Professional Documents
Culture Documents
,
-- - ;
By an A. rdkanese.
. 'Rangoon:
PRINTED AT THE HANTHAWADDY
PRESS,
I8g8.
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MA PYU.
CHAPTER I.
AN EVENING WALK.
What fate imposes, men must needs abide,
It boots not to resist both wind and tide.--SHAKESPEARE.
h
2 MA PYU--AN ,ARAKANESE LOVE STORY.
AN EVENING WALK.
3
of dre ss , and his gait, caused him to be rega rded as a
The s peaker was Mi Nhin Zi about sixteen
" swell." They were now on the heart of the Strand
years of age, a brunette with a modest limpi ng
where the Municipal Bazaar, the Port Office, the offices
walk, she was one o f the beaut ies of the vil
of Messrs. B ulloch Brothers, Messrs. A. W oo dwar d , l age.
and all the leading J ew shops a r e located. Lining the " I really can hardly choose between the
two,"
ro ad again are p iece - go ods stalls whose proprietors are res p onded another pretty girl, smiling.
Her hair
all natives of India driving the so n s of the soil as if was coiled in a m as sive knot, her
appe aranc e grace
i nto the woods. ful, an d attractive, but, sh e ; Mi Mra
Thu added
We shall not be doing justice if we omit the Stone
"if you insis t, s i s ter - i n -l aw, I vo
the two ."
te for the t ll er of
Pier , the Wharf and the Bazaar Pier c o m m an ding a
delightful view of the harbour and the noble Kaladyne " I cann ot agree with you," said Mi
Nhin Zi,"
with a s tretch of five miles of waves, green, blue and see how am iable th e shorter man looks and
t ho ugh
opal. Yender on the bank are picturesque hills not he be not so fair as the other what m
atte rs th at
without their h ist o ry . :eme m ber the saying "dark as the colo ur of oil :
1t burns the heart at every look.''
The " Begyat " overh anging the waters of
a hill
"You are jealou s s i s ter -i n - l aw,
the noble river received into its bosom only hventy y o u try to dis
parage the fair, bec ause you h app
years ago, the relics of Prince Shwe B an whose will : en to be a
was-not to bury his re m ai ns in the grave of the!
brunette. "Y
ou and I shall neve r agree on
this poit,
I let us appom t Ma Pyu as umpi
common. 1
re. " Ma Pyu ac
I ceded to their requ est and deliv
Having refreshed themselves on the pier with the ) as t h e two youn g men walk
ered her judgment
ed past.
balmy sea breeze, the two young men strolled on with\
'
a more deligh tful countenance and the sun was fast ,
sinking o ut of sight, as the young men turned into'
G/ I 102
Monastery Road, all unconscious. of the fact that
three pair s of quizzical eyes were fixed on them.
"Now tell me " said one of the girls, "which
of the two is the handsomer ? "
4 MA PYU--AN ARAKANESE LOVE SORY. HE DECISION. 5
always kn own by this, her pet name, signifyi ng his parents, and as a dutiful son he calmly await
that she was fair. ed their plea s ur e . He would often speak to
Her lips wer e rosy r e d, and were often a little M au n g E of Ma Pyu, " How p r etty Ma Pyu is.
of the heart, love and courtship are not answer It so happened that one evening every body,
able, asis often the case with their Burman except Ma Pyu, went to see Maung E's sister.
cousins ; but the custom of early m arriage, often Maung E was alone, he heard a slight sound
interrupts, and not infrequently mars, what would and raising his eyes saw Ma Pyu standing before
otherwise have been, perhaps, a brilliant career. him ; she said " you seem tired M aung E take some
blushed and faltered " you can enjoy it although Unconsciously he rose and stod before him, their
you are studying English," then with an arch v eyes met, and each drank in the love that shone
glanc e, " I hope it does not interfere with your luminous fJ;"om their liquid depths.
1 )-
pronunciation?" NoMa Pyu, once in a way does ,. The sound. of footsteps awoke them to the
no harm, espe c ially when it is prepare d and pre
realities of life. The party were returning from
sented by so amiable a girl as you rself. Again
their visit to the sick one. Ma Pyu withdrew,
a blush her c h eeks , and a momentary
mantled and M aung E endeavoured to resume his studies.
confusion overwhelmed her, when with an air of
greater loveliness still, she said, " Maung E when
you and Hla Tun were passi ng by this road the
other day, we had a talk about you. Nhin Zi
said you were the handsomest, but Mra Thu said
your friend looked the best, and then I was
called upon to decide. " And how did you decide
asked our h ero , " his heart palpitating tho u gh he
scarcely knew wh y .
able, money and properties make it advisable, and can there be respect when the young people do not
so on. All this is not altogether to be despised or know e ach other !
ignored, but, if considered first and foremost, and
If marriages are contracted before either party
alone, marriage will be deg ra ded and become the
arrives at the age of discretion, how is the choice to be
very opposite of all that it was intended to be.
made by them ?
It should never be forgotten that "there can
Until girls are e ducated and marriages postponed
be no disparity in marriage like that of unsuitabi
to a reasonable age, Arakanese parents take upon
lity of mind and purpose." Marriage has been
themselves responsibilities, grave and far reachin g
called the Mother 0f the world, preserving king
.
doms and filling cities and countries. It is most To choose wives for their sons, and husbands for
assuredly a grave and heavy responsibility. It i s their daughters, is surely laying the foundation of a
either a holy and sacred compact of an elevating formidable structure. A structure which is to be not
and exalting character, calling out all that is best merely the toy of the hour, but lasting, and one tha t
and noblest in each, a relationship entered into will bear the strain of the winds a n d tides of life.
with a knowledge of its grave responsibilities, or
it is degraded into that, from which every true The marriage bond' must be cemented with love,
man and woman should flee in horror. with esteem, with reverence.
It is possible that two individualities may be " Then reign the world's great bridals, chaste and
calm:
marvellously merged in one, still, it cannot be for
Then springs the crowning race of humankind.H
gotten that each is a unit, and stands or falls alone.
Parents must rise to a sense of their responsi
Hindrances to what is upright and good present
bility
themselves at every turn in this life ; we are but frail,
we need help from each other ; where there is oneness It is s ad that so solemn an engagement as mar
lOf thought and feeling, harmony will prevail. riage, is so often, in all countries, entered into so light
ly an d thoughtlessly.
If there be any truth in the foregoing remarks,
wbo but the parties _concerned can make the choice. Arakanese seem to regard this matter as of very
All true love must be founded on respect, but how little import. If the marriage should prove an
MA PYU- AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. LOVE. rs
unhappy one, then with little ceremony they will sever was none other than M aung E., she wanted to know
the union under the plea of Kanmasat. w: 1t he thought of Ma Pyu's suitor. Maung E pro
found that in mised to reply in two or three days. He then sought
If enquiries were made it would be
an interview with Ma Pyu, and managed to get a few
by no means un
the little town of Akyab divorce is
presen t marriage hours talk with her.
comm on, being the outcom e of the
customs. " I say-Ma Pyu, last night I was over at the
Pwe and indeed a very choice piece was performed. I
well know n
Notwithstanding these facts, which are wished you were there, and I d aresay the hero and the
any more seri
among us, marriage is not regarded heroine would have enlisted your sympathy;" " Who
table obstacles
ously, and there are the same insurmoun were the actors and what piece did they play, asked
becoming at all
placed in the way of the young people Ma Pyu, looking up into Moung E's face wistfu lly .
iage.
acquainted with each other before marr .
As you d1d not take me to the Pwe last night though
to depict all your sisters went with you ; " continued Ma Pyu
The aim of the writer of this story is
the unhap piness and suffer ing which is not uncom " I must punish you by making you tell me the whol ;
presen t custo ms and ideas piece verbatim."
mon, and ensues from the
-
of marriage among the Arakanese.
" Nothing in the wo Id will please me more than
routin e act the p art of your story teller;" They were thefamous
Noth ing transpired to interrupt the usual
and Maun g E Ko Tha Ka and Ma Daw Bon who played Chin Shwe
for the next six mont hs. Ma Pyu
, contri ved to meet Pan last night. " It is ah admirable piece there's no
under cover of old acquaintan ceship
denying," said Moung E. "Begin, begin Moung E, do
if only for a mom ent, every day.
let me hear the story; sit down here on the mat, and
Schoo l,
Then, one day, an ex-student of the High smoke a cigar, if you object to chewing betel."
ht the hand of
of cours e throu gh his p arents, soug Ma Pyu never smokes Koladyne tobacco she
Ma Pyu. I
.,
Ai
-
smokes leaf cigars and one of these she handed o er to
the matter in
According to custom the father left her friend saying " Here, Maung E is one of the
Maung E b e gan- himself. But soon the Chin took the fever from the
breath of contagion that blew towards him and then
" Maung Pan, you know was a Chin , maknig a the lady exacted a solemn promise from him that he
liv in g by Taun gy a cultivation (i.e.) cultivatio n of crops would be her husband at an opportun e time. They
on hill clearing s . ) There lived a Th oo - Htay (millio n continued to live on as mere acquaint ances and no one
_
aire) in the province known a s Taungzin (Hill tracts) su s pecte d that the two were engaged.
of Burma Proper, who had an only daughter called
Ma Nan Sin.
" And why did not they m arry " asked M a Pyu,
"when they loved one another so dearly." "Waif, Ma
This lady would go in company of her slaves to Pyu , " continue d Moung E, "you must notforget that
neighbouring villages to collect her father' s effect s , and there is a difference in the social position of the lovers."
pass through the Taungya partaking of young Indian Ma Nan Sin knew full well, that her father would
corn and cucumbers which the young Chin, M oun g never consent to such a union and she had to bide her
Pan, grew plentifully. t im e. The lovers however had implicit faith in one
another and e a ch regarded the other as part of self.
Soon she m anag d to get Chin Maung Pan th row Now the fame of the be auty of the damsel had travel
off his ti m idity and form a pleasant intimacy with her.
led far and wide and reached t he ca pital of Ava, whose
Maung Pan would pluck th e choicest of Indian corn,
heir ap pare nt yearned to see her.
roast them on the fire and present them to the lady who
would joyfully partake o f all. Stran ge to say, that in a No sooner was it tho ugh t of t han done. A d eer
very short time she got enamoured of the simple Chin. hunt was arranged, and the Prince at the head of a
Then love, which is shown a madness and a s courge p arty of co urtier s rode to Toung-Zin.
and a fever and a delusion, began to play on her. She
Towards evening of a pleasant summer day the
felt that of all men in the world she. could love Moung
par ty drew up at the gate of a pretty larg e mansion,
Pan alone and she ope ned her heart to the poor semi
savage. The young bashful Chin at first nswer d and t he Prince tu rn i n g to one of the cavaliers next to
had smce h1s him asked_ " Pe rhaps you will be able to tell us who
her with tears and sobs, becau s e he
mistre s s and in his simplicity of t ho ught and acti o n " May it please your Royal Highness , Thoo
had. never suspected. of his mistress's infatuation o Htay U Hp aw resides here" r e pl ie g the cavalier.
3
l.OVE. 19
r8 MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY,
"We will go in and vi sit him," and t h e Royal Nan Sin havin g retired, the Prince thus addressed the
c avalcade soon drew up at the door. :*' Thoo-Htay.
J
reigns cannot
a c u p to m atch, she issued out of a room with refresh J u s t ice .
without trial by a C ourt of
ments, let - pet , apyawye and kunyas, for the Prince.
She was now eighteen, i n th e full bl o om of woman So you need not be s u rp ri s ed , M a Pyu if I te ll
hood, her bla ck hair gracefully coiled round an ivory you th at the old Thoo-Htay at once made up his
comb d e corate d with rubies, s app hi res and diamonds : mi n d to give his d au ghter in marria ge. to the Princ e .
a snow white padaungma coat embroidered with gol d " Oh, Oh what has he done : s urely .he could h ave told .
and an acheit tamein of one hundred and fifty looms, the Prince that his daughter was engaged," broke in
trimmed with the richest velvet of purple blue and Ma Pyu and she almost c u r se d the old T ho o - H t ay
worn in the Nan-Daw s tyl e with the immense trim for h is ambition to becom e the P rinc e 's father-in-law.
ming dragging l ong behind her, h alf veiling and half " Oh p o or M a N an Sin, how will she take the news ? "
exp osing the l ef t leg bedecked with the fragr an t
In due time of course the father communicated to
Thanaka ; she looked the very Ma Sa Wa herself t o the daughter, of the P rin ce ' s demand for her hand an d
the infatuated Pd11ce. The c urtain drops h ere. Ma his d e ci sio n in the matter.
MA PYtJ-AN AR.AKANESE LOVE STORY. LOVE.
Ma Nan Sin, fainted. The old Thoo-Htay was to the capital, he shall no more lead a savage life here,
very much alarmed, but he guessed that his daughter but shall reign with us even as own brothers. Nobles,
fainted through overjoy at the prospect of becoming , take care of him." Once in the capital, with the
Queen, and when she recovered he did not question King's pleasure, Moung Pan was exalted to the posi
his daughter as to the cause of the disorder. tion of a Prince and a proclamation was published that
His Majesty had adopted M oung Pan as a son, and
Meanwhile Dame Fortune had smiled upon Chin
Moung Pau. In the deer hunt the Crown Prince the king appointed tutors to initiate Moung Pan in
the eighteen arts requisite for Princes and Kings. In
came to. grief, the game having escaped out of his
his exalted position Moung Pan had not forgotten
ground, he pursued it all alone, and at nightfall had
. his lover Ma Nan Sin, whom he took the first oppor
missed his way and:.fallen into an old well.
tunity to inform of his good fortune and had expre ssed
As usual the young Chin was going to his a hope that as soon as he had learnt the eighteen arts,
Toungya early in the morning, his attention was the King his father and the Crown . Prince his brother .
drawn to the wailings of a human being from below would. allow him to marry.
the pit and looking down he saw the Prince. With all
M a N an Sin received the news of the exalted
despatch he got a rope and letting it down asked the
position of her affianced husband with great joy and
Prince below to catch it firm with both hands and
then it seemed to her that the mystery was solved. It
place his feet in the crevices between the old worn out
now appeared to her that Moung Pan, the semi
rocks, he pulled him up.
savage was a Prince in disguise : that the Crown Prince
The good Chin procured him food and drink and in asking her hand of her father meant to bestow it
did all he could to alleviate the Prince's sorrow : the on Moung Pan. She thanked her father for the choice
Prince wal) in a short time able to mount. By that he had made for her and with her own hands she
time the nobility who never had a wink of sleep in the began weaving an acheit patso of 250 looms for Moung
preceding night in searching for the missing Prince Pan to be worn on the bridal day.
had now assembled round the Prince. To them the
Moung Pan and M a N an Sin constantly com
which M a Nan Sin's fa t h er the millionare was to rep ly M aung Pan as h i s proxy and co nd uct her to the
to the Crown Prince's o ffer . A cav a lier of court was c apital and with other minor i ns truc tio n s, he retir ed,
announced by the ga t e- m an and he was forthwith handing over Ma Nan Sin's present of the acheit
introduced into the m ansi O n : Ma N an Sin was all putso to the most beloved brother of her hus band .
h ap piness .
Maung Pan became as stiff and cold as a stone
She looked more amiable and handsome than in a wi n ter morning. The beating of his heart stop
when th e cavalier saw her three months ago. She re p ed at the words-" Ma N an Sin " M un g Hpaw
ceived the Royal messenger in p ers on and then as "husband." Had not the C row n Prince retired all
custom demanded, s h e and her father both knelt down at once, he m ig ht have been the first pers on to appl y
to hear the m ess age r ead . the snuff to the fai nting Prince and discover the cause
We need IJ.Ot follow the c avalier in his p relimi n of his brother's discomfiture. The slave boy a tt ach ed
aries . such as the most powerful, glorious, excellent to the Prince applied the snuff to his lord and quietly
and se ndi ng for his beloved brot her M au ng Pan to'ld than Ma Pyu di d.
h i m that he was to proc eed to Taung Zin three days "Yes, Ma Py u " broke in Maung E .. M aung Pan
hence to woo Ma N an Sin the d au gh te r of Tho o- Htay
like a brave y outh decided to wait for the develop -
24 MA PYU--AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY.
LOVE.
littl e fun with her affianced husband in identifying her. of Sulaban and touch him who first a n swers . The
Refreshments of every sort adapted t o the national g
messen er did as instructed and then all the re s t
taste were provided . In short there was nothing disappeared.
wanting on th part of the fair Ma N an Sin to make Sulaban had b e come a Rahanda ( a de pt .) He
the reception very grand and welcome, very cordial had con quered nature and could perform mi rac es. l
4
MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. LOVE.
describe to you, Ma Pyu, how happy they were. Ma bosom heaved ; her face grew white as death and she
Nan Sin from the depth of her heart breathed out that was losing consciousness; she felt she was dying and
essence of love, which breatl:;t only ceased to act in the fell back on her cushion speechless.
vacuum of Maung Sin's, out of which similar essence
"Nan Sin dearest, my life's ideal," cried Prince
has been breathed. Ma Nan Sin in her fidelity, in all
Maung Pan, " can we not fly together, fly to that
her simplicity, in all her maiden purity imagined that
remote kingdom Rakapoora (Arakan) and leave all
at last that happiest moment had arrived and that she
care and sorrow behind us ? Rise dearest, rise : let us
had attained her Nirvana. Maung Shwe Pan
escape ere another day lapses, when everything will
entangled in t he one thousand five hundred meshes
be too late. Is there no hope for us ? ''
of the net of kilesa ( desires ) forgot for a time
that he was but a proxy and did not represent None, None ! a voice spoke ; it was the voice of
his real characters, giving vent to his natural conscience.He owed his exalted position to the Crown
feelings exclaimed :- Prince who even now loved him as his own brother.
The Prince knew not of the love subsisting between
"Nan Sin, my dearest Nan Sin, your image is
inscribed here in my heart." Then with a start he let him and' Ma Nan Sin. To fly would be an act of
.
go his embrace of Ma Nan Sin, withdrew a yard, grossest ingratitude to his benefactor and he at once
placed his " thanlyet" ( poniard ) in front as if draw resolved to die. Even whilst Ma Nan Sin lay still in
ing a boundary line between him and his fair Nan Sin that lethargy he seized his poniard and buried it deep
into his heart and fell over Ma N an Sin. The shock
and said, "Nan Sin, dearest, my heart is breaking
but I I fear this is the last moment of
must speak, awoke Ma Nan Sin and she uttered a faint cry of
our happiness. am not master of my actions, I am
I despair. The attendants were attracted by the cry
come here as a servant of the Crown Prince, as his and soon the whole mansion was thrown into utter
proxy to woo and win you for his Royal Highness to confusion. Prince Shwe Pan lay a lifeless corpse and
whom your noble father has given you." Ma N an Sin had again fainted and atlast partly re
covered consciousness. She lingered for afew days.
<c
M a Nan Sin now saw clearly that she was all i She had caught the brain fever. Remedies were tried
along in a terrible delusion. She felt that that moment in vain. The lily flowers and the lotus, considered by
was to be the ending of her cherished dreams. She the Burmese medical fraternity as the coolest of the
attempted to speak, but her lips woulc1 not open, her vegetables, different other cooling medicines to the head
MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. LOVE.
and blisters to the feet were tried but all in vain. " Tell me, Ma P yu , tell me what shall I say to
She breathed her lal;lt within a week. your mother."
it is time I were gone, I have to answer a question to " Son, people are saying that you are in love
your mother and it is about your suitor I " Ma Pyu
with my daughter, and that this is the reason why she
withdrew her fingers and hid them in the folds of her rufuses to marry. Now tell me candidly if this
coat ; she qid not speak. is so ? "
30 MA PYU-AN ARAKAN ESE t.OVE S'l'ORV.
THE DECLARATION.
" As for me, " she said, " I clo ne>t 'Qelieve it ; it is CHAPTER IV.
not likely that this should be the case, and I, her
mother, be in ignorance of the fact. They are slander THE D E C LARATI ON .
ing us and speaking against our respectability. " Dost thou love me, my Beloved ?
Only thou canst answer yes !
" I shall see they are punished for their idle talk, And, thou gone, the proof's disproved,
" '
wait till Ma Py u ' s father returns from the D istr i ct . And the cry rings an swerless
Dost thou love me ; my Beloved ?
Maung E felt g reatly relieved, he said- ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING,
.
" Yes they are great gossips, but do not trouble MAUNG E could no longer keep silence. He
yourself about pu n ishing them .= let them alon,e, we hall made up his mind t o .declare h i s love.
,
see whether there is any truth m wh at they say. l hey
" J ust at this time a death occurred in the village,
shall repent having gossippecl abo ut you. and almost every one except M a Pyu, went to the
Ma Pyu's mother seemed them satisfied that the funeral. She was alone in the house. Soon after the
report was a false one. funeral pro_cession left the village, M auug E came to
see Ma Pyu. He proposed a game of cards, ( Komi, )
Maung E and Ma Pyu continued steadfast to
.
famous card game played by B urmese betting heavily
each other, and though they had little opportunity f r and ruination, she consented to play. The stakes
conversation, love has a language of its own, and the1r were " thumps on the back ! "
confidence in each other grew day by day.
Maung E was very pre-occupied while they were
On one occasion Ma Pyu was ill, and Maung E playing.
being a friend of the family contrived to send her medi-
He was thinking how to introduce the subj ect
cine, and even to see her occasionally. .
which lay so nd.rhls heart, and w:il:s much more busily
A year had now elapsed, still their long cherished engaged in imaginary conversations with Ma. Pyu, than
'
hopes seemed to be no nearer realization. with the game. Consequently he lost repeatedly, and
32 MA PYU--AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY.
THE DECLARATION. 33
M a Pyu beckoned to her. After buying some of the " It is of no consequence : you are on the road to
fruit Ma Pyu resumed her seat. The fruitseller, when be my wife," ventured our qero.
she had counted the mon ey, remarked, " You seem t o
" If you say that again, remember we break friend
suit each other admirably, young husband and wife, you !
ship, " re torte d the y o u n g lady . Maung E was taken a
may be ve ry prosperous, and h ave m uch happiness . "
I little bit aback but di sguis i ng his emotion under a good
M aung E was silently thankful t o t he woman I long draught of his favourite '1 Ma Me " b r an d , turned
for her idle talk. to Ma Pyu and asked . I . say M a P y u , do you kno w
why a t the funeral o f M i Hnin K aing . they pl aced
M a Py u smiled at the mistake, and trying to hi d e
a boy doll beside her corpse just before the burial . "
.... .'!
her embarassment offered her visitor some of the fruit.
\.ti
' ' It's b ec au se she died a n old m a i d " vociferated Ma
" What do you think of the wo m an' s blessing ? " ?''" . . Pyu, almost laughing her sides out a t t h e ignorance of
asked Ma u n g E, la ug h ing . her friend. " Old folks say:..:...well, l -I-do not really
know what-what . " Ma Pyu, did not finish her
" D o not be foolish," replied Ma Pyu,
" It i s not a t all bad; i s it now, Ma Pyu ? " maid or bachelor do es not go to rest unless he or she
did yo u not correct her if you disliked the idea ? " little bit re c ov ere d from the plunge she t h o ugh t she
- oZ
was going to make in explaining the old folk i dea of
" It w a s of no us e to correct her : it w ould lower
the doll and the maid. She looked wistfully up in
my character, to be seen al ne with .a
I
young m an who . I
I Maung E's face and repeated the question . Why,
is not my h usband." :r - i
"'\ Ma.ung E, why should they -make - a dolHor you ? '.'
5
34 MA PYUAN AAKANESB. LOVE STO RY.
35
------' ' ,
" Simply because I shall die an old bachelor, ". re Among all nations hearts are susceptible of the
plied Maung E. " My gh o st shall never rest unless it
same emotions, can be wrung with grief, or elated with
gets a partner," plunging himself into a very s.erious
joy. Love po s se sse s and transforms in all countries,
cast and placing his cigar on the floor, he lay his
though the modes of declaring and expressing that
arms folded over his bosom ,
love may differ.
< Why should you die, Maung . E ; dqn't talk of
death, when you are so young. I tremble to hear you
name it."
" I dont know," said Maung E, " that I shall live
long unle ss my love is reciprocated . Without that
assurance life to me is nothing."
" There you are at it again, yot:! little saucy boy "
and she boxed his ears. " I shall be giving you half a
dozen more thumps on your back to add to your
losses, so that you will return home with nothing but
I
I
MA PYU-AN. ARAK ANESE LOVE STO RY.
COMPLICATIONS. 37
" Mark my words. I'll marry Ma Pyu . She is M aung E seemed quite down-hearted : he saw that
such a sweet girl and so pretty, what do you say
his friend was right, but he w as very much afraid of
Maung E ? " his mother who was a strict disciplinarian, and whom
=::-=-:
..... _,.,...
.. , .,
,.,...____________
.._
- -------------- ---- .
" H ow can I do such a thing ? and how is it that However, he made up his mind that if his mother
you are giving me such advice, as if you are an old
persisted in her plan, and the worst came, that he
woman instead of a little girl, and as if you have no . would run away.
feeling in the matter," said Maung E.
While he was in this anxious state of mind, one
M aung E's sister, who was in the h ouse, now . : day, a peon brought him a letter. Maung E almost
j oined M a Pyu, and the conversation was not continu fainted as he read it. It ran as follows-
ed further.
The betroth,al party returned while it was yet early D EAR MAUNG E,
morning. The business was a success so far, there Pardon me if I offend yo u by this note. It is
was however another ceremony to be gone through, a friend's duty to proffer help in a crisis. Your lady
namely the casting of horoscopes. love meets a young man to-night at ro o'clock. I re
M aung E, was almost wild with grief, he ventured ceived the information s uddenly. There may be truth
to say to his mother :- in it. I would willingly have come to impart the news
personally but the S. S. " Shazadah " having come in
" Ma-ma how could I marry the sister of an inti I am ordered to unload her cargo. Take care of your
\: -
mate friend, how could I look him in the face as a bro _ t- self.
ther-in-law ? "
Yours sincerely,
" That is a lame excuse, child : 'you should obey
rrie," sternly replied his mother. zsth October, r88o. H LA T U N .
all thinrrs
b '
J ust as if that must be i nfall i bl e . Wherever
turns from me, she chaffs me and advises me to m a rry
and whenever a new p a t h is struck out, the w ay Wl' 11
the Pleader's daughter. I wil l w atch her to-night,
and she shall see me."
per for ce be strewn with difficultie s and will bristle with
ob st a cle s. This M a u n g E has al r e ad y fo und to be
Acc ord i n g to this resolve M aung E, ar m e d with the case.
a l a r ge ruler posted himself in a c orne r of t h e coo l i e
sh e d a dj oi ning Ma Pyu's ho u se , and there in almost
b r e at h l e s s suspense he watched.
che c ke d h i ms e lf.
_ _,
GOLDSMITH. " I will say not hin g on the subj ec t : mothers are
better j udges i n these matters, so I leave t he cho ice
WE must here break the thread of our narrative
e ntirely to y o u , " s aid Ma Py u ' s father.
for a brief space to give some little ex pl anation of terms
which h ave been used in refere n ce to Ma Pyu's social " But if I make the choice it may turn o ut unfor
status. It has alr ea dy been said t hat Ma Pyu was tunate ; then I shall be blamed," said the mother
considered the b elle of the village, a n d it was though t anxiously.
she s h o ul d be married well. T wo offers of m arriage
were d eclined , the young men were b o th of them mer " O h ! what can man do against his fa te ; whatever
'
chant's apprentices, and co uld neither of them speak his Karma pro m p ts he will do, whether good or b ad .
English . In Akyab , English s p eaki n g students are If our daughter's Karma is good, she will get a good
looked upon with much favour by the match-makers. hu sband. Karma is written on our foreheads and
B ut Ma Pyu ' s " face was her fortune ; " her p are nt s no n e but those who are de s tine d to be husband and
were not rich, and could not afford to do a c c o rding t o wife can be m a r ried . So rest ass u red I sh all not hold
the custom here, namely, pay the usual . fees and pri you responsible, or blame you h o wever it may turn
vate expenses of an English s t u dent son-in-law. The out."
46 MA PYU--AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. EXPLANATI O N S . 47
This is the popular idea of Karma, making a m an the m asses h ave a h opeless effect upon the mind, para
a mere m achine, d riven h ither and thither without any ..
lyzing effort, and producing a deadly lethargy.
power to resist. But this is an erroneous idea. In the
B uddhist religion , as perhaps in every other, the vulgar Oh ! stir yourselves ; be up a n d doing, use the
belief is rather in what has grown up around the origi powers which you p ossess, to wrestle against evil K ar
Altho ugh they were made h usband and wife, for him, never once put on a gay dress to please him ,
th ey were pe rfe ct strangers, neither had ever seen the and m ade it evident that he repelled rather than at
other previously. tracted her, so that at the end of the h on ey mo on , h e
M arriage rites are generally performed at or after was no nearer to h e r than before they had ever s ee n
each other. The young man was very much annoyed,
sunset. B oth wear crowns, the bride' s face is usually
but did not speak of it. He knew he would be terribly
veiled so that the bridegroom does not see her
laughed at and ch affed. He ho p e d a change would
distinctly. The m arriage ceremony occupies about
come over his bride, and that she would at length s mile
two hours, they j oin hands, eat out of the same dish ,
(indicating oneness,) the bride still veiled ; twine is
o him, but alas ! he was doomed to disappoi ntment .
Oh ! wretched h o ney m o on, thou art wrongly named,
wound seven times round them and the table from
th ou art bitter as gall to both bride and bridegroom.
which they eat, making the compact of sevenfold
s t re n gth .
This is performed by a woman . The C ursed be the astrologers who watched the moon,
ceremony over, the bridegroom leaves the bride at v aunting their so called wisdom , but p r o clai m i n g their
once, j oining his friends outside, ret urning to the ignorance. Did they not see by their science that
h ouse after a few hours. M a Pyu could n e ver love that man, whose mouth is
ever filled and whose lips are thickened by, the per
At five o'clock in the morning, h m u st go to the
petual chewing of the betel nut, and leaf, cutch,
Bazaar to buy flowers and sweets for his briQ.e, return "
chunam, and tobacco ?
ing at seven o'clock. At breakfast time they eat from
the same dish. Ma Pyu's m other was wretchedly disappointed i n
her d a u ght e r , b u t persuasions, threats, a n d commands
A rich m an ' s s o n . nowadays does not go to the
were all equally u n av a ili n g . Ma Pyu woul d not eat
Bazaar lhimself, but arranges with flower sellers to
with or have anything to do with her husbal!d.
come to the house, but this plan w ould be considered
quite out of place among the middle or lower ' classes. The result was a divorce, and M a Pyu declined .
to retain a single article which formed p a r t of the
Ma Pyu' s husband went himself daily to the
d owry.
Bazaar. B ut notwithstanding the most assiduous
attentions d u ri ng the whole of the honeymoon, he failed M ere cerei:no n:y cannot link hearts together.
to woo and win her. She never wore a pleasant fac e N either eatin g from the same dish, (indicating oneness)
7
so MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. H OROSCOPES. 51
FoR many a century ' Wise men of the East ' h ave
been believed in, and consulted by
al l s orts and con
-
ditions of men fr o m the king throne,
upon his lofty
down t o the h umble peasant in his lowly hut. All
Eastern nations attribute to the position of the s u n in
reference to the stars, to the p l an e t s, to spirits and
such like, a great influence u p on the welfare of man,
in thi s, and in future existences .
with due ob serva ti o n of the phe n o m en a to be taken J ust a s t o effect a union, scientific men bring to .
i n t o con sideration for t he case in p o i n t . t gether electri c i t i es of an opposite name, so, for two pe r
sons to be united h a p pi l y , t h e y must h ave in them
The exact time of the birth of every Araka n e s e
el ec triciti es that will attract and not repel.
c h i l d i s c arefu l ly recorded, and from this data his nat i
vity is cast, or the relative p osi ti o n of the p l anet s at
Evidently then, at the time of t he betrothal, there
the time of his birth i s fixed . By a cal c u l ati o n of these
m ust have b e e n in M aung E a n d the Pleader's d augh
planetary influen ces, predictions of one' s prospects in
ter, currents o f s imi ar ele ctricity, therefore the astro
l ife can be made. logers in a m anner evi n ci n g some disappointment s ai d,
Whether this p rocess rec o m m e n ds itself, as a science " N o, they cannot be united. "
to the Western mind, is a que s ti o n that does not c on
cern us here. Suffice it to say that the A r akane s e These s ages m ay, h owever b e bribed, and per
firmly believe i n it, and n o t hin g i m p o r ta n t in life is u n suaded to effect a change of el ect ric i ty , by sacrifices to
dertaken without consulting h o r os c o p es . the planets as ([oS)(c;-1)'3ca n) if the parents so desire.
But in the c a s e u n d e r n o tice t h e gr an d mot her of the
Tables of m arr i a ge are em p l o yed to arrive at
girl was against the m arr i age , and the Pleader was to o
a kn o wl e d g e of t h e chances of happiness afforded by
shrewd a m a n t o g o agai n s t a grandmother in matters
certain m atri m o nial alli a n c e s .
of m at ri m o ny . M o ung E ' s mother was possessed of
The h o r o sc o p e s of f.. I oung E and the Pleader' s a strong will, which could not e as i ly brook o p p o s it i o n .
daughter, were th e refore cons ulted, to s e e if t h e u nion She was i n cline d to l o o k upon the contradiction to h e r
would be a desirable one. plans as a n ins ult, which she b o re with cold contempt.
I
MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. THE F U L L MOON OF TASAU NGMON . 57
--- -- --
This he did to avenge himself on Ma P y u , to The d ay fo;ll qwing, was the full mo o n
of T as au ng,
whom he had dared to make overtures, b ut h ad bee n m on . It i s the custom in Arakan fo r the boys and
ve ry s um mari l y re p u l s ed and di s m i s s ed . girls, on th a t night, to p i l fe r and e a t fruit from the
g ard e n s . It is b eli eved that ce r t ain fruits and herbs,
M a u n g E t h ough t the most effectual w ay of stop when plucked and e a t e n on this particular night, h ave
ping the mischief, w oul d be to give N yo La , Pyu a great .medicinal, and ma gic al efficacy.
sound t h r a shin g , so h e watched for an o pp o rtunity
to p i ck a q u ar rel with him . The next ti m e t h ey m et, All t h e boys and girls were o u t r obbi n g their
M a un g E called Ny o La Pyu " N o u kpo , " (one wh o neighbours garde n s , and among them were M a Pyu
persists in flirt i ng with wo men , t h o ugh not encouraged and M a u n g E. Later on, they might have been seen
by them) ; i;h e l at ter t u r n e d sh ar ply r ou n d, an d a repe s e ate d in fro n t of Ma Pyu's h o u s e , un der the bewitch
t i ti o n of the term so e xa s p er a ted him , th at he . flew at ing efful gen c e of the full moon o f T a s a u n g m on , with
M aung E, who was ready for him . thei r b o oty before them .
Nyo La Pyu had his lip split open, and M a un g " We h ave s tr u ck upon a g o o d mine Ma Pyu, "
E re ceive d a severe blow on the chest. said h er c ompanion , " let u s begi n with p ap aya s .
They con t ain s p e c i ai virt u e t o - nig h t , and I h o p e will
M aung E ca ugh t his op p o n ent by the ne c k and g i ve y o u s tren gt h to overcome di ffi c ul tie s and obsta
h u rle d him down with all his fo rce, where he lay cles and accept my offer of m arriage. "
stunned.
" D o not talk so l o ud , t h ey are near us pounding
B ei n g an Arakanese fight, th e matter did not end
chillies for papaya pi ckl e , for we have o nly the green
here. Nyo La Pyu soon g ot up, an d t aki ng a stick
fruit and we c a n n o t eat them s o , " said Ma Pyu quietly.
gave M a un g E a sh ar p blow on the ear.
" Then let us begin with p o m e g ran ates dear, every
Again . they came to cl o s e quarters, and a gain
seed has a m agi c al efficacy , and our years sh a l l be
Maung E thre w Nyo La P yu , and sat on him , dealing
n u mbered by the seeds we e at . "
him blow after blow till the el d ers inte rfe r e d , an d
se p ar ate d them. Nyo La Py u was severely hurt, and H ow happy they we re, e at i n g their fruit together ,
Maung E left him with a w ar ni n g not t o start foolish ba s ki ng in each other's love, the girl in all her b e
gossip again. :itching lovel i n e s s and the yo ung man fathoming the
8
l
MA P"X'' U"-.AN A:RAKANES E LOVE Sq'ORY.
U NITED IN H E A RT.
l;3efore any r.eRIY qpt,ll d be made they wP-r.e dis j ust occurs to me that h emay h av e fallen asleep at the
turbed by the approah of othe r girls, one of whom school : he i s a h e avy sleeper. Two of y o u go to the
remarked; " yo u are sitting, together and talking as if school , and. you Pato, " turning to a boy " go to the
you were lovers . Now come in, the papaya is re ady . house of M a Pyu's mother and ask her whether M aung
E has been there, a nd at what tim e he left . "
64 MA PYU-AN ARAKAN ESE LOVE STORY.
U N ITED IN HEART .
--- ----
" Do n o t fear, I ca n n o t go away and leave you, I
will remain and d eclare my l o ve to your mother and the way you honour your father and !1iother, co me
element in m arriage, and t h at where there is no love, " No, no, I t r ust our friendship wi ll be cemented
founded o ne ste e m , there can be n o true mariage ! " the m o re firmly, because your d a ughter and I are uni
\Vith words such as these did M aung E strive to fo rt ify ted in heart."
and encourage his c h o s e n o ne . " You h ave t a ken advantage of fri e nd s hip and have
. ., .
The dreaded moment arrived.. Ma Pyu ' s m o th er done us a great wrong," persisted Ma Pyu's mother.
was heard approaching, h e r. fop tst ep s drew ne arer,
" Please hear me, " urged M a ung E, " and I will
the door was drawn aside, and she stood in the room, tell you all. For two years I have l ove d your daugh
lamp in hand. t e r , and the dearest wish . of my heart is, t h a t I m ay
" What are you doing, " s he asked in a stern claim her for my o wn, but I know custom is against
vo i c e ; then c atch i rtg si ght of M au n g_ E outside, at the me, a n d to gain your consent , and t h a t of my pare nt s ,
window. seems j ust as forlorn a h ope as ever. So to night I
came wishing to make an effort to obtain your sanc
" H ow da re you be up and talking to him at this
tion, and failing th a t, I meant to persuade Ma Pyu to
hour of th e night1 come h e_re yo na:_u g hty girl, . i hi
_ elope with me. ' '
U N ITED IN H EART.
66 MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY.
committed a fault please forgive me, and in the l a rge " Go home now, your mo t he r m ust b e gwwing
ness of y o u r heart be our friend and helper, I beg very u neasy abo u t yo u . "
you.''
" Come and see me to-morrow and I w il l arrange
M a Pyu's m other seemed somewhat appeased and matters . "
after a moment's silence, said al most as if s he were
th inking aloud. " I have not h ad time to think of all
this : you once so th o roughly blinded me th at I t h o u gh t
n othi ng m ore of y o u r rep orted attachment to M a Pyu
o r I s h o u l d have interfered e arl ie r. Well , " after
another pause, " I will take you at y o u r word, I will
marry you to her. Now take this oath. " She p lace d
a p i e ce of b u rni n g wood and a cup of water before
M aung E .
He went down - Street so as to intercept the " Son," she began, " did any of your people s u s
party who were on their way to the High School. pe ct that you were here last night"? "
Maung E see in g two people with a la n ter n , called " N o," replied M a un g E, " Pato m ay have h is
out i n a sle epy voice. suspicions, the others all think I was at the school ,
b ut there is no rea s o n why t hey should not know
" H o ! Uncle, whither are y ou going ? "
eve rythin g to-day . "
" M a u ng E , i s that you ! You have j ust re t urned
from the school ; a ye, I said we sho uld find 'lt so, but " Listen my son, " s he said speaking very seriously,
your m o th er doubted me. you are of the stronger sex, and in an affair like the
Come, yo u are walking in
your sleep nephew . " p re se nt , you m e n lose nothing, but it is t he women
"
who suffer, whose reputation is at stake . N ow, as
" Maung E s ai d nothing, and at home he was you say, no one knows you we re here last night, let
saved the necessity of saying a nythi n g fur ther , for his the seal of silence re st u po n your lips till de ath , and I
.l
7o MA PYU-AN ARA KANESE LOVE STO RY .
POSTPONED. 7I
Love, s ays a di s ti n g ui s h ed writer, is so ve ry subtle " And," she c on tinu e d " now my ultim atum ,
an essence, su c h a n i nd efin a bl e m al aphysi cal marvel either go to Rangoon and be wed d e d on your ret u rn,
that its d u e force thOugh very c r uelly felt by the sufferer or stay with us at once and g i ve up your matricu
himself is never clearly understood by th o se who look lation . "
on at his torment and only w o n d er wh y h e take s t h e
" I will both take M a Pyu, and go t o Rangoon,
fe ve r s o b adly .
if you please . "
Ma Py u ' s mother was much moved to see M aung
E's grief.
S h e h e sit at ed, and ung E ven t u red t o hope he
h ad won the day.
" Oh son, for g ive me if I see m harsh, I love y o u
as my own son . I will give in, and face all the gossip The lege nd of the Thu-won-ru presented itself to
in the world, yo u shall be my son-in-law at once." his m i n d , where to the blind parents Th a - gya - m in gyi
(King Thagya) s ai d " Either your dead child shall be
" I have con si dered myself in t h at light sin ce last
restored to life, or you shall recove r your eyesight and
night, whe n I t o o k that terrible o ath , " said our hero.
receive a vase of gold. "
MA PY U -AN ARAKANESE LOVE STO RY. P OSTPON E D . 73
" Oh, replie d the p are nts , we want our d e a d chil d one to whom she could look i n trouble, was l e avin g
restored to life, o u r eyes to be opened, a nd not to lose her. Poor M a Pyu, she was very very sad, her eye s
the. vase of gold ! " were fullof tears, but she turned to M aung E and said,
- ......'
" I shall be back pro babl y within a fo rt n ight. " to Rangoon, " she exclaimed.
Then he offere d her a c o upl e of t en rupee n ot es for " B ut I am goin g for your sake dear, and for our
p oc ke t money, in hi s absence. Ma Pyu snatched the future h ap p i n e ss , and not for my o w n pleasure," he
n o tes h as t il y and t h re w them on the floor, saying I d o replied.
not want your money, a n d givi n g h i m a s m ar t s l a p " Yes, I kn ow , and ,;vill pray for yoqr health and
told him to " be off." s u ccess . "
M a Pyu was very u n h a ppy , poor little thing ! " What shall I bri ng you from Rangoon ? 1 '
m a ki n g her own choice of a h u sband she had set cus s cented soap, artificial flowers , &c . , &c . "
tom asi d e , and done what was d eem e d a disgraceful Here foll o wda l o n g l i s t a n d many directions an d
thing. She wondered wh at her father would say to expl a n ations as to what she wa n ted , then after little
her betrothal, on his return from th e District, and the . more chat , the lovers separated . .
lO
THE TYRANT C U STOM. 75
MA PYU--AN ARAKAN ESE LOVE STORY.
74
B y education most have been misled, was stronger than all the te mptin g allurements of the
So they believed because they so were bred ;1 h o l i d a y city, so he l o st no time i n l e aving Rangoon be
The Priest continues what the nurse began, hind him .
And so the child is father to th e man,
BACON.
N either did he forget Ma Pyu ' s com m 1 s s 1 o n , but
a dde d other attractive things to the list s h e g ave h im .
THE e xa m i nation was over. The time fixed for
Lord Ripon's visit to B urma was at hand. Different
M a ung E's p os itio n in th e house of Ma P y u ' s pa
c o m m un i tie s in t h e city of Ra n go o n were b u sy m ak
rents was decidedly altered n o w ; before, he h ad bee n
ing ar r ange m e nt s for th e re c ept io n of the Viceroy. al lowed to run in and out as a b oy, but now he was
Large p and al s , decorated in the richest , styl e , were in regarded in a diffe r ent li ght . Tr ue h e might come and
cou rs e of construction . go as he pl ea se d , and was looked upon, som e th ing in
the light of a son-in-law, b u t every member of the
Officials and N on-officials from different parts of ,
household seemed to look a s k a n ce at him , and all
Bu r m a were flo cki n g into the M etr o poli s . H an pwes
t re ated him with a re s erve that was a nyt hin g but
Yein pwes , a nd sta ge pl ay s wer e bei n g arranged in
reassuring.
h o n o ur of th is un usual event In fact e very one in the
city seemed to forget the d aily routine of life in prepa My Arakanese readers well know that in an Ara
ration for the co m i n g festivities, and all we r e on the kanese family, the parents m aint ain a rathe r cold de
ti p - t o e of expectation. meaner to th eir son-in-law. They seldom s p eak to h i m
dire c tly , and do no t call him by h i s nam e, but a c co rd
What wonder if Maung E should be c a u ght in
ing to their d a ughter ' s name, as Ma Pyu ' s husb an d ,
the whirlwind of exci teme nt and embrace this ra re
M oung Th a ' s husband and so o n .
op portunity of wel coming the Viceroy, and w itnesi ng
STORY.
MA PYU -AN ARAI<AN E S E LOVE T H TYRANT C U STO M .
77
------ - - - ---- ------- --- ---
If there are elder sisters in the house they a r e gen Jv " B ut wh a t ? " ej aculated o u r hero, su r p r i sed a nd
All the Ar a k a nese of the ol d schoo l , and m o s t of " I t is imp ossible that you should be married
those of the prese n t d ay, re g a r d it as improper and directly, you must wait another mont h or so. "
t h ings she wanted, and was about to spri nide a li ttle Py u , they must wa i t for King Custom.
choi ce scent over her, when he r mother interrupted, " This cursed custom , " said M a u n g E, " d o gs our
call i ng him aside to h ave a l i t tle convers ation with h i m . step s and thwarts all o u r plans, we are tied hand and
She t o l d him they w e r e a l l glad he h a d r e t urned in foo t t o the Ty ra n t , and seem powerl es s to break the
health , and then enquired about the examinatio n .
chains that bind u s . "
M au n g E told her he thought he should pass.
Oh my Arakanese b r oth er s , t here are many among
M a P yu ' s m other assured him of t h e fam ily's you who are advocating fem al e education, count me as
kindly feeling towards him, and said that they regarded one of your number, but let us fi rst loosen th e iron
him as a good m atch for t he i r daugh ter, adding that b ands of this a c u rse d custo m , wh ose grip is s o h ard
she was s ure that their dest i n i es were cast together, upon us. We chafe under its bondage, as sl ave s chafe
and, that t h e umon would be a happy o n e but- their heavy chains, yet g o on from
and fret a g ainst
( ::fl 'Poac) generation to generation h a nding it down to posterity.
- - - - ,_ __ _ -- " ' . - - - - ----- - . . .... . -- - -- " "' " ' "'
forted b y the. thought that they were one l.n heart . ted to a S cholarship, pro c ee d at o nce to--and report
F ate a n d Karma a r e not the s a m e . T h e distinc " This is gra nd I shall not be a Karani (clerk)
,
tion is bea uti fu l ly drawn by Rhys D avids, who says the hanging on to a sorry pitt ance _of Rs. 30 a month" ris
doctrine Kar m a finds a moral cause for the effects it . ing to Rs . 40 in five ye ars . N ow I shall be able to
seeks to e x plai n , but Fate is an interrupti on to this law. make my mother happy and have something with
Both depend on a perception of the fact that happiness which to help others." Indeed he was very h ap py.
and misery in this life are apportioned with an utter But the next instant, a cloud gathered ove his bright
disregard of the . moral qualities of men, ac c o rding to face, . and poor M au n g E felt t hat in this world j oy and
the current notions of g ood and bad . sorrow often go hand in h and. Ma Pyu's image rose
II
MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. FA'l'B .
The next day M aung E wrote a note which be got My intention is that our marriage sh all be a pub
a little boy to carry to Ma Pyu . It ran as follows :- 1' - lic one, and not one hidden up as if it is s omething
--.... wrong. Such a marriage is beneath you. My mother
" Dearest, l ast night I called purposely to see
must consent to the union . an d I shall be, by the time
you alone, but it seemed as if your mother was deter
I come b ack, independent ."
mined not to leave us . I cannot tell you of my heart's
yearning towards you yesterday, in the presence of " D o you think your m other will ever agree to
your mother and sister. Will you let ll'e speak to you o ur union ? " enquired Ma Pyu in tremulous tones.
privately for a little while dear ?
" Oh yes, she m ust, or I never will marry at all,
Your own, she will assuredly not allow me go un m a r ri ed , and so
MAUNG E." will have no choice but to consent . "
Before s unset he received an answer. " I cannot Then he drew her nearer to h i m s aying, " you
fi nd words to express my grief, my heart is breaking, h ave to s uffer so much fo r may sake, and our marriage
your name alone is inscribed there. has to be put off so many times, do you repent being
betrothed to me dearest ? "
To-morrow night at ten o'clock. Knock at the
back door. 'IVe have a guest to-night . " " Oh n o , I would not undo what is do n e ifl could,
my mind is constantly dwelling on it, I recall the past
P unctual t o t h e moment, M aung E stood a t the
and live it over again in imagination, from that even
door, and the lovers once more were free t o speak.
ing at s unset when I first saw you . Oh ! ;t\faun g E
B ut at first words failed, and only suppressed sobs
how can I bear to part with you, I am frightened to
broke the silence for awhile. It was Ma Pyu who
think of the uncertainty of the fu'ture , " an d she sobbed
spoke first.
again .
' ' I have a presentiment of some evil, I think you
He comforted her with all the tenderest and most
are leaving m e for ever, I see a cruel world before me."
reassuring words at his command, and then they took
" By n o means dear, I shall not be aw ay long, an affectionate farewell of each other, and Ma ung E
try and conquer your presentiment of evil. By the went away.
1 5thof August, vacation begins and I shall be in
Akyab for two a n d a h alf months .
- 86 MA PYU -AN ARAKANESE ' LOVE STO RY . MAU N G . SEIN. 87
MAU N G SEI N . 8g
88 MA PYU-AN ARAKA NESE LOVE STORY .
Of all the actions of a man's life, his marriage does least concern
other p eople ; yet of all actionsof our life it is most meddled with by
other people.
SELDON,
p o s iti o n these held, a n d th e wi d e in fl u ence they poss " There .is no time to lo se, " said Ma Pyu's mo
essed, drew up a c o de of m o r als for th e i r direction, ther to he r husband." This young ma:n knows En
and d i sci p li ne . glish, is e m pl o ye d in a European Firm , and is getting
a very fair salary ."
A m o n g the rules laid down for B uddhists , t h ey
are strictly enj oined to abstain from all..... i ntoxicating She t h e n u m e r ate d all the recommendatory
b ever age s . Even tho s e wh o are in the hlt i t of break qualities he possessed, or r ath er that report said he
ing this r ule , as Lent ap p r o a c h e s , make solemn p o s s e s s ed , for she did not kn ow him herself.
vows to refrain altogether during that ti m e , tho u g h it
must be owned that generally to fortify themselves, for The writer of t h i s simple story, cannot lose thi s
the co m i n g weeks of self de nial , th e y take double the opp ort u n i ty of remarking that h e ars ay plays an im
usual qua ntity . portant part in the s o c ial , as well as i n the pu b li c life
of the people. Often a s li gh t rumour , which may be
Any b et ro tha l s or we d di ngs thatmay be in p rosp e c t h a r dly more than a surmise, j ust mentioned in confi
are sure to be hurried on to co m p let i on, and parents den ce to a friend; b ut p as s e d from mouth to mouth,
and fri en d s are bu s y p u s h i n g forward these m atters . assumes p r o po rti o n s undreamt of when first sta r ted ,
The ol d adage " M arry i n haste, and repent .at l e i s ur e " a n d . past recognition by the originator. The tale
i s verified in many cases . of the three bl a ck crows 1s enacted over an d over
It will be remembered th at when Ma Pyu and again .
he ,has not, he is not in a po s iti o n to m arry yet , and Not o bt ai ni ng the full consent o her husband and
we cannot allow our d augh te r to be waiting for a n in shri nking from taking the whole responsibility u p on
definite pe ri od : al re ady she is older than most Ara herself, Ma Pyu's mother resolved to call a co u ncil of
ane s e girls are wh en they m arry." marriage. Women of the n e i ghb o urh ood were called
together. First, kunya (betel-leaf, nut, lime and cutch)
" There is. an old sayi ng, ' Look be fore you le ap . '
was handed ro und , an d then the s ubject for discussion
We sh o uld never do t hi ngs with u ns e e mly haste. We
was unfolded. The council u n anim o usly voted for
m us t act with due caution. Do you remember
the marriage.
that M aun g Sein has been married befo re , and that he
has a child ? " The bet r oth al was ratified, and it was decided
that poor M a Pyu should be married j ust two days
" Oh yes, I know all about it, but yo u m ay res t before the B ud d h i s t Lent began .
assured there will be no trouble on that score. I am
informed on good authority that he will never return
g6 MA PYU-AN A RAKANESE LOVE STORY. A CRISIS. 97
Not li)<e to like, but like in difference, of which, girls are taught.
Yet in t he long ye a rs liker m ust t hey grow ;
The mass of the people are set again st giving
The man be mo re of w o man , she of man ;
their daughters even a Primary education, therefore it
He gain in sweetness and in moral heigh t ,
N o r l o s e t h e wrestling the w s t?)at brow t h e wo rl d is little to be won dered at, that Mauug Chan Htwan
She mental b read t h , nor fail in chil dward care O ung's r ecently p u blished educational scheme i nstead
the childlike in the larger mind ;
of being supported, is opposed, and even ridiculed by
Nor lose
Till at the last she set hersel f to man
some.
Like perfect music unto noble words ;
And so these twai n, upon t h e ski rts of Time,
" Why, " reason the more intelligent of the people
S i t side by side, full-summ'd in all their powers,
Dispensing harvest, sowing t h e To-be,
" why should we educate our daughters ! Our mo
Self-reverent each and reverencing each, thers, grandmothers, aunts, grand-aunts, never knew
Distinct in individualities , how to read and write, and yet were h appy in their
But like each other ev'n as those who love.
Then comes the statelier Eden back to men ;
d o m estic life . If girls are educated they will be writ
Then reign the wo r l d' s great bridals, chaste an9 calm : ing love letters, and bring disgrace on us and the
Then springs the crowning race of humankind: generations that have preceeded us.
May these things be !
TENNYSON. The prevai li n g idea seems to be that woman was
made for man, only to cook his food, to m ake his
I N vernac u l ar and primary education, it will be
clothes; tq see after his household matters generally,
sen from official reports that Arakan is the most
and to rear hi s children .
backward division of B urma ; yet it must be said to
t 13
g8 MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY;
A CR.tSIS . 99
There are those who fear that if our girls are She will be p l a ce d in a condition to fulfil as per
educated they will c ease to take any pleasure or in fectly as possible the p urpose of her life.
t erest in h o useh old matters . Such education is not
advocated in these pages. Let us hope the time will come when the people
will have a hi ghe r estimate of ed ucat 1 on, will take a
What do we mean by educatin g our women ? D o d eepeJ interest in their fellow men, and their country,
we mean that th ey shall be taken from their homes and so fulfi l the higher de stiny of life .
and crammed for examinations, that th ey shall knock
about among all sorts of people till it is h a rd to dis Dr. Fitch says, " Each nation must solve i ts
tinguish . them, by their m anners and bearing, fro!:!l educational problems in its own way , and in connexio n
t he sterner sex ? No ! a thousand times no ! Tr ue with its own history."
education will beautify an d adorn a woman, a nd make
At any rate there is no reason w hy all our girl s
her more able to fill that sphere of life in which she is
should not be taught to read and write . At the pre
placed.
sent time there are not many Arakanese girls who
Education is to bring out wh a t you alread pos y can read and write, and there are ob stacle s in
sess, th o u gh you know it not ; to bring out powe rs of the way of these who cail. Pen and ink are not
mind and s tre n g t he n habits of industry. a lways found in the houses of even the well-to-do
d
The trainin n ee ed is that which will fit the peo Arakanese.
p le of the land to take their proper share in all that "'t' Most of the older type of Officials and clerks do
bears upon the c o mmo n weal . not kee p writi ng materials in their houses.
Let a girl be thoroughly trained in do m estic mat
I n fa c t they h ave little need for th e m as they
ters be taught all the gentle arts of home life, l et . this
s carcely ever write, at home.
IOO MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY. A CRISIS IO!
The Arakanese are not fond of letter wr iti n g , and S h e pl ea ded i ndi s p os itio n and a ske d to be excused
it must be c o nfes s ed are re m i ss in answering letters from h er cooking, etc. for that day. Her mother un
whe n they do receive them . dertook the duties and Ma Pyu was free . In a little
while she m a n age d to slip out of the house and sue,
Ma Pyu could read and wri te a little , but if sh e
cee ded in des pat chi ng the letter to Hla Tun, with m-"
ever wrote, it w as with a pencil on tea -wr ap p er s . It
s t r uc ti o n s to send it on t o M au n g E.
m ay therefore better be im agi ne d than described in
wh at a dilemm a M a Pyu was pl ac ed when she re s olv Five d ays after this, M a Pyu's mother beg an to
ed to wr i te a letter to Maung E. talk t o her s e ri o u s ly on the subj ect of her betrothal.
B ut " where there' s a will, the re ' s a way, " she Ma Py u looked pale and pe n s ive but disgui sed her
.
m an age d to get an old copy b ook from M o u ng E's feelings, and her m o t h er, wh o re cognised no l aw but
house, a n d began to write. After wr itin g and ef that of her own will, t h o ugh t she read willing
fac i n g , re - wri ti ng and al tering many times, the letter o b edi enc e o nl y , in her c o u nte n a nce .
was at last finished and hid den away.
" Daughte r you know, do you not, th at I am
It was eleven o ' cl o c k at night, Ma Pyu trie d to Your marriage
consulting yo u r happiness entirely.
sl ee p , but sleep was far fr o m her, for is not sleep re comes off wo days hence. "
pose of mind as well as body, an d unless the mind is
calmed, how can sle e p possess. " I know replied she . that you would not do any
thing you deemed inconsistent wit h my h ap pine s s."
Her m i nd was much p erturb ed , she saw that ar
. rangements were being made for a marriage, and Her m other did not quite like her reply and
tho ugh she t rie d to per su ade he rself o ther wi s e , her lo oki n g e ar ne stly at her, she asked.-
fears that they concerned herself were inte nse .
" Do you not think you will be ha p py when yo u
She was in gre at distress, and felt that if th e
are marrie d ? "
ceremony should take place, she wo ul d not be able to
live through it. B ut after s o me time, the tr o u bles " I h o pe I may be h ap py, " replied Ma Pyu.
faded into oblivion and M o r p heus wa s tri umphant .
Her m ot her was struck with the cold evasive
It was ei ght o'clock t he next morning when M a answers of her daughter. She nervously arranged
Pyu's m o th er came to her doo r, and. aroused her . and re-arranged her muslin wrapper. Then taking
A CRISIS. 103
MA PY U-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY.
consulted her d a ugh ter because she did not w is h to " Oh Phaya , A s ein dey a Myatswa Phaya ! Have
hav e a re p etiti o n of what occurred when M a Pyu was me rcy on me. If the worst should happen, give me
given to the goldsm ith . str en gth to pass through th e ordeal.
I have yiel ded to
my parents will , and t hi s dutiful obedience e ntitles
" D aughter, " s h e said, " I am convinced you will
. me t o succour from Asein d e ya . "
find m h1_ m a h u sban d go od and kind, and above all ,
who will give you positio n . " M a ung E, my beloved, has tau ght me to believe
in Thee in stea d of in the I m age s . I believe in Thee
" Since y o u like him mother, it is eno ugh . I
si n cere ly , Oh n ow Aseindeya, I invoke Thy succour. "
must marry him to please you .
o
-and find that y u will have j u s t three d ays time to Pyu i s t o b e m a r ri ed to M a u n g Sein, who was recently
co n si de r , decide, and ac t . divorced .
but that he was facing stern and cruel facts. Throw: came.
ing the p aper d o wn he exclaimed, " Who dares to I hope the letter will reach you in time ; she is
to
m arry my love l " be married on Tuesday next, so t a t you will have
'
" My dear Ma u n g E, You know alre ady, that since his coat, and rushed downstairs : runnin g up again he
. ..
your dep art u re , I h ave returned to the h o use of my went to his cash box, not fi ndi n g his key, (how should
I
parents. he, when in his h u rry and confus ion he had
put on
box open, an d
My d uti e s called me away from town life. I a s w his coat hind before,) he smash ed the
tair s a g a in,
takin g out s o me ru p ees, rushed downs
when he was confronted by his friend S an La Baw, M a u n g E rushed into the s treet and, j u m pe d into
who asked :-
-r a gharry, shouting to the driver " Cha lau, Jail
Khanna. "
" Where are you going in such haste ? " a d di ng
before he could get an answer, " I say Maung E, you After about an hour, the driver p ulled up. Maung
must repay me that money I spent for you at the E looking out, saw on one side the Jail Sale Rooms,
Great Eastern, you owe me ei ght annas and six pies and on the other the high walls of the Jail.
still. "
" Heavens ! he has b r o ught me to the Jail ! "
'
" Ah, you wretch ! you are unworthy to be c all ed M aung E raved at the driver, " Oh, Gharriwalla !
a frie n d, you miser, I am i n haste ; " and M aung E Chapa Khanna, chalau j ulti. " After half an hour's
almost struck him o ut of the way. .
drive, a second halt was made. Opposite the " City
n ot that I care much for money, I have no mercenary " Oh admi, pagul, where have you brought me
m otives in detaining yo u, but it really is not fair that now ! H urn telegram mar ni mangtha ; telegr aph
I should pay so much on your account. "
office j ao, j ulti, j ul ti " said Maung E.
" Look out, look out ! do not annoy me more,
A qu a rte r of an hour's drive brought him to the
you skinflint, I am ashamed of your mea nness , think
Telegr a ph office, he ran upstairs and said to the book
of the number of times I have paid for you wh_en_ we
ing clerk :-
have be e n o ut t ogether , di nners , drives and what not,
To think of M a Pyu becomi ng the wife of a n o th er THE powe of love is universally acknowledged by
man, and that man, M aung Sein ! was heart rending. h1gh and l ow, nch and poor alike. It is an all abso rb
Maung E moaned and raved al t er n ately , and for the ing sentime nt. It has given to men a n d women, n ot
blamed M a Pyu fo r having so c ruelly
first time he the s t ro n g alone, but the we ak also, nerve to fac e and
tre ated hi m . ove r c o m e untold dangers and s u ffe r i n g . N o thi ng has
be en deemed too har d for love to endure for the sake
Agai n and again he read the lines ; " If you are
of adoration.
not in time, I am l o st to you , then all shall be at an
end b etwee n you an d me. " Some of the gre ate st lives have been influenced by
" I cannot blame her, she wrote to me and gave this sentime nt, either purified and ennoble d o r thwart
me time. Had the mail come in o n the usual day, e d and blighted.
she could have beet]. saved, but God does not will it " In love, " " disappoin ted, " or " crossed in
so. He it is that dis p oses, though man proposes. " love " are words often used to excuse or explain all
l. . , _ _.. __ ...
.j
i
wo uld m ar
being s distracted by the shock he had received, h e n
h e r life ' s happi ness, but she had meekly
subm itted as
he heard of M a Pyu ' s marriage, as to be, for a hme, in duty bound , though not withou t an effort.
almost beside himself. I She had seen o nly one way of escape , and
that
If there be single ray of hope gleaming
b ut a was to inform M a u ng E of the arrangements th at h ad
through the darkness , the trial can be borne, but when 1 .
b e e n made, and had contrived by strate gy to make
all hope is shut out, then indeed it becomes unendura the effort, which effort proved unava iling ; to her
ble. mind, therefore, there appeared no alternative but to
Such was the case with Ma u ng E, his treasure
yield to F ate . She was but a girl and was oblige d to
obey her paren ts.
had been rudely snatched away and given to anothe r ,
t h e case was a hopeless one. Thus would Ma u n g E reason , exonerating Ma
Pyu from all blame .
A month h ad passed away since the thunderbolt
had fallen, and the light had faded out of M au n g E 's B ut wh en he thought of the man who h ad crossed
life . . his p at h , robbing him of what he prized so highly,
and had, for s o long, counted as his own, anger and
Time, th e great healer, had somewhat s ooed anxiety possessed his mi n d .
his troubled mind, b ut the canker was still there, eatm?'
Mau n g E c ould not believe another could love Ma
away his heart. His indignation with Ma P_Yu vam
Pyu as he did.
shed upon a little reflection. The valu able httle com
pilation, the " G ihivinaya," containing the moral .an d " . Would that scamp be able to make M a Pyu
social duties of B uddhists, had only j ust been pubhsh happy ? " He th ou gh t ;' most assured ly not.
ed in the ' Arakan N ews' Press, and had found its At times Ma un g E wo ul d be al m o s t in a frenzy,
w y into Arakanese homes ; and here is enj oined the blustering, and calling his rival aqyth ng
but co m-
responsibility on pa r ent s of selectir:g s utable p rtners
plimentary name s. .
in life for t hei r children, on whom. 1t bemg obhgatory
His college frie n d , Kyaw Zan, wo uld expos
to accept, without demur, the choice made. She had tulate
with him, " Come Maung E, you had
bettert brow all
acted in accordance with Arakanese views of what is
"'t this trouble to the winds, .,
/'
...-; - --
Iq MA PYU-AN ARAKANESE LOVE STORY . EM BARRASSING MEETINGS.
" D ress u p and let us go to the Zoo, or to th e Eden " F r ie n d , " r e p l i e d Hla T un , ' if you pr ize your
Gardens. Once in the l atter pl ace you will fa ncy you peace of mind, recall also t h e wa rn ing " : -
are in the seventh heaven , and you will forget Ma
" Beware of jealousy,
Pyu, who has th o u gh t fit t o de se rt you, and to become
It is the green eyed monster wh i ch doth mo
the wife of an o th er m a n . " The m e at it feeds o n . "
" I w oul d rather be on e art , and noth forget my " a m a n as that I you
J e alo u s , j e al o u s, of such
h e art ' s ideal . She has not deserted me, Oh n o ! sh e misunderstand my feelings, Hla Tun, you do me in
has only done her d uty, she loves me still, as a sister j u s tice . No, all th o u ght s of marriage h ave fled from
and a true friend. " my mind, and, I a m sure , from th at of Ma Pyu's too.
Another month was li ved out, making two, since B ut true love can never die. It is t he love of a b r oth e r
the crushing news was received. The time had come and a friend th at burns with in m e , to rescue thdnno
for his return hom e , Maun g E was met at th e Akyab cent and helpless from one who knows not what l ove
pi e r by H la Tun, and h a nd in h an d they went. is. H ad she been m arrie d to one wo rthy of her, I
w o u l d have rej oiced. But, alas, this is the second
" How i s M a Pyu ? I s she happy ? " '' En ough time the po o r girl has heen subj ected to the h u m ili a
of M a Pyu, . sh e is no l onger free,
do not brood so s adly tion of being forced i n to an unhallowed alliance, by the
over her , and if you should meet her alone, or in com cruel hand of Tyrant Custom. Th i s is the o nly
pany, you had better feign indifference, or you w i ll do thought that burns like a thrice heated fire within me .
her ha r m . Take my advice, friend . " It is purely h e r h ap p in e s s that I seek. "
passion, like that of a tru kn ight , ruled by ster n Moung E, reproachingly answered; " you are
reason. both married men, I presume."
Maung E was soon at ' the paternal hearth, that " Yes. ' ' replied Lu O ne, sh ar ply, " but what of
rallying place of the affections,' but his mind was too that ? Maung Sein, as every one knows, was married
disturbed, his nerves too excited, for him to find repose only the other day to the belle of Akyab, but h e has no
even in the warmth of a mother' s love ; so, after a scruples on that account to pass a pleasant night out
short while, the two friends started off for a walk. side. "
Passing the Akyab H otel, they came face to face M aung E wa s pained and ch agrined, beyond
with two veritable Arakanese coxcombs, apeing the measure, at the allusion to her fo r whose rescue, from
fine gentleman. the cruel position in which she had been placed, his
b r ave heart yearned.
" Hallo ! M aun g E, " in an affected tone, cried
one of them, how are you ? I called at your house
" " Come, B:la Tun, " he said, " let us go. These
to see you. You a re looking rather pale and fagged men are to be shunned. They have neither sense of
out. You really look ill , Maung E. Walk in ancl honour, nor the merest semblance of decency or pro
have a glass of whi s ky and soda with s." priety."
" " H e insults us, " cried Maung Sein, " that little
" N o , thank you, re pli ed M aung E curtly, and
in a tone of di s ap p r o val . puppy."
" Ah ! "
I T w a s now over a year t h a t Ma Pyu and M au n g
There they stood for full two mi n u t es , as if in a
Se i n were m arried .
dream, with eyes fixed on each other, until Maung E,
Ma Pyu s t ro ve to l o ve her husband, and was a
recovering from the shock, smiled , and dashed away,
true, humble and obedient wife , conforming, at all
without a word .
times,. to his will .
M au ng Sein had heard of M a Pyu ' s l o v e for l' cr w as to rescue him self from
bli. n l:> h i s creditors, wh o
Maung E, and he took advantage of e ve ry idle moment - 1, .
would give him no peace .
to hurl the venom of j ealousy at her, though there was l,
no occasion for it. Although , for a man of his class, Maung Sei n
was draw i n g a very handso m e salary, still ,he was not
Living in the same town and in the same nei gh
backwa rd in availing himself of the customary support
bourhood. M a Py u and M aung E did me et , at times,
of his wife's parent s, whom l:le knew to be i n poor cir-
Owing to his inordinate l i fe , M aung S ei n had His wa n t on s pirit, and his p a s s i o n for ga m bl ing
plunged h im sel f into d e b t , and his excuse now fo r gam- were now un res tr aine d , n i ght after night he was absent
I 24 MA PYU--AN A RAKANESE LOVE STORY. T H E U N IT I N G POWER O F G R I E F . !25
from h o m e , and when h e re t u rn e d it was only to m ai n tain . I am an E nglish merchant ' s clerk , o n Rs,
w ou n d and bruise the feelings of his di sco n so l a t e \vifc . 6o a mo n th , which i s a good s al ary in A kyab, and
I n vain did s h e weep, in vai did s h e a p peal to his
gives me the stat us of a ge n tle m a n . My s p eech is n o
longer c o n fi ned to the b arbaro us A r a ka n e s e j argo n . I
h one y m OOQ vovvs of love ; in vai n , with the GihivinaJa
speak E ngl i sh , a nd my English t on gu e has naturally
in h a n d , did she plead that gam i n g was as ru inous to
aiven me a ta st e for English beverages . I must h ave
tempe r , d is p o s i t i o n and character, as to fame and for
y W h i sky and Soda. The G i h i v i n ay a appeal s only
tune.
to the u ndeveloped , and u n kem p t . Gau t a m a, thou gh
" Oh ! M a u n g Sein, M a ung Sei n ! from
" th e reco g nis e d as an evolutionit, never drea mt of t h e high
anguish of h e r soul, she cried:, " ga[\l bl i ng , gam s t atus to which m e n would rise. His m oral and re
bling, that curse vice, is s u i c i d al, D estruct ion l u rk s
l i gi o u s codes remain now for women, and for men of
in the ga m i n g h o us e -- s e e , oh, see, wh a t our B uddh ist
stunted gr o wt h . I m pos s ibl e , imp o s sibl e for me to l ive
code of morals, the G ihivi nay a , says a b ou t gam bling
like an o rdina ry Arak anese on twenty rupees a month .
and i n tem per an ce . I plead w ith thee in t h e name Of My debts can never b e p aid u nless some one co mes
all that i s s a cred .
forward and r e l i eve s me of the m . "
" O h , dear m e , I c ould never live on twenty ru " Yes, to the gaming table, and to----"
pees a month. Yo u m u s t rem e m b er, I am n o longer " And to--" with a quiveri ng voice repeated Ma
the ' poor orphan boy.' I have now a po s i t ion to Pyu.
I: _.,
!'
" To her, who loves her gold more t h an her You kn ow how I acted in the m atter, and I. know
husband, " retorted the relentless, shamefaced rake. . .( that, at l east , you wi l l not thus re pro ach me, and add
a further pang to my already crushed feelings.
Poor Ma Pyu was cut to t h e quick, her che r i sh e d
hope of savin g h i m , who had posed for her h usband , I have fallen in the estimation of the world, and
h e r l o r d , her m aster, from further degeneracy and vice am no m o re wor thy of your recognition, but knowing
was lo st. me as you do , I even dare to ask you to give me an in
terview of five minutes.
Little did she d ream of the i n tri gu es of Ma Bein's
parents, who h ad offered to clear the d e b t , if Mau ng The world may jeer and lau gh at me, and though
Sein ret u rne d to their d a u gh te r ; and he had al re ady it may not be wise of you to associate with me now
I
p ai d several visits for that sordid object : and within even as a brother or an acquaintance, . but the on
two mont h s Maung S i n .and Ma Bein were again t hough t that s upports my drooping s piri t is that, at
openly declared h u sband and wife. least, in your heart, pity and sympathy will be fo und
for poor me.
the a n g u i sh of her so ul , Ma Pyu ' s thou ghts
In
Believe me,
once again rivetted themselves on the only obj ect of
her adoration, and she th us wrote t o M a un g E- Yours truly,
MA PYU.
My dear brother,
. The letter, w!J.ich was written in pencil on Chi.
You have ere this heard of my cruel fate. Al
nese tea wrappers was soon in Maung E's hands.
th o ugh a stigma has been cast upon me, which will
never be removed, I wish to blame no one, especially l On reading it, he exclaimed with a sigh :-
the father of my fatherless children, b ut I do wish . to r " N o , I blame h e r not, poor soul, and say wh at
say that I was a faithful and dutiful wife to him, th e
' ,
the world will, if I can pour o u t a drop of col d water
choice of my parents. on a 'broken heart, I wi l l go. "
.
You know my status now, in Arakanse society, So saying, Maung E started off.
a nd I am not wor t hy to write to you, but I am flout
ed from an sides for h avin g been unfaithful to you, in Ma Pyu hid her face. in her hands and wept, as
marrying another because he held a decent situation, she saw Maung E .
!8 MA PY{J'-AN ARAKAN ESE LOVE STORY .
THE U N ITING POWER OF GRIEF.
'
" Weep n o t , weep not M a Pyu , " said M a ung E ,
ner, and the generosity of his n atural disposition,
controlling his feelings . " Be resigned . Who c a n J>., wh i c h extends even to w ards M aung Sein.
blame you ? Y o u have acted honourably througho ut .
You h ave been but a creature o f circumstance s . I not Thus has Maung E, by raising himself to a covet
only do not blame you, but respect you for the p art ed social and official positio n , revenged himself o n
you h ave nobly played in your little world. those who were d ispo s ed to taunt him ; and is it not the
best sort of revenge, to rise superior to those who
Oh, if th ere were a few more lVI a Pyus, so chaste
all t i m e s . Let us, by t h i s water of allegiance pledge a better s tate of affairs . and for rescue from th e thral
ourselves to live fro m now and h e n c efo rt h as even d om and tyranny of custom. .
br other and si s ter , and in this relationship m ay we Ma Pyu will live to harm no one, but hopes to do
continue in e ach other's respect. G o o dbye , M a P yu. " good to many.
" Goodbye brother, goodbye, and t o continue i n this,
-- .