Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese Vol II. - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/247

 at Lam Puchōʾ; elsewhere there are no famous teachers; come, sound our depth! Logic is taught at Lam Paya, dogma at Kruëng Kalé; your questions are put without consideration. On the mountains there are sala-trees, on the shore there are arōn-trees; the waves come in and pile up the sand. Take some rice (provision for the travelling student) and come and learn from me even though I teach you but one single little line. At Kruëng Kalé there are many teachers, Teungku Meusé is as the lamp of the world. They (these great teachers) have never yet entered into a contest with any man with learned questions; to do so is a token of conceit, ambition, pride and vain-glory. Conceit and ambition, pride and vain glory, by these sins have many been brought to destruction. People who are well brought up are never made a prey to shame; those who trust in God are never overtaken by misfortune. Others have propounded many learned questions, oh my master, but never such foolish ones as thou. With a single kupang (one-eighth of a dollar) in thy purse, thou dost desire to take all the land in the world in pledge ; others possess store of diamonds and set no such value on their wealth as thou.

Hereupon follows the kisah of the party B, and after this or after the nasib has been pursued still further in the same manner, it becomes the turn of the party B to take the leading part. Immediately after the latter has recited their last kisah, it begins its ratéb duëʾ, and now the party A which previously took the lead must exhibit its skill in following quickly and without mistakes the tunes, gestures and gymnastic play with hands and kerchiefs, which their opponents have previously rehearsed and can thus perform with ease.

The ratéb thus runs again exactly the same course as that we have just described, only with a change of rôles, and with certain variations which do not affect the essence of the performance.

As soon as this is all finished, the ratéb duëʾ is succeeded by the ratéb dòng or "standing ratéb". This generally occurs somewhat after midnight, about the first cock-crow. The sadati of party A comes forward, and his daléms ("elder brothers") stand behind him; party B continues sitting, no longer in the half-kneeling posture of one who