Some Vietnamese Short Stories In Rich Meaning – Section 2
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GEORGES F. SCHULTZ1
KHUAT NGUYEN and The Fisherman
Sometime after he was exiled from the Court, KHUAT NGUYEN was strolling along the edge of a lake and singing to himself. His face had grown thin and his figure lean.
An old fisherman saw him and asked: “Is it you My Lord of Tam Lu? Tell me why you were dismissed from the Court.”
KHUAT NGUYEN replied: “In a soiled world, my hands alone were clean; all others were drunk, and I alone was sober. That is why I was dismissed.”
The fisherman then said: “The wise man is never obstinate; he is able to adjust to the circumstances. If the world is soiled, why not stir up the turbid waters? If men are drunk, why not take a bit of alcohol, or even vinegar, and drink along with them. Why try to force your ideas on others, only to arrive where you are now?”
KHUAT NGUYEN replied: “I have heard it said, ‘When thou hast just washed thy hair, do not put on a dirty hat.’ My body is clean, how could I endure impure contacts? I would throw myself into the waters of the Tuong as food for the fish, rather than see my purity soiled by the dirt of the world.”
The old fisherman smiled while rowing away. Then he began to sing :
“The limipid waters of the river Tuong roll by.
And I wash my clothes therein.
But should these waters be turbid,
I would wash only my feet.”
His song ended, he left, saying nothing more.
A Lie and A Half
Returning to his native village after a distant journey, a certain traveller told the following tale: “During my travels I saw a great ship, the very length of which defied the imagination. A young boy of twelve left the bow of this ship to walk to the stem. By the time he arrived at the mast, his hair and his beard had already turned white, and he died of old age before he could reach the stem.”
A native of the village, who had heard tales of this nature before, then spoke up: “I see nothing so remarkable in what you have just related. I myself once passed through a forest filled with trees so tall that it was impossible to estimate their height. In fact, a bird which tried to reach their tops flew for ten years without even approaching the halfway mark.
“That’s an abominable lie!” shouted the first storyteller. “How could such a thing be possible?”
“How?” asked the other quietly. “Why, if it is not the truth, where would a tree be found that could be the mast for the ship that you have just described?”
The Stolen Vase
In a certain Buddhist temple, it was found that a golden vase had disappeared after a sacrifice to Heaven. Suspicion pointed to a cook who had been standing near it during the ceremony. After being tortured, he admitted the theft, and declared that he had buried it in the temple courtyard.
The cook was taken to the courtyard and ordered to indicate the exact spot. The area was dug up but nothing was found. The cook was sentenced to death and placed in irons to await execution.
Several days later a temple attendant entered a jeweler’s shop in the same city and offered a golden chain for sale. The jeweler was immediately suspicious, and reported the fact of the temple authorities who had the attendant arrested. As suspected, the chain was found to belong to the missing vase. The attendant confessed that he had stolen the vase and removed the chain, before burying the vase in the temple courtyard.
Again they dug up the courtyard, and this time they found the golden vase. It was located at the exact spot previously indicated by the cook, but it had been necessary to dig a few inches deeper.
We might ask: If the police had found the golden vase the first time, or if the real thief had not been apprehended, how would the cook have escaped execution? Even if he had had a thousand mouths, how would he have been able to prove his innocence?
ANNOTATE:
1: Mr. GEORGE F. SCHULTZ, was Executive Director of the Vietnamese-American Association during the years 1956-1958. Mr. SCHULTZ was responsible for the construction of the present Vietnamese-American Center in Saigon and for the development of the cultural and educational program of the Association.
Shortly after his arrival in Vietnam, Mr. SCHULTZ began to study the language, literature, and history of Vietnam and was soon recognized as an authority, not only by his fellow Americans, for it was his duty to brief them in these subjects, but by many Vietnamese as well. He has published papers entitled “The Vietnamese Language” and “Vietnamese Names” as well as an English translation of the Cung-Oan ngam-khuc, “The Plaints of an Odalisque.” (Quote Preface by VlNH HUYEN – President, Board of Directors Vietnamese-American Association, Vietnamese Legends, Copyright in Japan, 1965, by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.)
SEE MORE:
◊ The BICH-CAU Predestined Meeting – Section 1.
◊ The BICH-CAU Predestined Meeting – Section 2.
◊ CINDERELLA – The Story of TAM and CAM – Section 1.
◊ CINDERELLA – The Story of TAM and CAM – Section 2.
◊ The RAVEN’s Gem.
◊ The Story of TU THUC – The Land of BLISS – Section 1.
◊ The Story of TU THUC – The Land of BLISS – Section 2.
◊ The Origin of Banh Giay and Banh Chung.
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo) with WEB-Hybrid: BICH-CAU Hoi ngo – Phan 1.
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo) with WEB-Hybrid: BICH-CAU Hoi ngo – Phan 2.
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo) with WEB-Hybrid: Viên ĐÁ QUÝ của QUẠ.
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo) with WEB-Hybrid: Câu chuyện TẤM CAM – Phân 1.
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo) with WEB-Hybrid: Câu chuyện TẤM CAM – Phân 2.
BAN TU THU
08 /2020
NOTES:
◊ Source: Vietnamese Legends, GEORGES F. SCHULTZ, Printed – Copyright in Japan, 1965, by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.
◊ All citations, italics texts and image sepiaized has been set by BAN TU THU.