364 OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



The fourth, the blessed waters, harbingers of ferti- 

 lity ; 

 The fifth the four gates of the world, pouring out 



plenty. 

 The sixth is the door to the abundance of food ; 

 The seventh is the portal of the palace ; 

 The eighth the floor of Surga or Heaven ; 

 The ninth the pregnant mother ; 

 The tenth (/. e., the harvest) month the birthday of 



Mahomed (the luckiest day of the year) ; 

 May all prove prosperous. 

 May dry grain prosper. 



May the hand of the Almighty appear in the filling 

 of the husk, as the hole in a rock is shut up by 

 degrees. 

 From above, from below, let plenty always flow, 

 From East and West may abundance ever increasing 

 pour in. 

 The next is an invocation of the earth spirit Noh and 

 Dewa Imbang, a sprite of air : — 



Hei! Noh yang da lam bumi, 

 Dewa Imbang den udara, 

 Anak saraja jin ketala bumi, 

 Yang m erne gang bumi. 

 Hail ! Noh who dwellest w T ithin the earth ! 

 And thou Imbang who art ruler in the air, 

 Son of the spirit who rules the folds of earth, 

 Who guardest with thy power the gates of earth. 

 The last is an invocation to Setia Guni, an earth spirit, and 

 contains the poetical idea that the grain is surrendered like 

 a dear child to a tender foster mother by its parent who will 

 come to claim it back after six months have passed : — 

 Hei Tuanku Setia guni 

 Yang memegang bumi tujoh lapis 

 Aku bertarohkan anak aku 

 Sri C hint a rasa chukup dengan inang 

 Pengasoh kanda manda itu 



