Panaumbe Penaumbe And The Lord Of Matomai[e]

: TALES OF THE PANAUMBE AND PENAUMBE CYCLE
: Aino Folktales

Panaumbe wanted very much to become rich. For this reason, he stretched

his penis across to the town of Matomai. Then the lord of Matomai spoke

thus: "This is a pole sent by the gods; so it will be well to dry all

the clothes upon it." So all the clothes and beautiful garments were

dried. After a time Panaumbe drew back his penis, and all those clothes

and beautiful garments came sticking to it. His house was greatly

b
nefited. He became a very rich man.



Afterwards Penaumbe came down and said: "My dear Panaumbe, what have you

done to become so rich?" Panaumbe said: "Come and eat, and I will tell

you." Afterwards Penaumbe said: "This is the thing I intended to do.

Abominable Panaumbe! bad Panaumbe! you have forestalled me." With these

words, he pissed on the threshold, and went out. Then he went down to

the sea-shore, and stretched his penis across the sea to Matomai. The

lord of Matomai said: "This is a pole sent by the gods. It will be well

to dry all the clothes and beautiful garments upon it." For this reason,

all the clothes and beautiful garments were brought down, and put upon

the divine pole. Penaumbe wanted to become rich quickly by drawing back

his penis. So he drew it back quickly. The divine pole moved, and the

lord of Matomai spoke thus: "It happened thus before. There was a pole

sent by the gods. For this reason the clothes and beautiful garments

were dried upon it. Then a thief stole the divine pole away. We all

became poor. Now again our clothes and beautiful garments have been

placed upon a pole. Now there seems to be a thief again. Quickly cut the

divine pole." For that reason the servants of the lord all drew their

swords. They cut the divine pole, and all the clothes and beautiful

garments were taken. Penaumbe was left with only half a penis. He drew

it in. Then he had nothing. Then he became very poor. If Penaumbe had

listened to Panaumbe's advice, he might have had food to eat, he might

have become rich. But he did not like to listen to advice. For this

reason he became poor.--(Translated literally. Original communicated by

Mr. John Batchelor, June, 1886; also printed in "Aino Memoir," p. 133,

but with the indecent expressions softened down.)



[E] The Aino pronunciation of Matsumae. Matsumae is a town in the

south of Yezo. The lord or Daimyo resident there was formerly the

chief Japanese authority in the country.



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