SIDI, SIAMANG, ADUNADA
By R. O. Winstedt.
On page 605 of Skeat's "Malay Magic," under LXX occur the lines:—
Bukan-nya aku yang bĕrburu,
Pawang Sidi yang bĕrburu;
Bukan-uya uku yang punya anjing,
Pawang Sakti yang punya anjing.
on page 640, under CXCIX
Maalim Saidi yang punya lawar
Maalim Karimun[1] yang mĕnawar
—in a Perak MS. Charm-book, Maalim Karimum is found on page 607 (LXXIII)
Bukan aku yang bĕrburu,
To patek Sung Sidi yang bĕrburu:
on page 589, XV
Aku-lah yang bĕrnama Dato Mĕntala Guru
Sakti di-rumah:
Sĕdang Sidi nama-nya aku:
on page 607, LXXVI
O sĕrba Saidi
Tuan patek yang punya rusa:
on page 590, XVIII
Bĕrkat Sidi těrjali sĕndiri,
Mĕnjadikan sakalian alam.
Now in all the above quotations Sidi is taken to be the name of a person; and in some cases is confused with the Arabic saidi 'lord,' either by the Malay pawang or by his European transcriber. But clearly sĕrba Saidi is a very doubtful phrase in the context, if it is to be rendered "all sorts of Lords;" and běrkal Sidi těrjali sěndiri, if it referred to a pawang, would ascribe to him preposterous powers. However in the first of the quotations, sidi
- ↑ A pawang philologist glibly explains yang bĕrdiam di-Pulau Karimun (Skeat p. 581). Is it perhaps the Skt. Gariman (= guru + iman.)
