OCCASIONAL NOTES 865 



Sampei lima bulan ka-anam 

 Aku datang mengambil balik 

 Jangan angkau bagi rasa binasa 

 Chachat chelah inilah upah-kan mu. 

 Hail ! lord Setia Guni, 

 Who dost rule the seven-fold earth, 

 I herewith lay my child upon thy breast, 

 My child the darling of my heart, 

 With his full following of nurses and attendants, 

 And when the fifth moon wanes unto the sixth 

 I shall come to claim him back again. 

 Let him taste no barm or evil, great or small, 

 Here is thy reward. 

 The " upah" or payment of the services of the spirit, is 



generally as follows : — 



An egg, a bunch of betel-vine leaves, some " bras kunniet " 



(oryza glutinosa) , some " bras bertik" (/. e., the white pulp 



which exudes from rice grains when roasted), and a " ketupat " 



or little woven basket of cocoa-nut leaves filled with rice. 

 After this invocation of Setia Guni loadfuls of rich are 



sprinkled on the ground, and the following invocation is then 



raised to the spirit of the air : — 



Hei ! Tiianku Malim ka-raja-an 

 Yang memegang langit tujoh lapis 

 Aku bertarohkan anak aku 

 Sri C hint a rasa, &c. [as in the last.] 

 Hail ! Malim, who dost supremely rule 

 The seven folds of sky, 

 I lay my child in pledge with thee, 

 My child the darling of my heart, &c, &c. 

 After this the rice is thrown into the air, and the ceremony 



is complete. 

 The u pawangs" sorcerers or rather "wise men " who 



are skilled in these incantations, are in great request at the 



sowing of the padi crop. 



A. W. O'SULLIVAN. 



