My E Sarn Folktale Called Tiger And Elephant

Tiger And Elephant

Retold by Grandfather Thaew  NouengWanna

Translated by Kowit Huisena 

          Once upon the time, there were Tiger, Elephant and a man. One day, the man rode on the elephant’s neck in order to go to the forest. They saw the tiger that was laughing to the elephant and asked the question.

          “Elephant, you are so big as the dinosaur why you let that small man ride on your neck?” The tiger complained.

          “This man is so kind and clever, do you know that?” The elephant replied.

          “Where is your cleverness, man?” the tiger asked “Where are you?”

          “I am here, tiger.” The man answered.

          “Why don’t you use your cleverness to me, man?” The tiger challenged

          “Alright, But I don’t bring my cleverness stick with me right now. I keep it in my house, tiger” The man replied to the tiger.

          “Why don’t you go back and take it.” The tiger suggested.

          “If I do like that, you might go away for sure.” The man opposed.

          “You can tie up my legs.” The tiger suggested again. Then, the man tied the tiger’s legs and asked the elephant to keep an eye on the tiger. The man went back his home and took a big whip back with him to the tiger and the elephant. By the way, the tiger in the past had yellow skin without any black stripes.

When the man arrived at the place that the tiger and the elephant were, the tiger began to asked the question.

“Where is your cleverness stick?”

Then, the man replied. “It is in my hand.”

“Oh, it is just a stick of cleverness” The tiger insulted. As soon as the tiger insulted, the man began to flog the tiger on the tiger’s back until the black stripes were found on the tiger’s back. Furthermore, the elephant in the past had big eyes as a coconut. He laughed to the tiger if the tiger was flogged until the elephant’s eyes became small which are the same as nowadays.