This song seems to be part of a much longer song of praise as the young warriors return home. The word layak, the author was unable to translate. The reference to mushrooms is quite common in Kenyah songs.
A Morik Song
Come back to the place of your birth
where your youth has been spentCome back younger brother of mine, so familiar
Bother of Urai Unok
Mushrooms there’ll be, that grow on logs now submerged
Headhunting and enemiesAway and back to your home again
Where your youth was spent
Come elder brother, our favourite oneUrai Unok
The juice of the sugar cane. Ah ! Enemies !The enemy who work together and call all the people
Let’s cut the rice together. Let’s work in the padi fields
Away to the march. But whisper
A big jar of wine is prepared, shoot of the plants
Your elder brother praises you, you youngsters of the day
Pet children and well behaved
Lets praise the youth of now a days
Sit down, like the layak
Come and gather round like the layak pet
You Lasong, our dear child, so good mannered
We praise you; for you we separate the rice from the chaff
.Lawng Ngang has a charm to scare the spirits
We want to separate the rice from the chaff
Son of Lawing, we praise you. Look what we see in the skies
Let us praise them Up in the skies between the clouds”
We want to come and separate the rice from the chaff”Said Lawang
“I have a charm, favourite child of mine and so good
Let us give praise. The rice is separated; the clouds are gathering
Come, sit down and rest! Gather close and watch over the nest!
The nest of the hornbill…the gunwale of the boat
Birds that rest and guard their nests!
Protect the nest, close your wings tight over the nest…
There is the “lemulan” tree with its smooth bark
Father Lawang gather the folk together
Let us give praise to father Lawing”Jalong !
What do you intend to do
.We want you to beat the drum
Full grown my child with his ornaments
of blue beads
Beads of Tubong which were given to Lawng”
Jalong ! like the “lemilan” tree of the slippery bark
What idea is inside your heart? “—–
-Translated by the Very Rev. A.D. Galvin as sung by Tama Bon, The Tua Kampong of Long Semiang in Baram in the Sarawak Museum Journal December, 1965
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