.jpg "Lemah Gempal Legend Semarang Folktale for Kids")
Chapter 1: The Floods of Semarang
Long ago, when the Dutch ruled the land, there was a busy city called Semarang. The city sat close to the sea, and a big river flowed right through its middle.
Villager: "Oh no! The water is coming into our house again!"Mother: "Quick, children! Grab what you can and climb up high!"
When the rain finally stopped, the people looked sadly at what was left of their things.
Old Merchant: "Every year it is the same. When will the floods ever leave us in peace?"
The people of Semarang felt worried and uneasy whenever dark clouds gathered in the sky.
Chapter 2: The Two Canals
The Dutch Government wanted to help. After thinking hard, they came up with a plan.
Dutch Officer: "We shall build canals to the west and to the east of the city. They will carry the extra water away."
A canal is a long ditch that works like a river. Some of the water from the big river would flow into the canals, so it would not overflow into the city during the rainy season.
The two canals became known as the West Flood Canal and the East Flood Canal. Soon, many workers gathered with their shovels and baskets, and the digging began.
Chapter 3: The Land That Kept Crumbling
The east canal went well. But the west canal was a very different story!
Every time the workers dug the earth and built up the levee, the soil slid and crumbled away. Shovel after shovel, day after day, the levee fell apart.
Worker: "Look! The levee has collapsed again!"Head Worker: "We have built it three times already. Why does this soil keep crumbling?"Worker: "At this rate, we will never finish the west canal."
The workers sat down in the mud, tired and hopeless. Then the youngest one had an idea.
Young Worker: "Wait! I have heard of a wise man in Semarang. His name is Ki Sanak. Maybe he can help us!"Head Worker: "Yes, you are right! Let us go and ask for his advice."
Chapter 4: The Wise Man Ki Sanak
The workers hurried to the home of Ki Sanak. He was sitting calmly on his porch, and his eyes were kind and gentle.
Head Worker: "Honorable Ki Sanak, please help us. Whenever we build the levee of the west canal, the land crumbles away."
Ki Sanak listened carefully to every word. He nodded slowly and stroked his chin.
Ki Sanak: "I understand your trouble, my children. Look at the two big stones at the right and left of my house. Take them with you."Worker: "Take the stones, Ki Sanak? But what shall we do with them?"Ki Sanak: "Bury them in the levee that keeps collapsing. Then you will see."
The workers did not fully understand, but they trusted the wise man.
Head Worker: "Thank you, Ki Sanak. We will do exactly as you say."
Chapter 5: The Miracle
With great effort, the workers carried the two heavy stones all the way back to the canal. Then they buried them in the levee, just as Ki Sanak had told them.
And then something amazing happened!
Before their very eyes, the crumbled soil began to join together. The broken parts of the levee came back together, and the levee stood strong and whole again.
Young Worker: "Look! The levee is fixed! It is not falling down anymore!"Head Worker: "It is a miracle! Ki Sanak's stones really worked!"
The workers cheered and hugged each other. Finally, they could finish the west canal. And from then on, the floods of Semarang were no longer as terrible as before.
Chapter 6: Why It Is Called Lemah Gempal
Since that day, the place where the levee once crumbled has been called Lemah Gempal. In the Javanese language, lemah means land, and gempal means crumbled or broken off in chunks. So Lemah Gempal means "the land that crumbles."
And that is the folklore from Central Java about how Lemah Gempal, an area in Semarang, Central Java Province, got its name.
No comments:
Post a Comment