Note 17 — Chapter XVI · FUNERAL CEREMONIES—continued

The first part of this lament begins with the kwarzam of the maiir, or barren buffalo, slaughtered at the funeral. It is not quite clear which of the clauses at the beginning refer to the buffalo and which to the man. I do not know the meaning of the second clause. The free rendering of the third and fourth was said to be, “Your horns crept so well; your horns crept well to the front.” The general sense of the other clauses was said to be as follows: “O, your leg like trousers, your horns like a car, your foot is like that of an elephant, you walk with a step like a European soldier, your appearance is like that of a sambhar. I saw you were the most beautiful buffalo of all.” It seems probable that the lament so far refers altogether to the buffalo. Then follows, “They said that you would be the parent of the dead, but now you are dead yourself”; or, “When old people are yet alive, why are young ones taken?” Then follows the kwarzam of the Kars clan, and the rest obviously refers to Pidrvan himself: “O chief of many villages, conqueror, peace-loving and yet strong man. You were like Kavanadi, who carried the posts of the buffalo-pen.17 O man of wonderful birth, renowned you were born; you held councils; you fined some by money and some by buffaloes; you settled who should marry the women. In the midst of barren buffaloes you went; you caught the throats of the buffaloes; you ran first and caught the buffaloes before the chosen men; well you danced and shouted finely; you invented new things. To-day for the last time I saw your face. Has the angel of death come to you? I see nothing but ashes in your burning-place. In your azaram place I see nothing but grass growing.”