Mahsuri - The Legend

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning I bid to the

honourable judges, teachers and dear friends.
In a village, where thatched roofs faced the open sky,

springs gushed free and well-waters were never dry,

Mahsuri lived in this land where beautiful eagles flew,

On Langkawi Island, where casuarina trees grew.

So, let’s listen to this wonderful story of Mahsuri.

According to the legend, Mahsuri was a beautiful Malay

lady who lived in Padang Matsirat, Langkawi Island
sometimes in 19th century. Her family was from Phuket,
Thailand. It was said that Mahsuri was the most beautiful
lady in Langkawi. She was married to Wan Darus, a
warrior. At one time, Wan Darus had to leave Mahsuri
alone when he had to go to war.

The eagles above screamed aloud in screeching discord,

They tried to warn of treachery, of a blood-red sword,

During his absence, Mahsuri befriended a young man named
Deraman. Due to her beauty, Mahsuri was envied by most
women in the Island, especially Wan Mahora, the wife of
the village chief who was also her sister-in law. She
started a vicious rumour saying that Mahsuri was having
an affair with Deraman in the absence of her husband.
Soon, the entire village people turned against Mahsuri and
believed the rumour. Mahsuri pleaded her innocence but no
one believed her.
The village then condemned her to death.
Mahsuri and Deraman were dragged to a public square,

Bound, and accused of a union they didn’t share.

She declared her innocence, but no-one heard her cries.

She was tied to a pole and stabbed repeatedly with a

keris, however she did not die. Mahsuri kept on pleading
her innocence, but the people did not believe her words.
After several failed attempts to kill her, Mahsuri told the
people that the only way she can be killed was by using
the family keris.
When she stabbed with her family's keris, a white blood
flowed from her body to signify her innocence. The
villagers were shocked and regretted their action, but it
was too late. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed the
village to have bad luck for seven generations.
When Wan Darus came back from the war, he was shocked
to hear his wife had been killed. He decided to leave
Langkawi with his young son, and his family in-laws.
Many locals of Langkawi believed the legend to be true,
citing decades of bad crops and various wars between Siam
after the death of Mahsuri. At the last invasion by Siam,
the local burnt their rice field rather than allowing the
field to be fallen in the hands of Siamese soldiers. The
place is still known as "Beras Terbakar - Burnt Rice".
Seven generations have passed, Langkawi is coming alive,

Machines grind on the hills, the land is starting to thrive,

Beaches are criss-crossed with footprints of smiling people,

Stalls and malls stand side by side, shopping made simple.

Now, Langkawi begun to prosper and became a tourist

destination. Beras Terbakar and Padang Matsirat until now
become popular places being visited by locals and
foreigners.