Once there was a handsome young man by the name of Ngan Bawm and a beautiful young girl called Zawl Tling. These two young persons were born at the same hour on the same day in the same village. However, Ngan Bawm the boy was born of lowly clan and Zawl Tling the girl came from noble family.
During their infancy, the mothers of the two babies were great friends. So when they went to the taungyas each of them carried on her back her baby, while, the two mothers actually worked in the field the little infants were laid to sleep in the tent. But since Zawl Tling was from a higher social class, she was laid at a higher place than Ngan Bawm.
But when the mothers came back to the tent to rest, they were surprised to see every time that the two babies were sleeping cuddled up together. The mothers used to joke, therefore, that their children should be married off.
As they grow older the infants’ love for each other grew more and more. One day after they became adults the boy’s mother proposed to the girl’s mother that her son marry her daughter. Zawl Tling’s mother turned down the proposal saying that Ngan Bawn was not worthy of her daughter. Not only was the offer rejected, the girl’s mother even became hostile to the boy’s mother, her old friend.
The two young lovers were at a loss. They did not know what to do. They were separated by the great wall of birth and descent. The beautiful young woman was pining with love and refused to eat and drink. She grew weak and feeble and died. Ngan Bawm the boyfriend was not permitted to even look at the dead girl at close quarters by the cruel and hard mother of Zawl Tling’s. He had to watch his dead girlfriend from a distance.
When the coffin was to be taken out of the house, it seemed that it was too big for the door. The coffin couldn’t be taken out. The mourners opined that Ngan Bawm could do it. He was sent for. As soon as he arrived, he sang a song something like this.
You are the female cat. I am the male cat. Let’s embrace each other and get out. So singing Ngan Bawm took out the coffin easily.
The cortege left for the cemetery. Although Ngan Bawm would like very much to be one of the coffin bearers he was denied the honour. But when the coffin was lowered into the grave, the hole seemed to be too small for the box. Again the services and the song of the heart-broken young man were necessary to bury the dead. The lovelorn Ngan Bawn planted flowers around the grave of his lover. He tended and surrounded it well with fences. Nobody was allowed to enter the flower garden or plucked the flowers. The dead Zawl Tling arrived in the city of spirits. She asked Sazaw (a creature that can travel between the city of the dead and the city of the humans) to go to the city of man and pluck the most beautiful flowers from the garden belonging to Ngan Bawm.
When Sazaw reached the city of man and tried to pluck the flower, Ngan Bawm stopped him and asked him for whom he tried to pluck the flower. Sazaw told him that it was for his devoted lover Zawl Tling. Ngan Bawm was so very pleased and asked Sazaw if he could follow him to the city of the psyche. Sazaw asked;
“Will you be able to go through the cave”?
“Yes, of course”
“Do you think you can follow me through the thickets of thorns?”
“I think so”
“If so then follow me”. In this way they reached the city of the spirits safe and sound. From that day onwards, Ngan Bawn and Zawl Tling could live together. However, human being and spirit being different in nature and shape, they could not sleep together.
One day Ngan Bawm went fishing with his neighbours. When they reached the stream there were bamboo leaves floating on the surface of the water. The psyches picked them up saying they were fish. Ngan Bawm, however, picked only four or five leaves as padding for the porous bottom of his basket. On his arrival back home his wife praised him, applauded him and cooked the fish and they ate together with relish.
On another day they went hunting and the spirits looked for caterpillars saying they were bears, Ngan Bawm did not want to do like the others and went to four directions and killed only four or five caterpillars. The spirits were very pleased with the trophies.
At another time, the spirits or psyches went to the woods to split timber. Others found it very difficult to split even the likes of leaves and flowers. They tried but were unsuccessful. But Ngan Bawm, being human being, split a lot of timber without much difficulty. He was able to present his loving wife with beautiful wooden flooring for her house.
One day Zawl Tling said to Ngan Bawm, “It is most saddening that we could not have physical relationships although we are living together. Now go to the city of human beings and do as I say. Kill a spotlessly white cock. Sharpen a bamboo pole and hung down from the roof with its pointed arrow pointing to your heart and go to bed. Cover yourself with a blanket vertically.”
Nang Bawm did exactly as he was asked by his beloved wife. And the sharp and pointed bamboo pole fell down from above, pierced his heart and killed him. Then his spirit immediately went to the city of the dead. He sawa well-furnished and decorated mansion and the heads of caterpillars and was very surprised. He asked his wife, who had built a house so beautiful and so grand for you? Who had shot these bears?
“It was you who had done it. Nobody had done anything for me. Have you forgotten the fact that you had come here once already?” She replied. Ngan Bawm and Zawl Tling seemed to be happy together at last. But unfortunately, Zawl Tling’s mother had died in the city of human beings and her psyche came to live with them.
The unrepentant mother of Zawl Tling’s was still full of hatred for Ngan Bawm even in this life. The bapless Ngan Bawm was driven away from home.
The repressed lovers vowed:
“We two did not live together during our lives as human beings. We are not living together here in this life. We are suffering from the cruelty and thoughtlessness of our mother. Our lives are so miserable. But we do not want to let them end here and in this way. Let us become two bright stars in the sky so that future generations can see us. Let’s meet once every three years”.
Their vows were witnessed by wind, water and rain.
Ngan Bawm lived in the East and Zawl Tling lived in the West of the sky. They met once every three years as agreed. Wind, water and rain witnessed all their dates.
Even at present these stars can be seen. Lovers who are repressed too much usually sing a song something like this in reference to this legend.
“As human beings we couldn’t marry”.
“As spirits we couldn’t live together,”
“So let’s vow to meet in the sky once every three years”
In the Chin State phiangpe (pigeon pea) is grown once every three years. And the year phiangpe is grown is the same year the two lovers meet as two bright stars in the sky. (The Guardian, November 1988).