MUNDARI POETRY, MUSIC AND DANCES. 115 



They are here exhibited as the breasts of mother earth from which men, earth's 

 children, draw their sustenance. The word dai, curds, being used as a variant to toa, 



assumes the same meaning. 



I. 



Toa-leka otere chirpingkodo . 



Dahi-leka badire aeraingkodo. 



Chirpingkodo bijir-balang , 



Aeraingkodo bian bo eon. 

 In the breast-like rice fields (are) my chirpis. 

 In the breast-like terraced uplands (are) my aeras. 

 My chirpis shimmering and glitterng (in rapid play) 

 My aeras gracefully moving about 



II. 



Toaleka otedo anjed'jana ! 

 Dahileka badido dundajan ! 

 Chirpingkodoko ragetana ! 

 Aeraingkodoko saiad'tan ! 



The breast-like rice fields are drying up ! 

 The breast-like terraced uplands drying ! 

 My chirpis are crying ! 

 My aeras gasping ! 



III. 



Pisir-pisirdoe gamaleda ! 

 Jaram-jaramdoe rampiled ; 

 Toa-leka otedo pere'jana 

 Dahileka badido charangjan 

 Chirpingkodoko rasikatana 

 Aeraingkodoko landatan 



Gently, gently it rained, 



Bubbling-bubbling it welled up, 



The breast-like rice fields are filled up, 



The breast-like terraced uplands flooded : 



My chirpis are rejoicing 



My aeras laughing. 



In the three preceding pieces we meet with two terms of comparison. Thus in 

 the song, p. 108, the cotton- tree and the plantain tree. In that on p. in the king- 

 fisher and the river dove, and, in the last, the chirpi and the aera. The same remark 

 applies to all their similes. These duplicate terms of comparison are demanded 

 by the law of synonymous variants. As stated, p. 95, these variants themselves 

 seem to be ultimately based on the alternating choral system of singing at the dances. 



