Prabu Arjunasasrabahu holds his breath for a moment. Then he turns to Patih Suroto and says angrily, “Paman Patih, take this young man out. Let me appoint him to be the warlord of Maespati to represent me at Magada. But you know, there is only one requirement for him to go back to Maespati. Namely, he must be able to smooth out the war in Magada and bring Dewi Citrawati to Maespati. If not, just watch, I myself will make Maespati Earth. There will no longer be a human named Sumantri. Don't let him keep his makeup that hurts my eyes. I want him to be properly dressed. Not because I want to make him more handsome but because I don't want him to degrade a king. Take him, dress him according to the dignity of a Maespati warlord."
"All right, Your Majesty, please allow me to leave, I will carry out Your Majesty's orders," says Patih Suroto. He then invites Sumantri to withdraw from the presence of the king, followed by Tumenggung Baudenda. The pisowanan agung finishes on that day. Prabu Arjunasasrabahu leaves his throne. He follows Sumantri with his pitying eyes. It is not known why he feels not to have the heart. If he could, he would take back the words he has spoken.
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (68)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon-67
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (66)
Sumantri is taken to a fashion parlor. There, Tumenggung Baureksa, the palace official in charge of taking care of clothing, has been waiting. He is old. Apparently, he is a very patient servant. He knows what clothes Sumantri should wear as a warlord.
“Young man, you’re lucky. Never has a completely unknown person suddenly been appointed to be a warlord. Even a soldier who has served for a long time must first become a lowly servant, maybe even a horse stable keeper, before he can become an enlisted person. Fortunately, the king did not punish you for your arrogance and impudence,” says Tumenggung Baureksa, while he is dressing Sumantri.
"May Your Majesty forgive me, Paman. I don't have any intention of being arrogant. I really want to serve sincerely,” Sumantri replies, feeling how strange it is to wear clothes he has never known.
"Yes son, but the way you speak is really against the manners of speaking in front of a king." Tumenggung Baudenda powders Sumantri's body, then smears it with perfumed oil. Sumantri's skin turns yellowish. He feels as though his skin is no longer attached to his body. His head is dizzy, stung by the smell of the perfume. In fact, he does not like the artificial fragrance. It seems that jasmine flowers, ylang and pandan in Jatisrana are more fragrant. The flowers are not attached to his body, but he always smells the fragrance, everywhere. It turns out that the scent, a sign of a knight, not only gives him a headache but makes him miss his home in Jatisrana.
Sumantri feels more comfortable if his hair is kept loose. But Tumenggung Baureksa curls his hair, so that it becomes gelung sapit urang, which is the hallmark of a handsome knight's hair. The coils are intricately and delicately laid out, being curved inward like shrimp claws. Sumantri does not know if he should be proud of his new coiffure. He just feels he is forced to be cool to the greeting of the wind because his hair can no longer wave when the wind hits him. All the decorations of splendor become like a load that is not only burdensome but also negates his freedom.
Loaded with all the burden of these decorative knick-knacks, Sumantri takes a deep breath.
Now his earlobes are heavy because they are fitted with sumping pudhak setegal, ear decorations like pudak flowers, adorned with gold and diamonds. His chest is decorated with gelar gajah, which makes his breath feel tight. His upper arms, left and right, are no longer naked. Now the arms are wearing kelat bahu naga karangrang inlaid with gold buds and diamond flowers. Loaded with all the burden of these decorative knick-knacks, Sumantri takes a deep breath. He seems to be in the wrong place. Is this really the place he wants to be?
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon-65
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (64)
He pulls back when Tumenggung Baureksa is about to put gelang kana bracelets on his arms and anting-anting kirana earrings in him. "I'm not a woman, Paman," he bluntly says. "Indeed, but you are a knight, son. It is customary for a knight to add to his splendor with bracelets on his hands and earrings in his ears." Sumantri cannot refuse. Now he also has to take off his favorite clothing, which he is wearing, and put on a luxurious kawung-patterned kampuh. The only thing that remains is the scarf, which is slung over his shoulders.
"Paman, let the scarf stay with me," says Sumantri, when Tumenggung Baureksa wants to take it off. “No way, boy, this ugly shawl doesn't deserve to be slung over a knight's shoulders. If the shawl is still slung over your shoulders, people will laugh at me, as though I have never been a palace beautician,” says Tumenggung Baureksa as he grabs the shawl forcibly.
"All right, Paman. But don't throw it away. It is the shawl my mother wore to carry me during my childhood. I have never parted with it. Please Paman do good by me. Save the scarf for a while, until I face the king. After that, I will take the shawl again, to take it with me on my journey to Magada," Sumantri asks desperately.
Tumenggung Baureksa cannot bear to hear Sumantri's request. "All right, son. I'll keep your shawl," he says.
After getting dressed, Sumantri goes out of the makeup parlor to the palace courtyard. He does not even know who he is now. But in the eyes of the warlords and people who flock to the courtyard, he is an extraordinarily handsome knight. Everyone looks at him in awe. They feel that almost nothing is lacking in his good looks. There is not the slightest impression left that he is just a village boy from the Jatisrana hermitage. Indeed he is like Batara Kamajaya, who comes down to the world. No one can match his good looks, except for their own lord, Prabu Arjunasasrabahu.
(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).
