NO. I 



CHUAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



103 



Calling and Sending Go-betweens 



Marrying a Daughter through Go-betweens 

 (156) 



When the day is clear and the weather is 

 mild, the sparrow comes out to breathe the 

 air. Bo Na caught a yellow hen to kill. She 

 killed it for two go-betweens to eat for break- 

 fast. When the two go-betweens were through 

 eating, they went down the bank of a ter- 

 raced rice paddy, and went to the home of a 

 relative and went to their main hall. 



Next morning, at daybreak, the two go- 

 betweens got out of bed and sat by the small 

 door. They urged the family to give their 

 young daughter in marriage, and get wine 

 to drink (as part of the wedding gift). Then 

 they went up beside the stove. They then 

 spoke for the older daughter. 



The mother stood outside the door speak- 

 ing and smiling at the same time. The father 

 stood outside the front door and faced toward 

 a small hill. He promised his daughter to that 

 family. The mother was helpless (because the 

 father had promised), so she requested her 

 older brother to talk with the go-betweens. 



The mother's older brother arrived, and the 

 father's older brother also arrived. Then they 

 opened their mouths and said they wanted 

 wedding gifts of money as great as the side 

 of a cliff, and animals as big as the four 

 legs of the earth. 



When tlie two go-betweens heard these 

 words they went back and reported. On the 

 day that completed a year, when the girl had 

 grown up, and her hair was long enough 

 to roll into a knot, on the first day of the 

 new month, they drove a herd of cows down 

 the ridge. When the girl's mother saw it 

 she was very glad. Then the father opened 

 his mouth and said, "What do you know? 

 Now your daughter has grown up and bound 

 her hair into a knot. When you give her up, 

 on that day you will put your money into a 

 chest of drawers. There are also the other 

 gifts that people give which must be put into 

 the bucket (for carrying)." When they had 

 finished talking, on that year the people who 

 were to escort the bride arrived at the place 

 beside the cliff. They drove a herd of horses 

 up, and when the mother saw it she was 

 happy. Then the father said, "What do you 

 know? Your daughter has already grown 

 up. Today it is already the beginning of the 

 month. The go-betweens have already ar- 

 rived. Many relatives and friends have come." 



Then the mother gave the girl to the 

 suitors. She herself was like a hill of dried-up 

 hemp, and the father was like an empty 



horsehide. The two parents stood there alone, 

 and they composed this song to commemo- 

 rate it. 



Engaging Go-betweens to Secure a Bride 

 (279) 



The mother was restless before daylight. 

 The father was restless and could not sit 

 down before daylight. The mother caught a 

 wild hen pheasant and cut out its tongue. 

 The father caught a wild cock pheasant and 

 cut its throat.^ The cock pheasant's tongue 

 was bent toward the center. When the 

 mother saw this she was very glad. When 

 the father saw it he smiled and smiled. Then 

 the mother arose and called the go-betweens. 

 The father arose and poured out wine. The 

 two go-betweens arrived. The father pre- 

 pared a cup of wine for them to drink. He 

 gave a white stick for them to carry. 



The two go-betweens went out of the door 

 of the inner court (heavenly well). They 

 went together on the same road. When they 

 arrived they said, "When we reached the 

 home over there, there were a green tree 

 and a pine tree. These they divided into 

 nine branches. The nine branches were di- 

 vided into nine directions (made to point in 

 nine directions). One of diem pointed to- 

 wards your hill. We did not come until we 

 had secured that branch. We have reached 

 your home. We have no affair. We have 

 brought here a white stick. It must not be 

 stuck up on the stone slabs. We want to stick 

 it up on the bank of your ricefield. When 

 it has been put up, we want it to live. We 

 want to stick it into the ground and let it 

 grow leaves. We will wait until its leaves 

 are green like the blue blaze of a fire. We 

 want to wait until it blossoms on top and 

 bears fruit before it has roots. There must 

 be two blossoms and two of its fruits. We 

 will wait until we can build a bridge of 

 iron plates above and wait until in the future 

 the groom has a road to walk or to run, 

 until in the future the mother and the modier- 

 in-law secure meat to eat, and the father and 

 the father-in-law secure wine to drink.® 



^ The custom today is to cut out the tongue of 

 a hen and to cut the throat of a rooster. This 

 is a means of divination. 



® This is a typical song used by go-betweens 

 when they go to ask for the bride, and the 

 things done are represented correcdy here. But 

 there are variations. This is what is said by the 

 go-betweens of the groom's family. 



