Why Pak Diro Remained Poor

Pak Diro was an ordinary farmer living in an ordinary village in an ordinary part of Java. But he dreamed of becoming rich and having a large house surrounded by beautiful flowers, withlovely girls to wait on him. In his dream world, he would have everything he wanted without lifting a finger.

His wife used to tell him, "Pak Diro, why don't you stop dreaming? You will get nothing without working for it."

"You know nothing about men's affairs."

Finally, Pak Diro asked his wife to accompany him to a mountain top where they could pray, eat vegetables, and live simply. "In this way," Pak Diro told his wife, "God will help us."

One day, while they were praying, an old man with a long white beard appeared in front of them.

"Pak Diro," said the holy man. "I know what you want. I shall grant you two wishes only."

'Yes, yes, Your Lordship," said Pak Diro. He was so excited that he could hardly speak. "Er…..er… I want...."

"Wait," ordered the holy man. "Think well before you say anything. You'd better talk it over with your wife."

"Everyone wants health, wealth, happiness and long life," Pak Diro told his wife. "Which two shall we choose?"

"I would like health and happiness," his wife replied.

"But the most important thing in all the world is riches! Even the clever serve the rich."

"What can you do with money if you are unhappy and sick?" asked his wife.

Pak' Diro became very angry with his wife. "I wish you would turn into a goat," he cried.

There was a blinding flash and a cloud of smoke. Pak Diro was knocked tothe ground. When he got up, he found that his wish had been granted. His wife had been turned into a goat.

"Oh, what shall I do now?" he sobbed. 'I don't want to be married to a goat. Please return my wife to me."

The old man with a long white beard appeared again in front of him. 'This is your second wish, Pak Diro," he said. "I can bring your wife back to you but I cannot grant you another wish. You must besatisfied with what you have got. Workhard. Do your duty. Don't always think of money. You will then be happy and content."

The old man waved the stick he was carrying. The goat changed back into Pak Diro's wife. Pak Diro turned to thank the old man but he had disappeared.

Pak Diro never became rich but he followed the old man's advice, and he and his wife lived together happily ever after.

Lebai malang story (unlucky religious teacher)

Lebai malang story
(Favourite stories from Malaysia)

Lebai malang story (unlucky religious teacher)

Long, long ago. The name of Lebai Malang (Unlucky Religious Teacher) was known all over Malaysia. Some people are born to have good fortune in life, others are always unlucky. Lebai Malang was one of those who are always unlucky.

One day, three people approached him. One asked him to hold a funeral service. Another wanted him to recite the Koran. The third invited him to attend a dinner being given for his son who had just completed his religious studies.

Lebai Malang did not know what to do. He had never been asked to do three things on one day before.

“If I go to the funeral,” he thought, “I’m sure to get a present of cloth. If I

recite the Koran. I shall get as many cakes and sweets as I can eat. If I attend the dinner, I can eat as much as I want.”

At last he decided. “I shall go to the funeral,” he said. “The holy prophet said this is a duty.”

Unfortunately, by the time he arrived at the first man’s house, the funeral was over. He went on to the second man’s house, but the reciting of the Koran had finished. He was too late for the dinner at the third man’s house but there was a little food left over for him.

Sadly, he returned home. “I’ll climb my coconut tree and pick some coconuts,” he thought. He put the food he was carrying on the ground at the foot of the tree. He had only climbed half-way up the tree when he saw a dog stealing his food. He slid down the tree as fast as he could and chased the dog. The dog dived into a hole in a tree to escape. Lebai Malang thought, “Ah, now he can’t  get away!” he took off his clothes and stuffed them in the hole. He didn’t know that the dog had got out through another hole at the back of the tree.

Just at that moment, two pigeons flying overhead mistook him for a tree-stump. They landed on his head. “Cheh! Who do you think you are?” he said. Before they could fly away, he quickly caught hold of both of them. He then tried to transfer the bird in his right hand to his left hand  so that he could pick up his clothes with his right hand. While he was doing so, both birds flew away. Lebai Malang scratched his head, wondering what to do. As he bent down to pick up his clothes, a thief pushed him from behind. He fell over, and in a flash the thief snatched his clothes and ran away.

So Lebai Malang, un happy, hungry and naked, tried to enter his house unseen through the kitchen at the back. But his wife saw him and chased him round the house, and scolded and beat him until he cried for mercy.

The man and the crocodile story

The man and the crocodile story
(Folktale from Malaysia)

Folktale from Malaysia

A man was hurrying along a river bank. “Help, Help! Please have pity on me.” He looked all around him. Then he stared. It was a crocodile. There were tears streaming down its cheeks. It could not move because a tree had fallen on top of it and pinned its tail to the ground.
Folktale from Malaysia

The man said, “look, Mr. Crocodile, If I release you, will you eat me up?”

“No, no. how could I be so ungrateful?” said the crocodile.

The man pulled the tree off the crocodile’s tail. The crocodile quickly twisted round and seized the men by the leg.
Folktale from Malaysia

“Wait!” the man cried, very frightened. “Let’s ask my friend, Mr. Mousedeer, whether this is the right way for you to repay my kindness.”
Folktale from Malaysia

When the mousedeer arrived he pretended that he did not believe the story that the man told him.

“I can’t believe that you would be so good to Mr. crocodiles,” he said. “Probably you were trying to harm him and he caught hold of you. Er … er, Mr. Crocodile, would you please show me where you were lying when the man came along?”
Folktale from Malaysia

“Why, certainly,” said the crocodile. “I was here.”

Ah he let go of the man, the mousedeer shouted to the man to drop a log on the crocodile. The crocodile could not move.
Folktale from Malaysia

The man bowed and thanked the clever mousedeer.

“Ah,” said the mousedeer, “Don’t try to be too kind. It’s man’s nature to be ungrateful,”

He called out to an old sleeping-mat that was floating in midstream. “Hai there, old mat, what’s the reward for those who do kind acts?”
Folktale from Malaysia

“Mr. Mousedeer,” answered the mat, “just look at me. Once I was bright and new. Now that I am old you can see what has happened to me.”
Folktale from Malaysia

And then an empty cooking pot floated past. The mousedeer asked it the same question and receive the same reply.
Folktale from Malaysia

The tiger, the monkey, and the mousedeer story

The tiger, the monkey, and the mousedeer story
(Favourite story from Malaysia)

There was a tiger whose greatest friend was a monkey. One day, the tiger went away fo a holyday and told the monkey to look after his cave. A mousedeer, his wife and family came to live in the cave.

“you can’t do that,” said the monkey. “This cave belongs to the King of the Forest.”

“Oh, does it?” the mousedeer replied. “My father lived here long

before the tiger come. Anyway, I’m not afraid of the tiger, he’s only a paper tiger to me.”

He told his wife what to do when the tiger returned. “You must make our babies cry. I’ll then ask you why they’re crying. You must say that they want to eat tiger meat,”

A few days later, the monkey heard that the tiger was coming home. He ran to meet him. “The mousedeer’s living in your cave.” He told him. “He says he’s not afraid of you and that you’re only a paper tiger.”

“Is that so?” growled the tiger. “I’ll soon teach hi a lesson.”

The tiger did not believe that the small mousedeer could be so brave. He crept up to the cave.

The mousedeer’s children were crying loudly, “Keep quiet,” said Mrs. Mousedeer ”Your father will soon get some tiger meat for you.”

Then tiger heard this and ran back to the monkey.

“I thought that mousedeer only ate grass and vegetables,” he said. “But Mrs. Mousedeer said that her husband would soon get some tiger meat to feed their children. Perhaps the mousedeer has changed?”

“Don’t worry,” the monkey replied, “They’re only saying that to frightened you. The mousedeer is not big and strong. He can’t fight.”

The next day, the tiger went to the cave again. The mousedeer’s children were again crying.

“Tell them to kept quiet,” said the mousedeer to his wife. “We shall certainly get some tiger meat today. The monkey has promised to send the tiger here.”

When the tiger heard this, he became very angry with his friend, he quickly run after the monkey and killed him.

The tiger did not go back to the cave, and the mousedeer and his family lived there happily ever after.

Mice have sharp teeth

Mice can eat iron bar story
(Favourite story from Malaysia)

Many years ago, there was a trader who had to leave suddenly for a far country. He did not know what to do with some iron bars which he had. As his friend had a shop, he left them with him.

“Please try to sell them for me at the best possible price.” He told his friend. “You can pay me when return.”

“Oh, all right,” said his friend, “I’ll do my best to help you.”

While he was away, his friend

sold them for him at a good price.

After several months, the trader returned home. “Did you sell the iron bars for me?” he asked his friend.

“I’m sorry,” said his friend sadly, “I didn’t want to write and tell you about it, but your iron bars were eaten up by mice.”

“Eaten by mice! How is that possible?”

“Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it’s true.”

“Oh, well,” said the trader, “I knew that mice have sharp teeth but I didn’t know they could eat iron bars.”

Next day, the trader saw his friend’s son playing in the street. “I’ve brought back a present for you,” he said. “Why don’t you come home with me to collect it?” the small boy followed him home. When they reached his house, the trader’s wife asked the boy to stay for dinner. After dinner, as it was getting dark, she asked him to stay for the night. “I’m sure your father won’t mind.” She said. “He’s an old friend of my husband’s.”

Early next morning the boy’s father came running to the trader’s house. “Have you seen my son?” he asked.

“Your son …? Ah, yes I saw an eagle swoop down and carry him off..”

“How can an eagle be so strong?” asked the boy’s father.

“Well, I supposed in the same way the mice can eat my iron bars,” said the trader.

His friend understood what he meant without saying any more.

“All right,” he said, “If you’ll give me back my son, I’ll pay you or the iron bars.”

The golden chain story

The golden chain story
(Favourite Story From Malaysia)

Many years ago, there was a fisherman in Malaysia whose name was Mahmud. He was a kind man but he dreamed of nothing else but how to get rich. He was not really interested in catching fish. He had heard tales from his father and grandfather of treasure ships being sunk off the coast of Malaysia. So he visited all these places in the hope of being able to

fish up some treasure from the bottom of the sea.

One day, while he was dozing in the hot sun, he felt something tugging at his fishing line. He pulled it in to see what he had caught. It was such hard work that he wondered what it was. As his fishing line came out of water, he was surprised to see that he had caught a heavy golden chain.

He learned over the side of the ship to pull in the chain. “It must be worth thousands of dollars,” he thought “I shall be able to buy a big house with padi field around it.”

The chain seemed to be endless. The more he pulled, the more there was. “I can buy some jewelry for my wife,” he thought. “There will be no need for me to work any more. I can hire men to work for me.” The chain filled his boat. He did not notice that it was so heavy that his boat was beginning to sink. “I can buy a rubber estate and a coconut plantation--- a herd of buffaloes. My wife can have a chicken farm too. I can open a bank account. I ---I --- Ugh!” the water closed over his head. He tried to swim up through the water but his legs were trapped in the golden chain.

That was the last that was ever seen of him.

His wife, children and friends were very sad when he did not return home that evening. His wife said, “He was a good man but it is a pity that he was so greedy. The old saying is quite right --- “Greed leads a man to his destruction just as a camel is led by its driver.”