90 SKI RAMA, 



Wrapped in sleep were all the elders, 



Far away were pheasants calling, 



In the woods the shrill cicada, 



Chirped and dew came dropping earthwards. 



Now lowed oxen in the meadows, 



Moaned the buffaloes imprisoned, 



Cocks, with voice and wings, responded. 



And with feebler note the mural. 



Soon the first pale streak of morning, 



Rose and upwards soared the night birds ; 



Pigeons cooed beneath the roof -tree, 



Fitful came the quail's low murmur; 



On the hearth lay last night's embers, 



Foot-long brands burned down to inches, 



Heralds all of day's approaching. 

 The palace is described with the usual oriental exaggeration. 

 The length of the outer audience chamber is "as far as the 

 flight of bird, as far as the eye can see, as far as a horse can 

 gallop at a stretch " (sa'lela h burong terbang, m'yojana mata 

 menentang, sa'lejang kuda ber-lari). Part of the art of the 

 story-teller consists in piling up similes and synonymous des- 

 criptive phrases in this way. The signal which the Raja gives 

 for the assembling of the people is another instance; {iya 

 menuntong tabuhraya larang-an, memalu gong pe-laung, chanang 

 pemanggil) " he sounded the great forbidden drum, struck the 

 gong of assembly, the chanang of summons/' 



Everyone answered the summons — the Tumunggong, the 

 Laksamana, the Orang Kay a Besar, the Ferdana Mantri, the 

 warriors, the army, and the people, great and small, old and 

 young, male and female, high and low — 



Yang ber-anak ber-dukong anak 



Yang chapik datang ber-tongkat 



Yang buta datang ber-pimpin 



Yang tuli datang ter-tanya-tanya 



Yang kurap datang meng-himbar. 

 " Those with young children came with their babies on their 

 backs, the lame came leaning on their sticks, the blind came 

 led by the hand, the deaf came enquiring on all sides, and the 

 diseased came keeping their distance from the others.'" 



