NGUYEN DU; AN ANCIENT MASTER ( We Promise one Another/ poems from an Asian war / selected and printed by don luce+ j.c schafer+ jacquelyne chagnon -- wshington d.c., 1971

nguyen du: an ancient master
published by the indochina ..., washington d.c. 1971


                               nguyen du:
               an ancient master 

                   
                                 nguyen du: an ancient master
                                            (p.5 - we promise one another/ poems from an sian war)



No single person has had than the 18th and 19th century poet, Nguyễn Du.  His poetry has inspired much of today's art and thought.  His masterpiece Kim Vân Kiều is the most loved of all Vietnamese poems. Girls have often used it to tell their future.  The epic poem is opened and the lines which first meet their eyes are believed to reveal their fate.

In Kim Vân Kiều the destiny of man is proclaimed:  we have no hold on the future. but are born to suffer for the family.   Itt ells of the beautiful Thúy Kiều who loves Kim Trọng, but becomes a concubine of the ruthless merchant Mã- Giám- Sinh in return, for money she needs to save her father from the clutches of an unscrupulous tax collector.  Accepting her fate, Kiều said, " It is better that I should sacrifice myself alone.  It matters little if a flower falls if the tree can keep itself green."

To the young people of Viêtnam, the meaning is clear:  they must accept whaever hrdship come, so that the honor of the family and the country is preserved.  Many Vietnamese girls who today become prostitutes of American GI's see themselves as modern-day Thúy Kiều's and sell their bodies,  but not their souls to help their families.

Following the wish of Thúy Kiều, Kim Trọng marries her ister, Thúy Vân, but never forgets his first love.   In this scene,  Kim Trọng has finally found Thúy Kiều after searching for many years.   At the banquet celebrating found Thúy Kiều 's return,  her sister proposes that Kim Trọng and Thúy Kiều should marry as they planned before fate intervened fifteen years before.

In this scene Thúy Kiều is in a similar state as the country of Việtnam today.  Her body has been  'by many storms', been fought over and sold to strangers,  but through it all  'filial piety'  and love of family have persisted and thus her soul has remained pure.

Vietnamese are fond of images  of beauty and moral purity in the midst of corrupt and ugly surroundings.  Beautiful vignettes from Nguyễn Du 's story of Thúy Kiều  are often recalled by Vietnamese to help their country,  and to assure them that it is still possible to lead pure and country,  and to assure them that it is still possible to lead pure and  beautiful lives,  even in the midst of all ugliness that war brings.

Trần văn Dĩnh,  a Vietnamese scholar now in exile in this country,  has written that "above all,  Kim Vân Kiều is the embodiment of the Vietnamese psyche. Had President Johnson, Mr. Rush, Mr. Rostov ... all of the U.S. civilian and military personnel in Viêtnam read Kim Vân Kiều, instead of basing their judgments on meaningless facts and statistic,  they would have avoided many serious and even fatal mistakes ." *
---
* "Why Every American Should Read Kim Vân Kiều, " The Washingtonian, Sept., 1968.



    ------

                                                 KIM VÂN KIỀU


              "Now the mirrow
              which broken is complete again
              for the Heaven which orders all
              has so disposed; never dying love
              which the lovers themselves both
              still alive o enjoy it; the same
              silver moon shines today as when
              they were betrothed; though the bride
              is no longer a girl, she is still
              lovely, desirable; now is time for her
              to be married in all state. " Scarcely
              had she finished speaking, when Kiều
              swept her argument aside, saying
              "How now can we speak of this affair
              of so long ago? Surely I have pledged
              myself, but my body since has been
              battered by many storms, and I
              in shame cannot speak of it all; now
              permit the tide to ebb back
              to the open sea." Then Kim broke in
              saying, " strange words these, and a strange
              wish; still despite all, there remains
              our solemn bethrothal; your word
              given with the deep earth and high heaven
              as witness, what does it matter
              to us if even the stars
              have moved from their accustomed places
              for have we not promised each other
              in life and in death to be true
              to one another?  This oath shall we
              hold to; our marriage is noo betrayal,"
              to which Kiều replied, " But not I see
              how happily you and Vân have lived together
              both giving so much in love to each other
              I feel that the best married love
              needs the fragrance of the flower to
              gather around its pollen; that the moon
              holds its proper shape; virginity is worth
              much treasure; I do not wish to blush
              in any bridal chamber where the rites
              are carried out by my beloved Kim, for since
              I have fallen on evil days, so have many
              bees and butterflies polluted my body:
              too much filth has lodged with me;
              there have been lashing tempests,
              driving rains; any moon in such
              would have lost its fullness, any flower
              its loveliness, so what is left for me?
                                  Surely now in this mortal life
              little remains for me to hope for,
              full of shame when I look back
              wondering how may I, mud of the ditch,
              dare ever to become your wife,
              knowing of your great love
              yet unable to look at the clear flame
              of that lamp that would light
              our bridal chamber: now
              have I decided on absolute celibacy
              for though mu religious vows
              are not yet completed, yet
              do I feel this the only
              way for me; if still you continue
              remembering our past love, let us
              make it a base for friendship
              to speak of marrying after all
              that has passed seems sad, even
              ridiculous!" Kim answered,
              "As ever you have reasoned well:
                                 yet must you realize that every argument
              has two sides; for any woman
              there are many ways to carry through
              the duties of married life; how
              absurd of you to say in the face
              of your filial piety so grandly
              expressed, that your body could ever
              be defiled! Today, as our destiny
              has brought us here together
              let us enjoy the flowers
              as the mist lifts from the garden
              path, and the sky clears off again!
              See! The flower that had faded
              is fresh and lovely once more!
              You know, a waning moon is always
              much brighter than the full one 
              that has passed! Why do you still
              doubt me? As careless of me as if I
              was just some mere passer-by.*

              ---
               * This poems  was taken from 'Nguyễn Du and Kiều, Vietnamese Studies No 4, Hanoi,
                                              1965.  Translated by Lê Hiếu.

                                    
                                           (p.5-9    WE PROMISE ONE ANOTHER/ POEMS FROM AN ASIAN WAR)