Theatre
The Water-Seller
ရေသည်ပြဇာတ်
U Ponnya · 1860
Synopsis
The play transposes to the Burmese court an account of the Buddha's former lives, the Gangamala Jataka. In Benares, a poor water carrier and his wife live on plain rice and sour curry, with a broken yoke and worn clothes. In the original account, the man has hidden a half-coin in a wall and goes to fetch it under the sun to celebrate with his wife; it is on seeing him run in the midday heat, near the court, that King Udaya takes an interest in him.
Context
Ponnya sets the action in Benares, but the palace and the city are those of Mandalay under the Konbaung. The common man, strong as an elephant in the jataka, becomes a comic character, weak and destitute, and the play depicts in detail the misery of the common people outside the palace, perhaps to make the king see it; a scene about buying rice shows the corruption of the officers. Historians of Burmese theatre note in it a realistic treatment of court life, rare in its time.
Who it is for
A play in Burmese; no French translation. An English version appears in Burmese Drama by Maung Htin Aung, published in 1937.
Prizes and reception
Its author is regarded as the greatest Burmese dramatist, and the play ranks among his major works.
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