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From Fables & Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest, Collected and Translated by Walter Skeat, M.A., Illustrated by F. H. Townsend; Cambridge: At the University Press; 1901; pp. 71-72, 84-85.
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THE FATE OF THE SILVER PRINCE AND PRINCESS LEMON-GRASS.
ONCE upon a time there was a beautiful king’s daughter called Princess ‘Lemon-grass’1 a who was betrothed to another king’s son called the ‘Silver’ Prince2.b In due course of time a lucky day for the wedding was fixed, and on its arrival the Bridegroom’s party went forth in procession to escort him to the house of the Bride, with the noise of gongs and drums, according to the custom of the country. But at the very last hour, even while the Bridegroom’s procession was approaching, the Bride changed her mind, and threatened to resist the Bridegroom by force. At this juncture however, one Tĕgah made peace between them, standing like a wall between the
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pair and forbidding the conflict. Yet even as they stood, they were all summoned by the Gĕdémbai, and as they did not obey the summons, they were forthwith changed into Hills. And the name of the Hill into which the Princess was changed was ‘Lemon-grass Crag3 ’ (or ‘Kedah Peak’), and that of the Prince was ‘Silver Mountain4,’ and that of the peace-maker was ‘Sheer Hill5.’c And so to this day ‘Sheer Hill’ stands like a wall between the conflicting parties.
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1 Sĕrei.
2 Pērak.
3 Gunong Jĕrai.
4 Bukit Pēak.
5 Bukit Tĕgah.
a Princess Lemon-grass. By a popular etymology,
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the Malay name of Kedah Peak (“Gūnong Jĕrai” or “
‘Jĕrai’ Crag”) is here derived from the Malay word sĕrei which means ‘lemon-grass’ (citronella). In the “Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa” it is said to be so called “on account of its height.” The name is however undoubtedly taken from the name of the Tree (Jĕrai), v. supra (p. 36).
b the Silver Prince. The Malay word for silver is “Perak,” whence not only the name of this mountain, but also those of the Perak river and the Perak state, are derived.
c Sheer Hill. This is the meaning of the name of “Būkit Tĕgah,” a steep hill situated between the Silver Mountain (Būkit Perak) and Kedah Peak (Gūnong Jĕrai). I may add that the difference in use of the terms “Gūnong” and “Būkit” has nothing whatever to do with the question of height (as in the case of the words ‘hill’ and ‘mountain’ in English). The former (gūnong) means a more or less bare and precipitous peak or crag, whilst the latter (būkit) is used of all forest-covered hills or mountains.
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