8. MEDICINE
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Skeat, Walter William
“Peace be with you, Mustia Kĕmbang,
I adopt you as a guardian for my brother,
If in truth you are sprung from the primordial elements,
From the former time unto the present,
I know the origin from which you sprang,
For you sprang from our Lady Eve (Siti Hawa),
You I order, your co-operation I invoke,
That whatsoever shape you assume
Within this your garden of splendour,
You break neither plighted faith nor solemn promise.”
Here throw the parched rice into the jars, and say:—
“Peace be unto you, O Prophet ’Tap, in whose charge is the Earth,
O Prophet Noah in whose charge are the Trees,
And Prophet Khailir in whose charge is the Water,
I crave this water (lit. ‘exudation’) as a boon,
For the healing of So-and-so.”
And observe these signs:—
1. If the water is perfectly still it is a bad sign.
2. If it is a little disturbed it is a good sign.
3. If the rice floats in a line across the sun’s path (bĕrator mĕlintang matahari) it is a fatal sign.
4. If you see a solitary grain travelling by itself (bĕrsiar) you may know the sickness to be caused by the making of an image (buatan orang).
5. If the parched rice travels towards the right of the jar the patient will recover quickly.
6. If it travels towards the left of the jar he will recover, but slowly.
7. If, however, it floats right underneath the candle it is generally a fatal sign.
Next, see what patterns are formed by the rice-grains as they lie on the water:—
1. If they take the shape either of a boat or a crocodile, this means that the spirit demands the launching of a spirit-boat (lanchang).
2. If they take a square shape, a tray of offerings (anchak) is demanded.
3. If they take the shape of a house, a ‘state-hall’ (balei) is demanded.
Now take all kinds of fragrant flowers and shred them (buat bunga rampai), add the shredded blossoms of four which are scentless (for instance, blossoms of the sĕlaguri, pulut-pulut, bali-adap, and kĕdudok), mix them and throw them into the jars, then plant in each jar the flower-spathe of an areca-palm (mayang pinang). Throw into each a “jar-stone” (i.e. a dollar), and the jars will be ready. You should then read the foregoing charms over each of them.
The extra jar which is filled with a sort of big nosegay (gumba) represents a pleasure-garden (taman bunga), and is intended to attract the soul (sĕmangat) of the sick man.
Now take parched rice and hold it over the incense (di-ganggang) saying:—
“Peace be with you, O Wheat,
You I wish to command, your co-operation I invoke
In ‘inspecting’ the sickness of So-and-so.
Break neither plighted faith nor solemn promise,
But inspect the sickness of this grandson of Adam,
This follower of the Prophet Muhammad, of the race of the sons of men, So-and-so;
If anything should supervene,
Do you ‘stir’ within this pure heart (of mine).”
Plate 17.—Anchak.