Bidasari

(Epiko ng Mindanao)

Ang kaharian ng Kembayat ay naliligalig dahil sa isang dambuhalang ibon. Ang ibong ito ay mapaminsala sa mga pananim at maging buhay ng tao. Ang ibong ito ay ang ibong garuda. Kapag dumarating na ang garuda, mabilis na nagtatakbuhan ang mga tao upang magtago sa mga yungib. Takot na takot sila sa ibong garuda pagka't ito'y kumakain ng tao.
Sa pagtatakbuhan ng mga tao, nagkahiwalay ang sultan at sultana ng Kembayat. Ang sultana ng Kembayat ay nagdadalantao noon. Sa laki ng takot ay naisilang niya ang sanggol na babae sa may tabi ng ilog. Dahil sa malaking takot at pagkalito ay naiwan niya ang sanggol sa bangka sa ilog.
May nakapulot naman ng sanggol. Siya ay si Diyuhara, isang mangangalakal mula sa kabilang kaharian. Kanyang pinagyaman at pinauwi sa bahay ang sanggol. Itinuring niya itong anak. Pinangalanan nila ang sanggol na Bidasari. Habang lumalaki si Bidasari ay lalo pang gumaganda. Maligaya si Bidasari sa piling ng kanyang nakikilalang magulang.

Sa kaharian ng Indrapura, ang sultang Mongindra ay dalawang taon pa lamang kasal kay Lila Sari. Mapanibughuin si Lila Sari. Natatakot siyang umibig pa sa ibang babae ang sultan. Kaya lagi niyang itinatanong sa sultan, kung siya'y mahal nito na sasagutin naman ng sultan ng: "mahal na mahal ka sa akin." Hindi pa rin nasisiyahan ang magandang asawa ng sultan. Kaniyang itinanong na minsan sa sultan: "Hindi mo kaya ako malimutan kung may makita kang higit na maganda kaysa akin?" Ang naging tugon ng

Sultan ay: "Kung higit na maganda pa sa iyo, ngunit ikaw ang pinakamaganda sa lahat." Nag-alala ang sultana na baka may lalo pang mas maganda sa kanya at ito ay makita ng sultan. Kaya't karakarakang inutusan niya ang matapat niyang mga kabig na saliksikin ang kaharian upang malaman kung may babaeng higit na maganda sa sultana.
Nakita ng mga tauhan ni Lila Sari si Bidasari at siya ay higit na maganda kaysa kay Lila Sari.

Inanyayahan ng Sultana si Bidasari sa palasyo upang di-umano ay gagawing dama ng sultana. Ngunit pagsapit doon, si Bidasari ay lihim na ikinulong ni Lila Sari sa isang gilid at doon pinarurusahan.
Nang hindi na matiis ni Bidasari ang mga pagpaparusa sa kanya, sinabi niyang kunin ang isdang ginto sa halamanan ng kanyang ama. Kapag araw ito'y ipinakukuwintas kay Lila Sari at sa gabi'y ibinabalik sa tubig at hindi maglalaon si Bidasari ay mamamatay. Pumayag si Lila Sari. Kinuha niya ang isdang ginto at ipinauwi na niya si Bidasari.
Isinuot nga ni Lila Sari ang kuwintas ng gintong isda sa araw at ibinabalik sa tubig kung gabi. Kaya't si Bidasari ay nakaburol kung araw at muling nabubuhay sa gabi. Nag-alala si Diyuhara na baka tuluyang patayin si Bidasari. Kaya nagpagawa siya ng isang magandang palasyo sa gubat at doon niya itinira nang mag-isa si Bidasari.

Isang araw, ang Sultan Mongindra ay nangaso sa gubat. Nakita niya ang isang magandang palasyo. Ito'y nakapinid. Pinilit niyang buksan ang pinto. Pinasok niya ang mga silid. Nakita niya ang isang napakagandang babae na natutulog. Hindi niya magising si Bidasari. Umuwi si Sultan Mongindra na hindi nakausap si Bidasari. Bumalik ang sultan kinabukasan. Naghintay siya hanggang gabi. Kinagabihan nabuhay si Bidasari. Nakausap siya ni Sultan Mongindra. Ipinagtapat ni Bidasari ang mga ginawa ni Lila Sari. Galit na galit ang sultan. Iniwan niya si Lila Sari sa palasyo at agad na pinakasalan si Bidasari. Si Bidasari na ang naging reyna.

Samantala, pagkaraan ng maraming taon, ang tunay na mga magulang ni Bidasari ay matahinik nang naninirahang muli sa Kembayat. Nagkaroon pa
sila ng isang supling. Ito'y si Sinapati. Nang pumunta sa Kembayat ang isang anak ni Diyuhara ay nakita niya si Sinapati, anak ng sultan at sultana ng Kembayat.
Si Sinapati ay kamukhang-kamukha ni Bidasari. Kinaibigan nito si Sinapati at ibinalita ang kapatid niyang si Bidasari na kamukhang-kamukha ni Sinapati. Itinanong ni Sinapati sa mga magulang kung wala siyang kapatid na nawawalay sa kanila. Pinasama ng ama si Sinapati sa Indrapura. Nang magkita si Bidasari at Sinapati ay kapwa sila nangilalas dahil sa silang dalawa ay magkamukhang-magkamukha. Natunton ng Sultan ng Kembayat ang nawawala niyang anak. Nalaman ng sultan ng Indrapura na ang kanyang pinakasalang si Bidasari ay isa palang tunay na prinsesa.

English Version:

When a simple merchant, his young son and mute servant are out in the woods, they chance upon a drifting boat, in which there is a baby girl and a bowl containing a live goldfish. The merchant realises that the baby is unusual because her life is bonded to the fish: if the fish leaves the water, she stops breathing. The merchant adopts the baby as her own and names her Bidasari. Years later Bidasari grows up into a beautiful young woman while the merchant has prospered into a wealthy businessman. At the royal palace of this kingdom, the King has just remarried a beautiful woman, the Permaisuri (Queen). The Permaisuri is a proud woman who secretly practises witchcraft. Hidden in her chambers is a magic mirror that can show her anything she asks. She uses it to ask who the most beautiful in all the land is. One day when she asks the mirror this question, the image of Bidasari appears in it. She is enraged by this and carries out a search to find who Bidasari is. Her search leads her to the merchant's house. Under the guise of kindness, the Permaisuri asks the merchant for permission to bring Bidasari to the palace to be her companion. Although the merchant is reluctant to part with his beloved daughter, he lets her go. But once Bidasari arrives at the palace, she is sent to the kitchens as a servant, where she is starved and given the dirtiest jobs. After the Permaisuri is satisfied that Bidasari has been ruined, she once again asks her magic mirror who is the most beautiful in the land. When the mirror shows Bidasari yet again, the Permaisuri flies into a rage and runs to the kitchen where she grabs burning pieces of firewood which she tries to burn Bidasari's face with. She is shocked when the fire goes out and Bidasari's face is left untouched. Bidasari, who has by now realised that the Permaisuri's malice is targeted only at her and will never stop, begs for mercy and explains her life is bonded to that of a fish that is kept in a bowl in her father's garden. The Permaisuri has a servant steal the fish for her from the merchant's garden, and as soon as the fish leaves the water, Bidasari collapses and stops breathing. Satisfied that Bidasari's life is in her hands, the Permaisuri hangs the fish around her neck as a trophy. When she asks the mirror who is the most beautiful in the land, the mirror shows her own image. The merchant realises that the fish is missing, and is told that Bidasari died mysteriously at the palace. Her body is returned to him and he builds a small tomb for her in the woodswhere her body is laid out in peace. Meanwhile, the Permaisuri's stepson the Prince has been having dreams about Bidasari, although he has never met her. The dreams plague him even in his waking hours, despite his father's advice that such a beautiful woman cannot exist. The Permaisuri sees her stepson acting this way and plants a painting of Bidasari in his room. The Prince finds the painting, which leads him to the merchant who explains the sad tale of Bidasari's death and the mysterious disappearance of the fish. The Prince decides to visit Bidasari's tomb to see her beauty with his own eyes. Coincidentally at this time, back at the palace the Permaisuri is having a bath in the royal bathing pool. The fish manages to break free of its locket and drops into the water where it starts swimming. This causes Bidasari to wake up right before the Prince's eyes. Bidasari tells him of what the Permaisuri did to her, which confirms the Prince's suspicions of his stepmother. When the Permaisuri finishes her bath, she discovers that the fishhas gotten free. She manages to catch it just as the Prince is about to help Bidasari leave the tomb, causing her to fall unconscious again. The Prince places Bidasari back in the tomb and promises to make things right. The Prince returns to the palace in a fury, demanding that the Permaisuri give him the fish. The Permaisuri pretends not to know anything, and when the King listens to the Prince's explanation, the King declares that his son has gone insane and calls the royal guards. A fight ensues, during which the Permaisuri is injured and dies. Just before the Prince is about to be captured, the merchant and the Prince's loyal manservants arrive with Bidasari on a stretcher. The merchant explains that the story about the fish being bonded to Bidasari's life is true. The Prince takes the fish from the locket around the Permaisuri's neck and puts it into a bowl of water. As soon as the fish enters the water, Bidasari comes back to life. The King apologises to his son, and the Prince and Bidasari are married.

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