B005.1 The Moral Tale of the Heron Who Pretended to be a Priest

Katoetoeran Satoewa I Tjangak mapi-mapi dadi anak poetoes

There was a heron who dressed up as a priest (anak poetoes; pedanda) with a tall turban and earrings. He stood on the shore of a pool where there were many fish. The fish were all astonished to see that the heron was silent as if he were sad. The fish wondered about this, but none dared go close to the heron. “What is the matter with you? You seem so sad.” The heron answered, “Ah, I am very sad for you. What can I do for all you fishes? I just saw two men with a net who were coming to this pool to kill you all.” And the fish said, “Oh, if that’s so, what can we do so that we won’t all be killed?” The heron answered, “Now, listen to what I, your father, will tell you. Because I am a priest, I want nothing more than to help you. Up there on the mountain there is a very good lake, where there is very much food for you all. I will carry you all there. Some of you just come now and climb up on my back. When I get to the lake, I’ll come back and get your friends.” So some fish climbed up on the back of the heron. Up on the mountain there was a large smooth rock. He carried them there, and then he ate them all up. When he had finished them, he returned to the pool for more. He took them all to the smooth rock and ate them all. Now begins the story about the crab. The crab climbed up on the back of the heron, holding onto his neck, to go to the pond. When they got to the mountain, up above the smooth rock he saw all the bones of the fishes. Then he realized what was happening, and he said, “Oh, this is the trick that the heron is playing, only now I understand.” So then he pinched the neck of the heron very hard. And the heron cried out, “Oh Crab, don’t pinch my neck so, it hurts terribly!” Answered the crab, “Well, Heron, you’re not going to do that trick on me. Now if you don’t take me back to the pool again, I’ll cut your neck in two!” The crab was enraged and mortified that he almost had been treated that same way by the heron. So then the heron said, “All right, I’ll carry you back to the pool. But don’t pinch my neck so hard!” He carried the crab to the pool. When they had landed by the pool, the crab said, “Now you know that you have been doing wrong, you heron.” And after he said that, he pinched the heron’s neck until it broke in two. And the heron died. (transl H. Geertz)