Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3
by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words
This folk-tale entitled “a louse and a bug” is gathered from oral sources sources, tracing its origin to ancient Ceylon (Sri Lanka). These tales are often found to contain similarities from stories from Buddhism and Hinduism. This is the story nr. 186 from the collection “stories of the cultivating caste”.
Story 186 - A Louse and a Bug
IN a certain country, at a King’s palace there is a delightful bed for reclining on. There was a female Louse which dwelt among the exceedingly white sheets spread on the bed. And that female Louse, drinking blood on the body of the King, passed the time in happiness.
At that time, one day a certain Bug walking anywhere came to the bed. At that time the White Louse said with a displeased countenance,
“Emba ! O meritorious Bug, because of what earnest thou to this place ? Before anyone gets to know about it go thou quickly from here.”
At that time the Bug said,
“Emba ! O meritorious female, although [addressed even] to a wicked person who came to the house, speech like this is not proper. Whether of acrid taste, bitter taste, or sour taste, the fault of [requiring] food being the cause, various kinds of blood of several low men were sucked and drunk by me. By me at any time a sweet blood was not drunk. On that account, sitting down, if thou art willing, [the desire of] very sweet food being the cause, by sucking for myself thus, betimes, the blood—any blood, be it inferior—on the body of this King, to-day I shall dwell in happiness. Therefore, to me who, not having obtained food, came to the house, may you be pleased to give this very food. The drinking this King’s blood solitarily, by thee only, is not proper,”
he said.
Having heard that, the Louse said,
“O meritorious Bug, I suck and drink the blood of this very King who has gone to sleep. If thou swiftly shouldst be drinking the blood with me, thou wilt drink much blood.”
Having heard that, the Bug said,
“O meritorious female, I will not do in that way; while thou drinkest the blood I will not drink. In the presence of this excellent King I will do it till full.”
While both of them were talking in this way they approached the King’s bed. Thereupon the Bug having arrived at great greediness, bit the King.
At that time the King having arisen from the bed and gone, said,
“There are bugs in the bed; wipe it down to clean it.”
The servants having come there, and at the time when they looked having seen the White Louse, killed it. The Bug crept into a comer of the bed [and escaped].
Uva Province.