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The Tale of Kieu, Commentary Part 1
Nguyen Du (1765–1820) and The Tale of Kieu
If he were still alive this year, Nguyen Du would be 235 years old. The Tale of Kieu—a sublime poetic masterpiece that has been memorized and translated into many languages—tells the story of Thuy Kieu, a young woman of beauty “that could topple cities and overturn kingdoms,” gifted in poetry and music with her moon lute; yet, in accordance with Eastern philosophy, the more talent and beauty one possesses, the more suffering one endures.
The fateful meeting and falling in love between Kieu and Kim Trong lasted only twelve hours: a chance encounter in the spring garden, exchanging a hairpin as a token, expressing love through poetry and music, bowing to each other’s parents, and cutting a lock of hair as a keepsake under the moonlight. Two lines from Kieu—
“Now that we have truly seen each other’s face,
Who knows if later this will not all be a dream?”
remind us to live each moment deeply, for if not, all our affections may fade away and become nothing but a dream.
Practicing mindfulness in daily life
– With each mindful step, cherish a branch of a tree and ask yourself: “Are you real, or are you just a dream?” in order to dwell peacefully in the present moment.
– Be cautious with doan truong tan thanh (“gut-wrenching” music) and any cultural products that water negative seeds, so as to preserve the peace of your mind and live in wakefulness.