The Four Poetic Brothers
Well, of the four brothers, all were foolish sons [santán(1) in Bengali] of an educated father.
The eldest brother was a fool, a real idiot. The second brother was also like that and the third was no better. But the youngest one, although illiterate, no doubt, was quite intelligent. Moreover, he was also a jester. The four brothers were spending their days in great economic hardship. Then, suddenly, they heard the news that the king of a certain country had announced that he would amply reward anyone who who could compose and then recite the poem before him. But writing a poem is no joke. Someone may have an idea but no language to express it, while others have the command of language but no ideas to express, then there are yet others who have neither. Only someone who has both is a poet. Otherwise, one would write poems like the following:
Pátáy pátáy paŕe nishir shishir,
Táte kii vá áse yáy bhoṋdár pisiir.
[The nocturnal dews fall on leaves, but what does it matter to the sister of Bhondaʼs father?]
When the king saw that no poet capable of writing a rhymed couplet reported to the royal court, he conceded that even a one line poem would do. For example,
Kii ye likhi chái máthá o muńd́u ám-i kii bujhi tár kichu.
[Do even I understand the meaning of the rubbish that I compose?]
The problem was now solved for the four brothers. They felt like malaria patients in remission after heavy sweating.
The eldest brother said, “I can do it!” [I can write a one-line poem.]
The second brother said, “I also can write one.”
The third brother said, “I can also write a verse.”
The youngest brother said, “I can also write poems in rhymed verse.”
They decided that at seven the next morning they would start out for the royal court, [so that they would arrive] at the most auspicious hour to read poems to the king. In the small hours of the morning the eldest brother went to the field with a gáŕu [ a pitcher or tankard with a spout, usually with a handle] in his hand, to get into a poetic mood. A gentle breeze was blowing, a poetic mood started coming to him, and the dark spots on the moon made it look like a slightly burnt chapati that had been overcooked. Then he suddenly noticed that there were three holes in front him, and there was water in all three holes, reflecting a moon in each, and there was one more in the sky. So, there were altogether four moons on earth. The eldest brother felt sudden poetic inspiration and wrote a line, Candra cáru [Four moons]. The eldest brother returned home hastily with the gáŕu [water pot] in hand and told his brothers, “Iʼve got it! Eureka, eureka! Now a fine one-line verse is on my lips.”
Without wasting a moment, and also taking a gáŕu, the second brother ran in the same direction and sat under a bak tree [Sesbania grandiflora] but he couldnʼt get into a poetic mood. Meanwhile, the moon had set, causing a real problem in setting the mood. Around that time, a bak flower fell on his head and immediately he was electrified by poetic inspiration, instantaneously composing a one-line poem: Mátháy phul paŕe – bakadháru [Flower drops on the head, the holder of bak flower].
With hectic speed he returned with the gáŕu because after some time they were to start for the royal court.
The third brother could not afford to delay. By the time he went to the field and sat down, the sun had already risen. In the sunshine, the copper gáŕu not only glittered but also became hot. The third brother was at once struck by poetic inspiration and composed a one line poem: Suryer uttápe támra gáŕu [The gáŕu made of copper is heated by the sun].
He ran back home, with the gáŕu in his hand, in such haste that he forgot to dip the gáŕu in the pond. After all, he was to start for the royal court shortly!
The three brothers, after dressing meticulously, set off (raváná(2)) in Bengali].
The youngest brother also joined them. The elder brother asked, “Why are you coming with us? Are you a poet like us?”
He said, “While going such a long distance with you I shall also be touched by a poetic mood. At the royal court I shall also have a go at poetry.”
After some time all the four brothers reached the royal court, and they were called one by one. The eldest brother read out his one line poem, Candra cáru.
The king called his treasurer and told him, “Give him twenty-five rupees as a reward.”
The second brother went in and recited – Mátháy phul paŕe – bakadháru.
The king told the cashier, “Give him twenty-five rupees as his fee.”
The third brother then appeared and read out the one-line poem, Suryer uttápe támra gáŕu.
The king told the cashier, “Give him twenty-five rupees as his parting fee.”
Then the youngest brother came and told the king, “Oh honourable king, I shall read out a poetic verse to you.”
The king said, “Very well, very well, please go ahead.”
He first pointed out his three brothers and then pointed the finger towards himself and said: “Ei je ámrá cárti bhái – goru” [We four brothers here are cows. This is a play of words – goru (cows), rhymes with the last word in each of the other three brothersʼ attempts, while making a joke about their low standard of poetry.]
The king was very pleased and told his treasurer, “Give him fifty rupees toward salutation fees.”
The story does not end here. The king then appointed the youngest brother as a jester in the royal court.
Footnotes
[1] The word santán is used both as masculine and feminine. The word santán that we get by adding the suffix ghaiṋ to the verbal root tan with the prefix sam is, of course masculine etymologically but it is used both as masculine and feminine. Some people try to make the feminine form of santán by using the word santati but that is not necessary.
[2] The word raváná is derived from the Hindustani rabáná. Many people write raoná by mistake.
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From: The Four Poetic Brothers
Source: Electronic edition version 9.0.13