahse mite chuan Ngaiteii chu an ui hle mai a, an tap an tap mai a. An tah hla chu hei hi a ni :-
'Ngaite hip,
Chhim thlipui maw i tuar a,
Khuang ruahsur maw i tuar a,
Ngaite hip'
He hla hi tun thlengin naupangin infiamna hlaah an la hmang bawk thin a ni.
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Ngaiteii
In olden days there was once a comely young orphan girl named Ngaiteii who lived in a village with her grandmother. They used to dig for yams in their jhum which did not have much water and which was now said to be haunted by the ghost of Ngaiteii's father. They were both digging for yams one day when Ngaiteii said she felt very thirsty. Her granny fetched her some water to drink from the pool.
However, she complained of feeling thirsty again a little while afterwards. Her granny told her to go and drink from the pool herself this time, but warned her to be very careful and never on any account utter the word, 'How!'. When she reached the pool and saw its dark waters, curiosity got the better of her and she calle dout 'How!' and no sooner had she done so than she toppled into the well.
As a considerable time elapsed without Ngaiteii returning her granny was worried about what must have occured; so she went down to look for her.
On the way to the pool she met a pair of red deer and asked them, 'Oh! parents of Khite, (Khite - the young of red deer) have you seen my grand daughter, Ngaiteii?' They replied :
'Yes, we saw her on the otherside of the Tuipui and Tiau rivers, where Ngaiteii's fatehr has taken her.' So, she later met a pair of partridges and on questioning them they answered exactly as the red deer had done.
At length she arrived at the great pool and on seeing Ngaiteii there, she also jumped in.
'Where is your father, child?' She enquired. And Ngaiteiin said he had gone to work in the form of serpent but would be back in the evening.
He came back in due time and after he had changed into human form, Ngaiteii's granny said she would take the girl back to be with her.
'You may do so,' her father agreed, 'But only for a few days, mind, as I am quite lonely here and want her to stay with me'
Ngaiteii had no intentions, however, of sharing a lonely life with her father in the gloomy waters of the deep pool; so she never bothered her head about returning from the village.
Her father at last became impatient at her continued absence and demanded her return by suddenly causing the surrounding areas to overflow with angry sounds of water 'Ngai, Ngai, Ngai' rising from the rushing waters. The entire village was about to be submerged. Knowing the demand when some one threw a piece of cloth belonging to Ngaiteii into the waters, the flood subsided.
Howeer, after a short interval, the waters commenced rising again and on this occasion Ngaiteii's comb was thrown in and the flood abated.
This proved but a short respite, however, as the waters started swelling rapidly once again to an alarming extent and with much greater turbulence. The dismayed people then realised that Ngaiteii's father would not rest content unless Ngaiteii herself was returned to him.
It seems that there was no course left to save the whole village from total destruction other than to sacrifice Ngaiteii to the floods, and this the sorely distressed people were reluctantly compelled to do, although the girl was loved by everyone.
Immediately after Ngaiteii was swallowed up by the raging waters, the floods subsided, with equal rapidity, and from then day onwards the village has never had to suffer from even a single high flood over all the years.
The people of the village shed bitter tears over Ngaiteii's sad fate for long afterwards and she is yet rememberd in this sorrowful song :
Dearest Ngaiteii, we pray to you,
The anger of the southern sky,
And the heavily rushing waters high,
Have now been stayed and calmed, dear;
You saved us all Ngaiteii, yes, you,
So do not suffer anymore, do not fear,
Dearest Ngaiteii... oh! dear...
The above haunting lines in memory of Ngaiteii are still being sung by children in the Mizo villages when they enjoy moonlight nights. |
posted by zoblog @ 4:47 PM  |
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