io6 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 



123 



A Reply of the Go-Betweens of the Bride's 

 Family to the Go-betweens of the Groom's 

 Family (280) 



The family of the bride brought out a 

 table and poured out several cups of wine. 

 They said, "Below are 100 homes. Above 

 are 100 fortified places. One family has closed 

 your door, ten families open their doors for 

 you. You have led guests here (to ask for 

 the bride). Lead the guests back home." 



The groom's go-betweens then said, "We 

 have come, and our bodies are small. When 

 we return home, our bodies will be large (it 

 is easy to come, but it will be hard to go 

 away without the bride). We want to get a 

 flower to wear (the bride) before we return 

 home. We will still have to wait until we 

 have fruit to eat before we will return home." 



The go-betweens of the bride say, "You 

 have brought guests here. Take them away. 

 When you go back to the creek, you put a 

 stone-slab trap across. When you return home 

 and go to the bend, place a wooden board 

 trap there. Return home for a year. Then 

 you come back and see whether you have 

 caught anything.^^ 



Words Spo\en {Contindrums) by Go-betweens 

 When Discussing an Engagement (281) 



The go-betweens of the bride say, "When 

 you came, what did you do in the groom's 

 home?" Answer, "When we were there, we 

 saw a man who nets birds and wild animals 

 chasing wild animals, which leaped into your 

 home. One ran on the bank of the road. 

 One went below the road terrace. One came 

 to the guest room of your home. When we 

 saw it, it came toward your home." (This 

 means that they want the bride.) 



Then the go-betweens of the girl saw, "Yei,' 

 when you came leaping here, we had a 

 brother above tlie falls. You must go and 

 call him here before we will talk about 

 things." (This means that they want wine.) 



The go-betweens of the girl say, "Do you 

 want to engage her? You may go and dig 

 a bamboo root, and we will make divining 

 implements, for we want to divine as to good 

 or ill luck before we will talk about it." (They 

 mean that they want a chicken.) 



each time a cup of wine must be poured out for 

 the go-betweens to drink. 



1^ The last sentence implies that success in 

 securing die bride is doubtful. 



After the go-betweens have said the above, 

 those of both families arise and with folded hands 

 bow respectfully to one another. 



The go-betweens of the girl again say, 

 "Have you come wanting to have a grass- 

 hopper marriage (very cheap), or a clay-earth 

 marriage (very expensive) ?" They also say, 

 "Piave you come wanting to conduct a ball- 

 of-silk-in-the-ashes marriage (expensive), or 

 a wood-in-the-stove marriage (quick and 

 cheap) ?" 



The groom's go-betweens say, "We have 

 come to use a rat's tail to tie a bird's wing 

 (carry the matter through slowly)." 



The bride's go-betweens say, "Have you 

 come wanting to do a flea jump (one of 

 quickly paying the money), or one of lice 

 crawling (slowly bringing the presents) ?" 

 They also ask, "Do you come to the bao-gu 

 (corn) cuckoo marriage (for an adopted son), 

 or a yellow sparrow marriage (for a son by 

 birth) ?" They also say plainly, "For a fine- 

 dirt marriage we want 300 catties of wine and 

 also of pork. For die insect marriage we want 

 120 catties of wine and of pork." The girl's 

 go-betweens say, "Over there are 360 steps. 

 Have you gone up them?" 



The groom's go-betweens say, "We have 

 not climbed up those steps. We went up only 

 60 of them." 



The bride's go-betweens say, "Over there, 

 when you came, did you see 360 wells of 

 clear water?" The groom's go-betweens say, 

 "When we came, we saw only 60 wells of 

 clear water. We did not see so many." 



The bride's go-betweens ask, "Have you tied 

 a sow by 12 ropes? Did you see it?" Reply, 

 "The pig we saw, but it is not tied by so many 

 ropes." 



The bride's go-betweens again ask, "When 

 you came, did you see a bamboo with 12 

 twigs?" There is no reply. If they are under- 

 standing go-betweens, then things are left in 

 this way. If they are less wise, they will speak 

 more definitely.^® 



A Song Showing the Customs for Engaging 

 Brides (Sung by the Go-betweens of the 

 Groom) (282) 



Yei, when we came, we walked along like 

 mountain rats. We followed the path of the 

 cliff rats. We came crawling along like 

 mountain rats, and followed the path of the 

 stone rats.^'^ Vv''hen you eat meat (at feasts) 



^<^ Three hundred and sixty steps is a request 

 for 360 catties of pork; 360 wells for 360 catties 

 of wine; 12 ropes for 12 ounces of silver, and 12 

 branches of bamboo for 12,000 cash. 



^'^ Refers to the bad mountain roads they walked 

 over. 



