In ancients times, eons ago
When mystical beast roamed free
Through virgin lands, high and low
And across fathomless seas
Heaven, hidden right here on earth
Amidst forest so luscious, seas calm as day
Across the skies fly Jentayus and Garudas
And dragons sweep down to frolic and play
Sri Gumom and Si Kemboja, two dragon lovers
Guardians of the magical Tasek Chini
Abhor the borders of the lake surround them
And yearn for the wide-open sea
Tuan
Puteri Sri Gumom, the daughter of Raja Kembayat Negara lived in a
beautiful Forbidden Garden by the ancient lake, Tasik Chini. Her
handmaidens, the dayang1 catered to her every whim. Her father the King
had built a beautiful palace overlooking the calm waters for her. Wild
lotuses covered its surface for most part of the year and if she stayed
quietly by the arched windows of her chambers, she could see the
ferocious toman fish leaping out from the lake to catch giant frogs
seeking shelter on the lotus leaves.
When she was born,
the royal astrologer of Kembayat Nagara prophesied that if the princess
continued to stay in Kembayat Negara, the country would see great
bloodshed and famine. The King felt utterly heartbroken at the news and
his Queen cried for days. Daily he consulted with his advisor the
Prime Minister on what he could do to save his people without
sacrificing his beautiful princess.
Forbidden garden with candi
Then
his Prime Minister brought some hope to the forlorn King. “I have
heard travelers from Inderapura2 talk about a heavenly paradise here on
earth. We can reach the magical Tasik Chini travelling the Southern
seas, up the river from Pura, Semantan to the highlands. Our people
will build a grand palace for the princess surrounded by a beautiful
garden. Then we will weave a spell so that she will be safe in the
Forbidden Garden.”
The King agreed and by the time Sri Gumom was 40 days old, she left the shores of Kembayat Negara forever.
The
princess grew up in the company of her handmaidens. She was happy in a
way for the Forbidden Garden was beautiful. The mountains in the
distance made her feel at peace. She was truly blessed. The princess was
also very beautiful. And she was also an immortal as long as she
stayed within the boundaries of her home.
One day, a
prince arrived from afar. He was Prince Kemboja from the Middle
Kingdom, China. When the two met they fell in love. Everyday, the
prince begged Sri Gumom to come back with him to China but she refused.
Until one day, the skies were red and blackened. Streaks of lightning
flashed throughout the sky. Sri Gumom was afraid and agreed to let the
prince take her away in his large and sturdy boat.
Her
handmaidens begged the princess not to leave. The sky grew darker and
darker. They reminded her of the curse pledged by the old Prime
Minister if the princess no longer remained in the Forbidden Garden.
The
floor of the palace shook and there was a clap of thunder. The floor
cracked into two. With that, the sky opened up and the heavens poured.
And so the princess left on the prince’s boat and they sailed away. As
soon as they left the borders, Sri Gumom and Kemboja transformed into
two giant water serpents. And the Forbidden Palace was flooded to be
hidden forever at the bottom of the lake that was Tasik Chini.
The
naga Sri Gumom and Kemboja swam along the Pahang River all the way out
to sea. Kemboja was stronger than Sri Gumom. He loved his new form and
swam all the way to China, thinking that Sri Gumom was following
behind.
Sri Gumom took a rest in the South China Sea and
waited for Kemboja to come back for her. She waited for a long time,
her breathe became so still, and she slowly turned into an island.
The little bird, the tiom loved to rest on the island, and soon, the new island was called Tioman.
And the Naga waited ‘neath for her lover who never came back for her.
No comments:
Post a Comment