CINDERELLA – The Story of TAM and CAM – Section 2
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LAN BACH LE THAI 1
… be continued for Section 1:
The step-mother and CAM could notbear to see her happy and would have killed her most willingly, but they were too afraid of the King to do so.
One day, at her father’s anniversary, TAM went home to celebrate it with her family. At the time, it was the custom that, however great and important one might be, one was always expected by one’s parents to behave exactly like a young and obedient child. The cunning step-mother had this in her mind and asked TAM to climb an areca tree to get some nuts for the guests. As TAM was now Queen, she could of course refuse, but she was a very pious and dutiful daughter, and was only glad to help.
But while she was up on the tree, she felt that it was swaying to and fro in the strangest and most alarming manner.
« What are you doing? » She asked her step-mother.
« I am only trying to scare away the ants which might bite you, my dear child », was the reply.
But in fact, the wicked step-mother was holding a sickle and cutting the tree which fell down in a crash, killing the poor Queen at once.
« Now we are rid of her » said the woman with a hateful and ugly laugh, « And she will never come back again. We shall report to the King that she had died in an accident, and my beloved daughter Cam will become Queen in her stead ! »
Things happened exactly the way she had planned, and CAM became now the King’s first wife.
But TAM’s pure and innocent soul could not find any rest. It was turned into the shape of a nightingale which dwelt in the most beautiful grove in the King’s garden and sang sweet and melodious songs.
One day, one of the maids-of-honour in the Palace exposed the dragon-embroidered gown of the King to the sun, and the nightingale sang in her own gentle way :
« O, sweet maid-of-honour, be careful with my Imperial Husband’s gown and do not tear it by putting it on a thorny hedge ».
She then sang on so sadly that tears came into the King’s eyes. The nightingale sang more sweetly still and moved the hearts of all who heard her.
At last,. the King said : « Most delightful nightingale, if you were the soul of my beloved Queen, be pleased to settle in my wide sleeves. »
Then the gentle bird went straight into the King’s sleeves and rubbed her smooth head against the King’s hand.
The bird was now put in a golden cage near the King’s bed room. The King was so fond of her that he would stay all day long near the cage, listening to her melancholy and beautiful songs. As she sang her melodies to him, his eyes became wet with tears, and she sang more charmingly than ever.
CAM became jealous of the bird, and sought her mother’s advice about it. One day, while the King was holding a council with his ministers, CAM killed the nightingale, cooked it and threw the feathers in the Imperial Garden.
« What is the meaning of this? » said the King when he came back to the Palace and saw the empty cage.
There was great confusion and everybody looked for the nightingale but could not find it.
« Perhaps she was bored and had flown away to the woods », said CAM.
The King was very sad but there was nothing he could do about it, and resigned himself to his fate.
But once more, TAM’s restless soul was transformed into a big, magnificent tree, which only bore a single fruit, but what a fruit! It was round, big and golden and had a very sweet smell.
An old woman passing by the tree and seeing the beautiful fruit, said: « Golden fruit, golden fruit,
« Drop into the bag of this old woman,
« This one will keep you and enjoy your smell but will never, eat you. »
The fruit at once dropped into the old woman’s bag. She brought it home, put it on the table to enjoy its sweet-scented smell. But the next day, to her great surprise, she found her house clean and tidy, and a delicious hot meal waiting for her when she came back from her errands as though some magic hand had done all this during her absence.
She then pretended to go out the following morning, but stealthily came back, hid herself behind the door and observed the house. She beheld a fair and slender lady coming out of the golden fruit and starting to tidy the house. She rushed in, tore the fruit peel up so that the fair lady could no longer hide herself in it. The young lady could not help but stay there and consider the old woman her own mother.
One day the King went on a hunting party and lost his way. The evening drew on, the clouds gathered and it was pitch dark when he saw the old woman’s house and went in it for shelter. According to custom, the latter offered him some tea and betel. The King examined the delicate way the betel was prepared and asked :
« Who is the person who made this betel, which looks exactly like the one prepared by my late beloved Queen? ».
The old woman said in a trembling voice : « Son of Heaven, it is only my unworthy daughter ».
The King then ordered the daughter to be brought to him, and when she came and bowed to him, he realized, like in a dream, that it was TAM, his deeply regretted Queen. Both of them wept after such a separation and so much unhappiness. The Queen was then taken back to the Imperial city, where she took her former rank, while CAM was completely neglected by the King.
CAM then thought : « If I were as beautiful as my sister, I would win the King’s heart.»
She asked the Queen : « Dearest Sister, how could I become as white as you? »
« It is very easy », answered the Queen, « you have only to jump into a big basin of boiling water to get beautifully white.»
CAM believed her and did as suggested. Naturally she died without being able to utter a word!
When the step-mother heard about this she wept and wept until she became blind. Soon, she died of a broken heart. The Queen survived both of them, and lived happily ever after, for she certainly deserved it.
NOTES:
1 : R.W. PARKES’ Foreword introduces LE THAI BACH LAN and her short-stories books: “Mrs. Bach Lan has assembled an interesting selection of Vietnamese legends for which I am glad to write a brief foreword. These tales, well and simply translated by the author, have considerable charm, derived in no small part from the sense they convey of familiar human situations clothed in exotic dress. Here, in tropical settings, we have faithful lovers, jealous wives, unkind stepmothers, the stuff of which so many Western folk stories are made. One story indeed is Cinderella over again. I trust that this little book will find many readers and stimulate friendly interest in a country whose present-day problems are regrettably better known than her past culture. Saigon, 26th February 1958.”
2 : … updating…
BAN TU THU
07 /2020
NOTES:
◊ Contents and images – Source: Vietnamese Legends – Mrs. LT. BACH LAN. Kim Lai An Quan Publishers, Saigon 1958.
◊ Featured sepiaized images has been set by Ban Tu Thu – thanhdiavietnamhoc.com.
SEE ALSO:
◊ Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice: BICH CAU KY NGO – Phan 1.
◊ Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice: DO QUYEN – Câu chuyen ve TINH BAN.
◊ Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice: Câu chuyen ve TAM CAM – Phan 1.
◊ Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice: Câu chuyen ve TAM CAM – Phan 2.
◊ Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice: Chiêc ao long ngong – Truyên tich ve Cai NO Sieuhttps://vietnamhoc.net/chiec-ao-long-ngong-truyen-tich-ve-cai-no-sieu-nhien/ nhien.
◊ etc.