Panaumbe Penaumbe And The Lord Of Matomai[e]
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TALES OF THE PANAUMBE AND PENAUMBE CYCLE
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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.