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Story 105: Groom Cidan Folktales

Groom Cidan

Author: Anonymous

Once upon a time, in the Wuyou area of Houzang, there was a leader named Kangadeva. He worked as a disciple outside and had fun everywhere; he left his wife Sangmu Zhuma at home and ignored her all year round. Sangmu Zhuma was in great pain and secretly fell in love with Tseden, the groom in the manor.

One day, Tsedan was drinking his horse at the well. Sangmu Zhuma came up and grabbed the rope for drawing water, wanting to joke with him. Cidan felt anxious and sang:

Ajia Sangmu Zhuma,
Please get out of the way, get out of the way!
I am not a master, but a slave who herds horses,
There were not two horses, but thirty-six hundred.
Sangmu Zhuma quickly put down the barrel rope and sang:
My elder brother, the stableman Cidan,
Please don’t be angry, don’t be angry!
I don’t want any master or young master,
I want to be with you.

Who knew that at this moment, the Kangadwa head man would come back. He heard the song sung by Sangmu Zhuma and said to Tsedan without asking any questions: “Bad boy, how dare you molest my wife when I am not around. Seeing as your brother is my housekeeper, your brother is mine.” For Morimoto’s sake, I’ll give you three days to go home, talk about anything, and do whatever you have to do. One day today, two days tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow when the sun rises, come to the manor to see me.

Cidan felt very wronged, but it was impossible to explain clearly to the master, even if you had a thousand mouths. He returned home and stayed with his mother for two days, thinking with his head down for two days, and taking snuff for two days. When the morning star rose on the third day, Cidan got up early, washed himself cleanly, and sang to his mother from the room:

Grandma, oh grandma,
Please give my horse some water,
I won’t trouble you again in this life!
Grandma, oh grandma,
Please give my horse some food,
I won’t trouble you again in this life!

After listening to his song, my mother was very puzzled; she knew her son had a stubborn temper and didn’t want to ask more questions, so she drank and fed him. When Cidan came to the yard, he sang to his mother again:

Grandma, grandma,
Please take out my holiday clothes,
I haven’t worn it in the past, what should I wear today!
Grandma, grandma,
Please take out my engagement ring,
I haven’t worn it in the past, but I will wear it today!

Cidan packed the festive clothes and the engagement ring in the horse sack, and prepared to get on the horse and set off. Unexpectedly, his horse was rolling on the ground and refused to get up. Cidan patted the horse’s back and sang:

Good Marolin sex,
Don’t sleep, wake up,
Otherwise, we won’t be able to catch up with the good time!

The horse got up from the ground and Tsedan rode on it. The horse kept pawing its hooves, and its tears fell like rain. Tsedan touched the horse’s mane and sang;

Good Marolin intercourse ‘can,
Don’t cry, please be happy,
Otherwise, my heart would be even sadder!

At this time, grandma couldn’t hold it in any longer. She hugged Cidan’s legs and asked with tears in her eyes:

Second day, second day,
Did you steal something?
Did you tell a lie?
If you don’t tell grandma something, who should you tell it to?
If you don’t talk to grandma, who should you talk to?

Cidan took Grandma’s hand, touched it on his forehead three times, and replied sadly:

Grandma, grandma,
Your son has never stolen from the east side;
Your son has never told a lie;
It’s just Aja Sangmu Zhuma,
Sing a song to me!

When my mother heard this, she was so frightened that she fainted and did not wake up for a long time.

When the sun rose over the snow-capped mountains, Tsetan rode on horseback to the leader’s manor. Master Kangadeva was waiting for him on the threshing field, and the surrounding people were also called to watch. Kangadeva sat on the cushion with great dignity and ordered Tsetan’s elder brother who was the housekeeper and his younger brother who was the attendant to kill Tsetan.

Cidan had already anticipated this day and laughed “hehe”. He opened his horse sack, took out his holiday clothes, and sang:

This Tibetan robe trimmed with otter skin,
To you, my fellow brother;
These new pants,
Leave it to your closest brother to wear.
Please come and kill me,
This is a little processing fee.
This hat with golden flowers,
To you, my fellow brother;
This pair of embroidered Tibetan boots,
Leave it to your closest brother to wear.
Please do it, you two.
This is a little reward money.

After saying that, Cidan took out a short knife and a ring from his horse bag, and sang:

This sharp dagger,
Give it to the master to make a self-decapitation knife.
This gemstone ring,
Give it to Sangmu Zhuma as an engagement ring.
Thank you for the good arrangement, sir.
The next day I have nothing to say!

As soon as Ciden’s song was finished, the Kangadwa leader called Ciden’s elder brother and younger brother and killed him; his blood flowed in front of the manor, and his body was thrown into the Brahmaputra River. The common people said: “The horseman Cidan died unjustly!”

After Tsetan’s death, his soul turned into a bird and flew around the manor all day long. One day, Lord Kangadeva was riding across the bridge when a bird jumped out from under the bridge, making his horse jump wildly. The master fell off his horse, and his short knife of Tsedan was stuck in his waist, which was thrust into his chest and stabbed him to death.

Besides, when Sangmu Zhuma knew that Tseden had been killed, he was anxious and afraid. He was so frightened that he fell seriously ill and lay on the mat unable to get up. Suddenly I saw a little bird flying on the branch outside the window and singing:

Good luck! Good luck!
I am the bird transformed by Tsedan, Jihe,
The master just died on the bridge, Ji ha,
Ajia, what are you thinking about? Jihe.

When Sangmu Zhuma heard this, his illness was mostly cured. He stretched out his hands and said:

Little bird, little bird!
If you really are the groom, little bird,
Please land on my shoulder, little bird,
Please land on my knees, little bird.

The bird was indeed very humane. It flew to Sangmzhuma’s shoulder and then to her knees. Sangmzhuma held the bird in both hands and stroked it gently with her face. At this time, the little bird sang again:

Jihe, Jihe,
If you really love me, Jihe,
Please put me in a box, Jihe,
See you on the evening of the 15th day of the first lunar month, good luck.

Samjuma did as it asked. On the night of the 15th day of the first lunar month, when a full moon rose from the snow-capped mountains, she opened the box and saw that the groom Tseden was coming out of the box with a smile, stronger than before, more beautiful.

Narrated by: Nima Penduo, Chengguan Town, Shigatse
Written by: Liao Dongfan Tsering Dorje Tsering Droga Collected and translated

Source: China Folktales Network