Jina and Etiben: A Romance Retold by Nabina Das | Summary in English

Summary of Jina and Etiben in English

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Nabina Das' poem "Jina-Etiben, A Romance Retold," is based on an Ao legend. In this poem, the poet tells the story of two unforgettable lovers, Jina and Etiben, who remained in love despite all odds and became the ultimate symbol of true love.

Jina and Etiben lived in an old village called Mopongchuket in Nagaland's Mokokchung district. They adored each other and desired to spend the rest of their lives together. The two lovers would meet at the water holes in the mountains, where Jina would play his Kota-Kongki and Etiben would polish her gold jewels. Etiben's parents learned of their love one day and wanted a dowry of cows and oxen from Jina in exchange for Etiben's hand. Because Jina was poor, he was unable to meet her parents' dowry demand.

Meanwhile, a wealthy man named Tenyur arrived with cows and oxen and requested Etiben's parents for her hand. The parents agreed, and Etiben married Tenyur, despite their best efforts to prevent the marriage from taking place. Etiben even pretended to be ill in order to postpone the wedding, but it all went in vain. The two lovers were separated.

After the wedding, Etiben felt like a caged beast in her new house with Tenyur, and she continued to think about her beloved Jina, and soon they began meeting again until Tenyur discovered them.

Tenyur beat Etiben and left her unconscious in the field among the crops after he found out that she was meeting Jina. When Jina learned about this, he carefully looked after Etiben. He quietly stayed by her side night after night, trying to console her. However, because of the injuries, Etiben died soon. Just before dying, she asked Jina through a song to meet her in the Netherworld. Jina died shortly after as a result of the grief.

When the villages were cremating Jina and Etiben, they were astonished to see figures made of smoke rising far into the sky, holding hands and looking exactly like Jina and Etiben. They understood that Jina and Etiben were finally together.