Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c30.s2.2

c30.s2.2

17. "Sister, why do you delay? if I go now the baby will cry and the boys will beat him, you go then, my sister, to tie up the rushes."
18. Tying up the rushes and putting the bundles on their heads, "Let us go" said the women, ready in a row, going one by one along the path, "let us split the rushes and weave a mat for the king."
19. Bringing the rushes and laying them in the sun to dry, straightway they split the rushes everywhere, and taking up a handful to begin the work, "I weave a *depota raṭāva*" (said one).
20. Then splitting up the rushes, charming women, whose breasts are like the parrot's beak, (shining) with dust of gold, begin the mat; thus the women begin the mats,—
21. The women weaving mats begin from the corner, after splitting up the rush and dyeing it, round (the mat) they weave *mal-peṭi* ornament, they weave the *raṭā piyum*.
22. "We will weave *piyum* for the head and the same for the foot, in the middle a good *espat* pattern, thus will we weave a mat for the king to see."
23. They wove pretty *mal-peṭi* and white-spotted elephants, and cobras, *polongas* and beasts in a row, parrots and *seḷa-lihiṇi* with every beast round about, a mat like the full moon they wove.
24. The women kind and lovely, who went to fetch rushes from the meadow, weaving parrots, *maliti* and pretty *mal-peṭi*, begin a mat to show the king.
25. How pretty their faces, shining like gold! How pretty the silver worn on their hands! How pretty this woman's breasts! How cleverly the pretty girl splits the rush.
26. After fetching rushes from the field and drying them in the yard, I begin a mat as I sit on the ledge. "Why, my sister, are the edges of your mat untidily woven?"
27. A man's luck changes often! No one ever saw the like of this! A nice sort of mat Namal Kumāriya is weaving! "Sister your *minuvan* mat is full of holes," said she.
28. "Sister, my baby called out for his milk, in my house there is always chattering and nagging, I used short rushes that is why the mat is small; well, sister I did it amiss," said she.
29. She begun to weave tuskers, horses, elephants and bears, *depota raṭāva* and *lanu daṅge* in the mat; the mat is not dyed a good colour; "The reason is sister that I started badly."
30. She weaves parrots, *maliti*, pretty *mal-peṭi*, suras, elephants, arches, and finishes the mat, in the four corners the four *Varan Deviyō*, a splendid mat she takes to show the king.
31. At the head of the mat is Īśvara, at the foot Mihikata, in the four corners the four *Varan Deviyō*, (such) a mat she weaves to give the great king.
32. They went with the mat to give it to the king, mother and daughter-in-law wove the mat together, a splendid mat they took with them and gave it to His Highness.
33. When he asked who wove the mat, and they told him a mother and a daughter in this village, "Bring them before me" said he, and both were brought in to the presence of the king.
34. To both he gave one elephant-load of goods, saying "Take and divide in peace; it is well if day by day you weave more mats and bring them to the king."
35. "By our fortune of old this gift has come to us; give me, Mother, half of the present given by the king"; "What, wench, shall I give you a gift?" she exclaimed; from that day forth these two disagreed.
36. From that time they would not weave together, the mother-in-law mis-saying the daughter, thenceforth disagreeing with the husband too, these two wove one against the other.
37. "Dear and loving Mother hearken to my words" (she said), and being very sleepy she began to cry. "Dear daughter, tell the kindly word." "Give me at least a mat to sleep upon."