Malaysia

The Nightingale Longs for the Moon
The Moon Challenges the Sun

The Nightingale Longs for the Moon

As told by: Mohd Zuhair B. Mohammad Yusof

As translated by: Dr. Supyan Bin Hussin

This is the story Prince Nightingale and his father. They lived in a huge, beautiful castle on the surface of the Moon. One day, Prince Nightingale went for a walk in a park near the castle and encountered a very beautiful princess named Princess Moon. He fell in love with her.

Later on, while Prince Nightingale and Princess Moon were strolling in the park, Princess Moon saw a beautiful white flower on Earth. She was fascinated by the beauty of the white flower and wished to have it. Prince Nightingale promised Princess Moon that he would bring the flower to her.

However, Prince Nightingale’s father was hesitant to let him go down to the Earth, because he would be changed into a bird if he went. Even though his father tried to stop him, Prince Nightingale went down to Earth, because he truly loved Princess Moon.

When he reached Earth, Prince Nightingale searched for the flower that Princess Moon had asked him to bring to her. However, Prince Nightingale was devastated when he could not find what he was looking for. In reality, the white flower that Princess Moon had seen from the moon was just sugarcane waste.

Prince Nightingale tried to go back to the Moon. Unfortunately, Prince Nightingale was incapable of returning to the Moon, because his body had become smaller and changed into a bird’s. Since that incident, the nightingale keeps longing for the Moon.

*Even within Malaysia there is a disagreement over whether the word for the type of bird the prince changed into refers to a nightingale or an owl. The translator insisted the bird is a nightingale; the illustrator favored the owl.

The Moon Challenges the Sun

As told by: Muhammad Asri Bin Mat Lazin

As translated by: Dr. Supyan Bin Hussin

This story is about the Moon challenging the Sun, because the Moon thought that all people on Earth were admiring it.

The Moon thought that no one could compare with its own beauty and light. The Moon even crowded the stars out of the night sky with its light. The stars said that the Sun was more valuable than the Moon. When the Sun rose, many people wanted to see it. When the Sun rose higher, people would lie down under it to keep their bodies healthy. All on the stars were fond of the Sun because it was more powerful and modest than the arrogant moon.

The Moon was envious of the Sun. It challenged the Sun by staying with it in the morning so that people could choose which one they liked better. The Moon remained in the sky with the Sun. However the Sun’s light overshadowed the Moon’s, and its light started to fade away. The Moon eventually got frustrated. It was in the sky throughout the day, but nobody noticed it; they only welcomed the Sun. The Moon became depressed and regretted its mistake.

Since then, the Moon stopped being arrogant and continued to shine at night. The nighttime became even more beautiful because glowing stars scattered in the sky and accompanied the Moon.