72 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 123 



(When you were born) your mother picked you 



up and wrapped you in her skirt. 

 You caused pain to your mother's heart. 

 Your father picked you up and wrapped you iii 



the skirt of his gown. 

 You pained your father's heart until it was swollen. 

 You are truly dead. 



Thank your mother and your father before you go. 

 When you were first born you were on a high 



mountain. 

 You have eaten much corn meal. 

 You have drunk much water. 

 You have burnt up as fire wood many mountain 



peaks and old forests. 

 You have ruined by digging numerous peaks of 



ground. 

 You are truly dead. 

 (For the ground you worked) you should express 



thanks to the earth below before you go. 

 You arise on your bed. 

 Then the pair of bed demons, husband and wife, 



beat and push you to hinder, and will not 



allow you to go. 

 You say, "You pair of bed demons. 

 When the demon comes up behind you do not 



help beat him. 

 Although I am not dead, you do not help in front 



by pulling. 

 Nine kinds of medicine did not heal me. 

 Eight magicians could not heal me." 

 Your breath has ceased. Your mouth is closed. 

 The life in your breast has fallen. 

 You speak this way to the mother and father 



bed demons and they will release you, then 



you go. 

 You arise and arrive at the parlor. 

 The pair of parent parlor demons. 

 One flail for one person, two flails for two per- 

 sons, strike j'ou and lift up and strike again, 



and will not permit you to go. 

 You say, "You pair of parlor demons, when de- 

 mons come behind you do not help beat them. 

 When I am dead, you will not help by pulling 



in fronL 

 Nine kinds of medicine could not cure me. 

 Eight magicians could not heal me. 

 My breath has ceased, in my mouth the air has 



stopped. 

 In my breast my life has fallen." 

 Then the pair of male and female parlor demons 



permit you to go, and you go. 

 You arise and proceed to the big door below. 

 The pair of parent door demons, each with a vine 



whip, beat you, and lift up again and strike 



you, and will not allow you to go. 

 You say, "Pair of parlor demons, it is not true 



that I will sacrifice to you one pig each year. 

 How will it do to sacrifice to you one pig in two 



years ? 

 When the demon comes up behind, you do not 



beat it 

 Although I am dead, you do not help by pulling 



me in front. 

 Medicine could not heal me, and breath has 



ceased. 

 The fine air has ceased in my mouth. 

 Life has fallen in my throat" 



The pair of demons release 3'ou, and you go 



quickly. 

 You arise and proceed to the grove below. 

 The pair of chaff demons, with one winnowing 



basket each, 

 Shaking the baskets in circles up and down and 



sidewise, are unwilling for you to go. 

 You say, "You pair of chaff demons, 

 Formerly people and demons mingled together. 

 The flesh of people was like yellow beeswax. 

 The bones of people were like iron bones. 

 The flesh of demons was like yellow dirt. 

 The bones of demons were like the skin of the 



wild hairy plum." 

 When people met demons, in case they threw 



ashes, if it struck a young dog the dog howled 



and ran back home. 

 If one handful was thrown on people, people 



could see demons, and demons could see 



people. 

 If two or three handfuls were thrown. 

 People could not see the demons. 

 Now the flesh of people is like yellow dirt. 

 The bones of people are like the skin of the 



wild hairy plum. 

 Now this person (mankind?) can live but not die, 



can die, but cannot come back again. 

 The small dog bites (barks) bow wow (the 



Ch'uan Miao words are bio bio). 

 This person does not understand. 

 I do not know what the dog is biting. 

 The dog comes dovv'n to bite a demon. 

 You talk continually and the pair of chaff de- 

 mons permit you to go, and then you go. 

 You, Aged Rock, open your ears now and hear 



well the words which I, the priest, sing to you, 



then go. 

 Formerly Na Ngeo A (mother girl bitter) dwelt in 



the sky and developed a bad intention. 

 Ndeo A Ong (male bitter Ong) came and devel- 

 oped a bad heart. 

 Na Ngeo A arose and broke the clear water of 



Ndjii Nyong Leo. 

 Ndeo A Ong arose and broke the muddy sky 



water of Ndjii Nyong Leo. 

 Formerly the yellow water came down until it 



mounted to the sky. 

 It covered the fields of the earth and filled the 



sky until it was dark. 

 All over the world it filled up until it struck 



(touched) the sky. 

 Two people, sister and brother, entered the de- 

 mon drum, floating back and forth up to the 



land of Ndjii Nyong Leo's sky. 

 Ndjii N>ong Leo opened the door of the sky and 



looked. 

 Ndjii Nyong Leo struck with the bright brass 



rod and pushed downward. 

 He punched open the yellow flood-water until it 



ran down through the dragon cave. 

 The earth was clear and the sky clear, and there 



was no human seed. 

 Who came down formerly to find human seed ? 

 Tsho Ndang Shei Bdong came down to find 



human seed. 

 The sister and the brother lived on the sky and 



were not willing to come down to the world. 



