An appeal with folded hands

An original metric poem sung by its author, Subba [Limbu Headman] Khadga Bahadur Nembang of Pauwa village, Pauwasartap VDC, Panchthar District, Nepal. The occasion was a meeting of local cultural figures in the presence, in January 1956, of a visiting linguist, Dr Richard Keith Sprigg (1922-2011), Lecturer in Phonetics at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, who recorded the performance. The singer urges his compatriots to study Limbu tradition (mundhum) and script, and to avoid alcohol and other evils. According to Bairagi Kainla (Til Bikram Nembang), son of the singer, its composition was inspired by the presence of Dr Sprigg, who was conducting research into the Limbu language and script. It is composed of 22 two-part lines, many in couplets (not indicated in the display), with transitions marked by an introductory “eeeee!”, or a concluding “oorillo!”. The end of the song is announced in Nepali (“That’s it!”), and is followed (at the suggestion of the audience; there is a break in the recording) by a sung postscript, in which the author/singer identifies himself. The transcriptions and Nepali translation were kindly prepared by Bairagi Kainla.