SI LUNDU NIPAHU (Story telling)
Si Lundu Nipahu was a son of a King in North Sumatera. He should have lived happily as a prince with his royal family. However, a disaster overwhelmed the palace when his uncle carried out a coup d’etat and killed the King or Si Lundu’s father. Si Lundu was pursued by his uncle. Therefore Si Lundu ran away to some jungles.
One day because of fatigue, Si Lundu sat under a giant leafy tree. Suddenly a snake crawled in front of him swallowing a frog.The frog screamed in dreadful pain with heartbreaking voice. Si Lundu woke up and ran after the snake. With a bar of wood, Si Lundu Nipahu pressed the snake’s head so that the frog that was inside the mouth could jump and escaped immediately.
The frog was save and said,“Thank you young man, I won’t forget your kind manner.” said the frog from a distance. Si Lundu smiled to hear the magic speaking frog’s utterance.
Then Si Lundu sat again under the giant tree. A few moments later, a snake of which its head was pressed by Si Lundu appeared before him. Before doing something, Si Lundu Nipahu heard the snake saying:” Hey young man, Why did you release the frog from me just now? Seeing the snake could speak, Si Lundu was surprised. He began feeling afraid.
“Hey young man! Answer my question. Otherwise, I will kill you.” Said the snake again.
Feeling trembling, Si Lundu said:”Sorry, I have to release the frog since my father always advises me to help any living things that need help. Otherwise I don’t obey my father’s advice and violate my obligation.”
“If so, you should help me for I am in trouble. I will die in starvation if you don’t find a substitute for the frog as my prey.” uttered the snake.
“What thing should I give you as a substitute?” asked Si Lundu Nipahu in fear. The snake just asked for a cut of flesh of Si Lundu Nipahu’s thigh as the same size as the frog. Si Lundu Nipahu had to fulfil the snake’s request and was in strong pain when he made a cut on his thigh.
After grabbing the flesh of Si Lundu’s thigh, the venomous snake run to the bush swiftly, while Si Lundu Nipahu lied on the ground in pain. The wound on his thigh was spurting much blood.
“It really hurts, somebody helps me please!” cried Si Lundu.
A few moments later as bearing his strong pain, Si Lundu saw the snake approaching him while bringing a leaf in its mouth. the snake said to him :”Hey, young man. Take this leaf from my mouth, and apply it to the wound on your thigh.”
Soon Si Lundu Nipahu did it accordingly. As the leaf pertained the wounded thigh, the wound was gone without leaving a trace. Si Lundu was surprised to see the reality.
Si Lundu Nipahu heard the snake saying that he deserved to have the healing leaf that could cure any diseases. Soon after saying, the snake crawled to the bush.
Then Si Lundu Nipahu started a journey. A week later, Si Lundu Nipahu arrived in a big kingdom. He stayed at a house of which the owner was a lonely old woman who really cared Si Lundu Nipahu because of his good character.
One night the old woman told Si Lundu Nipahu that the only daughter of the King had been seriouslyill for a long time. The old woman explained that nobody knew what kind of disease affecting the Pangeran. She just lied on her bed and her body was getting thin.
“Are there no holy traditional healers in this Kingdom?” asked Si Lundu.
The old woman explained that dozens of traditional healers including from overseas tried to cure her, but her illness remained uncurable.
The next morning, Si Lundu Nipahu went to the palace covertly. Due to his polite manner, the King was very pleased with Si Lundu who had commendable behaviors.
With the King’s permission, he tried to heal the princess’ disease and she could recovered quickly. To appreciate his successful effort, the King married his daughter to Si Lundu Nipahu.
A year later, Si Lundu and his wife accompanied by dozens of warriors sailed to his native land. Si Lundu wanted to strive for justice from his uncle who had been holding the throne after murdering Si Lundu’s father.
When sailing through the long river to his native land, his hereditary ring from his father sunk into the river. Si Lundu Nipahu was very sad to know that he would get difficulty to gain the throne if he lost the ring. Suddenly a frog he helped jumped up from the river and stood in front of them. The frog spewed Si Lundu Nipahu’s ring from its mouth.
At last Si Lundu Nipahu reached his native land and commanded his warriors to wait upon his uncle’s warriors attack for he felt sure they would be welcome by his uncle with an assault.
After a long wait, a big number of his uncle’s warriors did not come up but there appeared an old man who was the palace attendant. “Uncle Napu!” greeted Si Lundu. “Pangeran Lundu, Thanks God. You come back here safely. Your return is really on the right moment.”said Uncle Napu.
“How come, Uncle?
“For your information, three days ago your uncle died. He died of snake’s bite as he was hunting for deer. People have been waiting for your return.” said uncle Napu.
The return of the crown prince, Si Lundu Nipahu, made the whole people happy. All people demanded Si Lundu Nipahu to be crowned as the legal King to replace his father that was murdered by his uncle.
A sincere person who helps others will receive a nice blessing. On the contrary, a cruel person who does bad things to others will suffer agonies of guilt.
GLOSSARY
a few moments later : beberapa saat
accordingly : sesuai dengan
advise : menasihati
affect : mempengaruhi
agonies of guilt : perasaan hati
apply : mengusapkan
appreciate : menghargai
approach : mendekati
assault : serangan
attendant : pembantu
be accompanied : ditemani
be crowned : dinobatkan
be pursued : dikejar
be ruled : diperintah
bear : menahan
bite : gigitan
blessing : berkah
bush : semak-semak
care : peduli
carry out : melakukan
commendable : terpuji
coup d’etat : kudeta
covertly : secara diam-diam
crawl : merayap
crown : mahkota
cruel : jahat
cure : menyembuhkan
demand : menuntun
distance : jarak
dreadful : histeris
due to : karena
effort : usaha
escape : melarikan diri
fatigue : kelelahan
fear : ketakutan
flesh : daging
get thin : menjadi kurus
healing leaf : menyembuhkan
heartbreaking : menyayat hati
hereditary : warisan
holy : suci
however : namun demikian
lose/ lost : hilang
manner : perilaku
murder : membunuh
obligation : kewajiban
on the contrary : sebaliknya
otherwise : jika tidak
overseas : luar negeri
overwhelm : menyelimuti
pertain : menyentuh
prey : mangsa
receive : menerima
release : melepaskan
replace : menggantikan
request : permintaan
return : kembali
royal : kerajaan
run after : mengejar
run/ ran away : melarikan diri
sink/ sunk : tenggelam
spew : memuntahkan
spurt : memuncrat
starvation : kelaparan
strive : berjuang
substitute : pengganti
suffer : menderita
swallow : menelan
swiftly : dengan cepat
thigh : paha
throne : mahkota
through : melalui
traditional healer : tabib
tremble : gemetar
uncurable : tidak tersembuhkan
utterance : ucapan
venomous : berbisa
violate : mengingkari
whole : seluruh
wound : luka
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Who was Si Lundu Nipahu?
2. Why did Si Lundu Nipahu run away from the palace?
3. What animals did Si Lundu met in a jungle?
4. Why did Si Lundu feel afraid of the snake?
5. Why did the snake threat Si Lundu?
6. What did the snake want from Si Lundu as a substitute for the frog?
7. What did Si Lundu receive from the snake for healing his wound?
8. What could the leaf cure?
9. Who welcame Si Lundu to stay in her house?
10. Who was sick and just stayed in the bedroom?
11. Why were there no holy traditional healers able to cure the princess’ disease?
12. Why did the King marry her daughter to Si Lundu Nipahu?
13. Why did Si Lundu and his wife travel back to his native land?
14. What animal helped Si Lundu get his hereditary ring?
15. What did the people want from Si Lundu?
16. What is the moral value of the story.
