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Moon of Pejeng
bulan bulan my friend the moon
pale beauty always shining
bulan bulan my friend the moon
I know why you are lonely
once long ago this starry sky
held two moons that were lovers
one fateful night one fell to earth
caught fast amongst tree branches
blinding thieves from this close height
they ceased their nefarious actions
the boldest man climbed up to see
how to stop the moonlight streaming
then shame of shames
he adjusted his kain
and on her he started peeing
poor moon exploded killing all
now to the ground has fallen
a giant crack at base
such loss of face
forlornly to her mate keeps calling.
some people saw her awful plight
their hearts were filled with pity
they picked her up and placed her safe
and hid her in their temple
bulan bulan my friend the moon
pale beauty softly shining
bulan bulan my friend the moon
in Pejeng your love waits crying
The Moon of Pejeng
A Balinese legend relates that originally there
was more than one moon in the night sky and how the moon fell
to earth and landed in a tree. It was shining so brightly that
it prevented thieves going about their nefarious nightly pursuits.
One of the thieves climbed into a tree and put out the light by
urinating on it. The moon exploded, killing him. It fell to earth
as a gong with a crack in its base as a result of the fall.
The huge bronze gong known as the Moon of Pejeng
is a relic of the Bronze Age in Indonesia. The hourglass shaped
gong is nearly two metres long. It is one of the largest single
cast gongs in the world. The Balinese believe the Moon of Pejeng
possesses great magical power.
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