Joko Tarup and Seven Angels

JOKO TARUP AND SEVEN ANGELS

            Once upon a time there was a widow who lived in the village of Dadapan.  She had a son whose name was Joko Tarup.  Dadapan village was close to a wood so Joko Tarup liked to go to the wood.  He liked hunting for animals with his blowpipe.

            One day when he was in the wood he saw a beautiful rainbow and he saw seven angels went down through it.

‘Wow… How amazing it is, the colourful rainbow hm…it’s so beautiful and what are they? O… Those are angels, yes…angels. I can’t believe it.

Then, he came closer and searched for them.  In a fact, the seven angels were swimming and taking a bath in a lake.  Joko Tarup looked at them while hiding behind trees.  When they had finished taking a bath, they flew through the rainbow to heaven.  Joko was amazed the angels and he couldn’t forget what he saw.

            The next day he saw the same thing again.  This time Joko Tarup had an idea. 

‘Aha!!! I have a brilliant idea, yes … I truely hope that one of the angel could be my wife, it will be nice. So, I think I will steal one of the angels’ dresses. Yeah… that’s true.’

Then, he searched for their dress and when he found them he took one of them.  As they had finished swimming and taking a bath, they looked for their dress.  One of them could not find her dress. 

‘ Oh… my friends, I cannot find my dress.’

‘How can it happen? What should we do now? We must g o home before the rainbow disappears.

‘O..o…o… I don’t know. I’m really annoyed because of this.

‘My dear friend, we’re very sorry for what have occurred but we should leave you alone here. Take care of yourself….’

‘Oh, no…no…no…, don’t leave me alone please, I want to go back’

‘Sorry, you can’t’

Her friends come back to heaven so they left her.  She was crying while staying in the water.  Joko Tarup approached her. And she hid behind a big stone.

‘Why are you crying lady?’

‘I lose my dress so I cannot go home’

‘Where is your home?’

‘I live in heaven.  I’m an angel.  My name is Nawang Wulan.  But I lose my dress so I cannot fly anymore’

‘If you don’t mind I will take my mother’s dress for you’

‘OK, please do’

‘Wait for me here, I’ll be back’

            Then Joko Tarup went home to take her mother’s dress and gave it to Nawang Wulan.  He asked her to stay at her house with his mother.  Not long after that Joko Tarup married Nawang Wulan. 

            As an angel Nawang Wulan had spiritual power.  She had ability which far above human being.  She could cook rice with just a bar of rice and when it had done the bowl will be full of rice.  But there was one condition.  The bowl must not be opened before it has done. 

“My dear husband, please don’t remove the lid of the bowl while it is cooking. Since you remove it, my magic strength will disappear. I do this because we can prudent and we of course not lack of food.

‘Okey, I’ll promise’

Joko Tarup was very surprised with her wife’s ability. He was very curious about it.  So when Nawang Wulan was away he opened the bowl

‘I don’t believe it, just a bar of rice?! What actually happen inside of the bowl? I really want to know.’

Consequently Nawang’s spiritual power disappeared.  She had to cook as ordinary human being.   

Several months later Nawang Wulan gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  Her name was Nawang Sih.  The birth of Nawang Sih added happiness to Joko Tarup and Nawang Wulan. She used to sing for their new baby.

Since Nawang Wulan could not cook efficiently anymore, she needed more rice than usual.  The stock of rice in their store room diminished rapidly.  Then one day when she took rice there she was very surprised.  Nawang Wulan found her angel dress.  It was hidden there under piles of rice.  She immediately wore it and talked to Joko Tarup. 

‘My dear husband, now I know what you did to me. I don’t believe it, how come?’

‘Forgive me, my dear.  I admit that I did this because I love you’

‘I love you too.  But now I find my dress.  I must come back to heaven.  I am an angel.  My place is not here.  I have to go now’.

‘How about Nawang Sih?  She needs you’

‘I will leave her but don’t worry.  I will take care of her.  Anytime she needs me I will be here.  For that purpose please build a tower. When Nawang Sih cries put her there then call my name. I will come immediately.  But I will be invisible to you.  Good bye dear’

            Then Joko Tarup built a tower behind his house.  Every time Nawang Sih cried he would put her there.  Nawang Wulan would come and take care of Nawang Sih.

The End

The Legend of Mount Tangkuban Perahu

THE LEGEND OF MOUNT TANGKUBAN PERAHU

            Once upon a time in west Java, Indonesia lived a wise king who had a beautiful daughter.   Her name was Dayang Sumbi.  She liked weaving very much.  Once she was weaving a cloth when one of her tool fell to the ground.  She was very tired at the time so she was too lazy to take it.  Then she just shouted out-loud.

‘Anybody there?  Bring me my tool.  I will give you special present.  If you are female, I will consider you as my sister.  If you are male, I will marry you’

            Suddenly a male dog, its name was Tumang, came.  He brought her the falling tool.  Dayang Sumbi was very surprised. 

“ What! I don’t believe it. You are animal. Hmm… I regret my words but she could not deny it. 

“ You should keep the promise.”

“ Well, I can’t deny it. I will marry with you.”

So she had to marry Tumang and leave her father.  Then they lived in a small village.  Several months later they had a son.  His name was Sangkuriang.  He was a handsome and healthy boy.

            Sangkuriang liked hunting very much.  He often went hunting to the wood using his arrow.  When he went hunting Tumang always with him.  In the past there were many deer in Java so Sangkuriang often hunted for deer.

            One day  Dayang Sumbi wanted to have deer’s heart so she asked Sangkuriang to hunt for a deer.  

“ Sangkuriang, I want to eat deer’s heart. Would you like hunting it for me, please?

“All right, Mother. With my pleasure. I will go now.” Then Sangkuriang went to the wood with his arrow and his faithful dog, Tumang.  But after several days, in the wood Sangkuriang could not find any deer.  They were all disappeared. 

“Oh no. I have been here for several days but I get nothing. Huft… How come Tumang, What should I do? Sangkuriang was exhausted and desperate. 

“ uuuk…uuuk…” Tumang hopped and scratched his head.

He looked Tumang and had idea.  “ Hm… Tumang. I have idea. I will kill you and take your heart for my mother.” He directly kill Tumang.

“uuuk … uuuk… e“

“Hm… I’m sorry Tumang, I should do this because I don’t have any choice.” He did not know that Tumang was his father.  At home he gave Tumang’s heart to her mother.

“ Mother, this is the deer’s heart. I bring it for you”

“What a good boy you are. Thanks Sangkuriang”

“It doesn’t matter Mother, I will do what you want”

“But where is Tumang? I don’t see it.”

Sangkuriang didn’t answer it. He looked confuse and speak slowly. “ hm… hm… I don’t know where he is mother.”

Dayang Sumbi was suspicious that there was something wrong with Tumang. “Tell me Sangkuriang, what happened with Tumang? Tell me.”

“I… I… kill Tumang mother.”

“What! No… no … Sangkuriang. You have done the wrong deed. Why did you kill it?

“There was no deer at all mother. So I killed and took the deer’s heart.”

“I cannot forgive you, Sangkuriang. Don’t you know who Tumang is? Tumang is your father. So, you have killed your father”

“Father! I don’t believe it”

“Now, get out from this house! Get out!” She was so angry that she could not control her emotion. She hit Sangkuriang at his head.  Sangkuriang was wounded.  There was  a scar in his head.    She also repelled her son.

“Mother …” Sangkuriang left her mother in sadness.

            Many years passed and Sangkuriang became a strong young man.  He wandered  everywhere.     One day he arrived at his own village but he did not realized it.  There he met Dayang Sumbi.  At the time Dayang Sumbi was given an eternal beauty by God so she stayed young forever.  Both of them did not know each other.  So they fell in love and then they decided to marry.

            But then Dayang Sumbi recognized a scar on his Sangkuriang’s head.  “Can you tell me about your scar?

“This scar. When I was a child I did something wrong and my mother hit me.”

“Really.” Then, she knew that Sangkuriang was his son.  It was impossible for them to marry.  She told him but it and he did not believe her.  He wished that they marry soon. 

“OK, I will marry with you in condition.  I want you to build a lake and a boat in one night!  You know, it is for our honeymoon.”

Sangkuriang agreed.  With the help of genie and spirits Sangkuriang tried to build them.  By midnight he had finished  the lake by building a dam in Citarum river.  Then he started building the boat.  It was almost dawn when he nearly finished it. 

Meanwhile Dayang Sumbi kept watching on them.  She was very worried when she knew this. “No, it almost finish. I should break it. He may not marry with me because I am his mother.” 

So she made lights in the east. 

Then the spirits thought that it was already dawn.  “ Hey, we must go. Look! The sun rises. It is time for us to leave. “ They left Sangkuriang alone.  Without their help he could not finish the boat.  

“Hey, it doesn’t finish yet. Why do you go? Bad luck! Come back, come back!” But they kept going. Sangkuriang was very angry .He kicked the boat.  Then the boat turned out to be Mount Tangkuban Perahu.  It means boat upside down.  From a distant it looks like a boat upside down.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

There was once a merchant that had three daughters. One day, he had to go a long journey to buy some goods.

"What shall I bring you back, my dears?" Said the father

“Necklace” replied the first daughter

“Gold chain, father” said the second daughter.

“Hm… and how about you Belle? Why do you just keep silent? What will you want?

 "Bring back yourself, papa, and that is what I want the most."

“No, please what a thing I should bring for you, dear? The father asked.

"All I'd like is a rose you've picked specially for me!"

“All right my daughters, I’ll bring your wish and take care yourselves”

Well, the merchant went on his journey and did his business and bought a pearl necklace for his eldest daughter and a gold chain for his second daughter; but he forgot bringing the rose. Near where he had stopped going home, he saw a great garden with a lovely rosebush.

“Yeah I’ll pluck it for my Bella” then he got off his rose and plucked the most beautiful rose. At that moment he heard a crash like thunder, and looking around he saw a huge monster -- two tusks in his mouth and fiery eyes surrounded by bristles, and horns coming out of its head and spreading over its back.

"Mortal," said the beast, "who told you might pluck my roses?"

"Please, sir," said the merchant in fear and terror for his life, "I promised my daughter to bring her home a rose and forgot about it till the last moment, and then I saw your beautiful garden and thought you would not miss a single rose, or else I would have asked your permission."

"Thieving is thieving," said the beast, "whether it be a rose or a diamond; your life is forfeit."

The merchant fell on his knees and begged for his life.

"Well, mortal, well," said the beast, "I grant your life on one condition: Seven days from now you must bring this youngest daughter of yours.

“I’ll promise” the merchant swore.

As soon as he got into his house his daughters came rushing round him, clapping their hands and showing their joy in every way, and soon he gave the necklace to his eldest daughter, the chain to his second daughter, and then he gave the rose to his youngest, and as he gave it he sighed.

"Oh, thank you, father," they all cried.

But the youngest said, "Why did you sigh so deeply when you gave me my rose?"

"Later on I will tell you" said the merchant.

After several days, the father told to Belle "Bella, do you love your father?"

"Of course I do, father, of course I do."

"Well, now you have a chance of showing it"; and then he told her of all that had occurred with the beast when he got the rose for her.

Bella was very sad, as you can well think, and then she said, "Oh, father, it was all on account of me that you fell into the power of this beast; so I will go with you to him"

So next day the merchant took Bella behind the beast.

The beast came and said to the merchant, "Is this your youngest daughter?"  And when he had said that it was, he said, "Is she willing to stop here with me?"

And then he looked at Bella who said, in a trembling voice, "Yes, sir."

"This house with all that therein is yours; if you desire aught, clap your hands and say the word and it shall be brought unto you." And with that he made a sort of bow and went away.

So Bella lived on in the home with the beast and was waited on by invisible servants and had whatever she liked to eat and to drink. It went on for many days, Bella seeing and talking to the beast every day, till she got quite to like him, Then one day, the Beast asked the girl to be his wife.

“Would you marry with me?”

“Marry…!”

“Yes, with an ugly monster. I know it is difficult for you but you can refuse it and back to your family”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be back first to my family because my father is serious ill. I cannot answer it now.”

“OK.”

Then Bella came back to her own house to see her father. She spent several day at her house but she had a nightmare that The Beast would die. And she was really afraid,

"Don't die! Don't die! I'll marry you . . ." At these words, a miracle took place. The Beast's ugly snout turned magically into the face of a handsome young man.

"How I've been longing for this moment!" he said. "I was suffering in silence, and couldn't tell my frightful secret. An evil witch turned me into a monster and only the love of a maiden willing to accept me as I was, could transform me back into my real self. My dearest! I'll be so happy if you'll marry me."

The wedding took place shortly after and, from that day on the young Prince would have nothing but roses in his gardens.