Alkisah, pada zaman dahulu kala, di Tanah Melayu hiduplah seorang nelayan tua yang bernama

Awang Gading. Ia tinggal seorang diri di tepi sungai. Pekerjaannya sehari – hari adalah
menangkap ikan dan terkadang ia pergi ke hutan untuk mencari kayu.

“Air pasang telan ke insang

Air surut telan ke perut
Renggutlah…!
Biar putus jangan rabut,”

Itu adalah kata – kata yang ia sering ucapkan sewaktu sedang memancing ikan.

Suatu hari di waktu Ia sedang memancing dan tidak menemukan seekor ikan sama sekali. Di
waktu perjalanan pulang Ia mendengarkan seorang bayi yang sedang menangis. Karena rasa
penasaran ia mencari dari mana suara itu berasal?..Tak lama mencari, ia pun menemukan bayi
perempuan yang mungil tergolek di atas batu. Tampaknya bayi itu baru saja dilahirkan oleh
ibunya. karena rasa iba, dibawanya bayi itu pulang ke rumahnya.

Sesampainya di rumahnya Awang Gading memberi nama bayi itu Dayang Kumunah. Dengan
bahagia Awang Gading menimang-nimang sang bayi sambil mendendang. Ia berjanji akan
bekerja lebih giat lagi dan mendidik anak ini dengan baik. Awang Gading juga membekali
Dayang Kumunah berbagai ilmu pengetuhan dan pelajaran budi pekerti. Setiap hari ia juga
mengajak Dayang pergi mengail atau mencari kayu di hutan untuk mengenal kehidupan alam
lebih dekat.
Waktu terus berjalan. Dayang Kumunah tumbuh menjadi gadis yang sangat cantik dan berbudi
pekerti luhur. Ia juga sangat rajin membantu ayahnya. Namun sayang, Dayang Kumunah tidak
pernah tertawa.

Suatu hari, seorang pemuda kaya dan tampan yang kebetulan lewat di depan rumah Dayang.
Pemuda itu bernama Awangku Usop. Saat melihat Dayang Kumunah, Awangku Usop langsung
jatuh hati kepadanya dan berniat untuk segera meminangnya. Beberapa hari kemudian, Awangku
Usop meminang Dayang Kumunah pada Awang Gading. Setelah Dayang Kumunah berfikir
beberapa lama, Ia menerima pinangan Awangku Usop dengan syarat, jangan pernah meminta
saya untuk tertawa. Awangku Usop menyanggupi syarat yang di ajukan Dayang Kumunah
tersebut.

Pernikahan pun dilangsungkan, tetapi terjadi sebuah kejadian yang tidak bahagia setelah
pernikahan tersebut. Awang Gading meninggal dunia karena sakit. Peristiwa itu membuat hati
Dayang Kumunah diselimuti perasaan sedih, hingga berbulan – bulan. Untungnya, kesedihan itu
segera terobati dengan kelahiran anak-anaknya yang berjumlah lima orang.

Namun, Awang Usop merasa tidak bahagia karena belum melihat Dayang Kumunah tertawa.
Sejak pertemuan pertama kali hingga kini, istri Awang Usop belum pernah tertawa sama sekali.
Tetapi di suatu sore, Dayang Kumunah bersama – sama keluarganya sedang berada di teras
rumah. Mereka bercanda ria dan Semua anggota keluarga tertawa bahagia, kecuali Dayang
Kumunah. Pada saat itu Awang Usop mendesak Dayang Kumunah ikut tertawa. Akhirnya ia pu
tertawa setelah sekian lama tertawa. Pada Saat itulah, muncul insang ikan di mulutnya. Dayang
Kumunah segera berlari ke arah sungai. Dan berubah menjadi ikan.
Awang Usop menyesal karena telah mendesak istrinya untuk tertawa. Tetapi, semua sudah
terlambat. Ikan dengan bentuk badan cantik dan kulit mengilat tanpa sisik inilah yang orang-
orang sebut sebagai ikan patin. Sebelum masuk ke sungai, Dayang Kumunah berpesan kepada
suaminya, “Kanda, peliharalah anak-anak kita dengan baik.”

Awangku Usop dan anak-anaknya sangat bersedih melihat Dayang Kumunah yang sangat
mereka cintai itu telah menjadi ikan. Mereka pun berjanji tidak akan makan ikan patin, karena
dianggap sebagai keluarga mereka. Itulah sebabnya sebagian orang Melayu tidak makan ikan
patin

Cerita rakyat riau legenda ikan patin dalam bahasa Inggris

Once, in the days of yore, in Tanah Melayu lived an old fisherman named Awang Gading. He
lived alone on the banks of the river. Daily work - today is catch fish and sometimes he went to
the forest to get wood.

 "The tide swallow to the gills

Low tide swallowed into the stomach
Renggutlah ...!
Let broke do not rabut, "

That's the word - a word that he often say while it is fishing.

One day at a time he was fishing and found no fish at all. On the way home when he heard a
baby crying. Because of curiosity he sought where the voice was coming from? .. Not long
search, he found a tiny baby girl lying on a rock. It seems that the baby had just been born by his
mother. for compassion, brought the baby went home.

Arriving at his home Awang Gading gave the baby the name Dayang Kumunah. Awang Gading
happily cradling the baby while mendendang. He promised to work even harder and to educate
children properly. Awang Gading also equip Dayang pengetuhan Kumunah variety of science
and learning manners. Every day he also took Dayang go fishing or for firewood in the forest to
get to know more closely the natural life.
Time keeps running. Dayang Kumunah grew into a very beautiful girl and a noble character. He
is also very hard to help his father. But unfortunately, Dayang Kumunah never laughed.

One day, a rich and handsome young man who happened to pass in front of the house Dayang.
The young man named Awangku Usop. When viewed Dayang Kumunah, Awangku Usop
immediately fell in love him and intends to immediately ask for her hand. A few days later,
Awangku Usop proposed Dayang Kumunah at Awang Gading. Dayang Kumunah After thinking
for some time, he received a proposal Awangku Usop with the terms, do not ever ask me to
laugh. Awangku Usop agreed that the proposed terms of the Kumunah Dayang.
The wedding was held, but there was an incident that was not happy after the wedding. Awang
Gading died from an illness. The incident makes the heart Dayang Kumunah shrouded in
sadness, until many - months. Fortunately, the sadness was quickly remedied with the birth of
children of five people.

However, Awang Usop feel unhappy because they have not viewed Dayang Kumunah laugh.
Since the first meeting until now, Awang Usop wife had never laughed at all. But one afternoon,
Dayang Kumunah together - the same family were on the porch. They joke ria and all family
members happy laugh, except Dayang Kumunah. At that time Usop Awang urged Dayang
Kumunah laughed. Finally he pu laugh after a long laugh. At that moment, appeared gills of fish
in his mouth. Dayang Kumunah immediately ran toward the river. And turned into fish.

Awang Usop sorry that he had urged his wife to laugh. But it was too late. Fish with a gorgeous
body shape and shiny skin without scales is what people refer to as the catfish. Before getting
into the river, Dayang Kumunah sends to her husband, "Kanda, keep our children well."

Awangku Usop and her children were very sad to see Dayang Kumunah that they loved so much
it has become a fish. They also promised not to eat catfish, because it is regarded as their
families. That is why most people do not eat catfish Melayu