Nguyen Du conveyed in his work. Surely, in life, everyone has seen their own image in it at least once. Therefore, the content and language of The Tale of Kieu are used by some authors of funeral orations as a means to express their feelings and thoughts, especially talking about the death of women, of mothers and filial piety towards mothers.
Typical elegy for Kieu and Kieu paraphrases include the Elegy for the Old Mother by Bui Vien [152; 514], the Elegy for the Mother (anonymous) [12; 33a]..., not to mention a number of works that borrow scattered words from the Tale of Kieu such as the Elegy for the Father by Le Dinh Huyen [32; 118]. In the first two poems, each sentence and each connection is an elegy for Kieu and paraphrases from the Tale of Kieu. The words and sentences of the Tale of Kieu in the elegy express many different contents. For example, some contents in the Elegy for the Old Mother :
- Expressing the pain of longing and separation: “The mountains and waters are deep, I am lost in the land of the rising sun; The land is low and the sky is high, my heart aches.”; “When on the waterfalls and rapids, when going out to sea, looking far away from the homeland, my heart aches with each step; When the clouds and waves meet, when the wind and rain stop, looking back at the dead, the feeling of a distant traveler grows more and more sad.”
- Showing filial piety: "The day we part ways forever, how can my heart still miss you? The merit of raising you is engraved in my heart, even if I were to die a hundred times, it would not be easy to repay."
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- Expressing the feeling of guilt of a child: "The family's sorrow is repaid, the child's sins are known to be many; The guest's whistle is far away, where did the creator think of this?"
- Expressing the state of shock upon hearing the bad news: "When the ship had just docked, I followed the inn along Hai Van Pass; The news was like a bolt from the blue, hearing from my mother, Lai's yard was deserted."
It can be seen that the rich vocabulary and content of the Tale of Kieu became the material for Bui Vien's funeral oration. It should be added that, like many other works of the medieval period, the Tale of Kieu used many Chinese allusions. Besides borrowing the original Chinese characters, many words and allusions of the Tale of Kieu were "Vietnamized" by Nguyen Du by translating them into Nom. In many cases, he did not translate the whole sentence but chose the most valuable details to translate. Combined with other skillful Vietnamese words in the Nom sentences, Nguyen Du's use of allusions showed his creative personality. In turn, the funeral oration borrowed Chinese allusions in the Tale of Kieu through the words that Nguyen Du skillfully translated. Kindly sample : " The liver and brain are easy to repay; The fire of trouble is hard to extinguish." [12; 33a]
“Liver and brain” comes from the idiom “Liver and brain plastered with earth” (肝腦塗地, meaning the people died tragically)
due to war) in the Historical Records - “Liu Jing Shu Zun Tong Liet Truyen”. The Tale of Kieu re-expresses: “Carved into the bones and remembered in the heart, Easy to repay with liver and brain with bamboo and plum.” (verses 1964-1965) In the context of the Tale of Kieu , this allusion no longer carries the cruel color of war but shows the humanity and sincere feelings of the character. The funeral oration borrows this allusion to express the filial piety of a son for his mother, it can be said that the effect achieved is largely thanks to Nguyen Du's creative talent.
Although the collection of Kieu's funeral oration and the citation of Kieu are few, they clearly add a unique feature to the way of expressing the funeral oration genre. Although they are borrowed, the Kieu sentences in the funeral oration are still highly expressive and coordinate very well with the entire context of the funeral oration. Of course, the common point of the collection of Kieu's funeral oration and the citation of Kieu is to pay homage to women. This is consistent with the content of the funeral oration, which is about the misfortune and death of women as well as the author's feelings and longing for the object of the funeral oration. This technique contributes to enhancing the content and artistic value of the work, while also bringing about high reception efficiency.
3.2.3.2. Borrowing words or ideas from folk songs to describe a certain human trait
Folk songs are a genre that emerged very early in folklore, reflecting many aspects of the lives of working people, summarizing the experiences of ethnic groups about nature, history, and life, or expressing ideas and feelings. Vietnamese funeral orations borrow words from folk songs about people's hearts. Also in the funeral oration for a lover : "Or do you want to probe the depth of the world's heart , not wanting to be in a short boat with long oars , enjoying the pleasure of being able to tilt and tilt early in the morning and late at night?" [152; 517] The phrases "deep and shallow night", "short boat with long oars" originate from folk songs: "It's easy to probe rivers and seas, Who can use a ruler to measure people's hearts." "Thinking the well is deep, I tied a long rope, Who would have thought the well was shallow, I regretted the rope." Rivers and seas are deep places but people can still measure them. If you are familiar with them and are careful, there will be no unexpected events. However, the human heart is treacherous, cruel and unpredictable. Only those who have been betrayed and deceived can understand their hearts. This idea, drawn from folklore, is used by the author in short but profound words.
The funeral oration also borrows the idea from folk songs to talk about the merits of parents. Parents are two beings worshiped all over the world. Everywhere people compare the merits of parents to great, eternal phenomena of the natural world. Vietnamese people use the image of high mountains and vast seas to talk about the merits of the two parents. The two female priests of Thai Thuy Van : "Under the earth,
The oil of the mountain and the sea, where can I find it to repay the gratitude of the mountains and sea . [48; 89]” “The gratitude of the mountains and sea” originates from the folk song: “Father’s merit is like Thai Son mountain, Mother’s kindness is like the water flowing from the source.” Thai Son mountain, the water from the source is used to compare the great merit of the father, the never-ending love of the mother. Although there are elements originating from Chinese allusion (Thai Son), the above saying has become familiar in Vietnamese folk songs and with Vietnamese people, at the same time leading readers to remember the remaining two sentences of the folk song. This is both the author’s way of expressing his own filial piety, and also a message, reminding everyone about filial piety.
3.2.3.3. Borrowing ancient folk concepts to compare human fate
The ancients often believed that fate or human life was associated with a natural phenomenon or related to a certain number. In Chinese and Vietnamese culture, the number 12 has many different meanings: 12 zodiac animals or 12 professions in society, 12 causes and conditions according to Buddhist thought, 12 midwives, 12 internal organs... but all refer to a complete, completed, and ultimate process of movement in time and space [182]. Adding the word "water landing" evokes the idea of floating and not being fixed. Therefore, Vietnamese people use the concept of "twelve water landings" to refer to the entire wandering life of a woman. The "Eulogy for a Lover" accepts that concept: "The fate of twelve water landings is certain, in the family there is no one to take care of it, why don't you find a place close by, bear to let your mother and teacher grow old, who will you marry when the rain, oil, sun, fire, double wind, single rain?" [152; [517] “Twelve ferry landings” represents the life of many hardships of people in general. However, women in the old society were prone to the ups and downs of marriage and family, so this concept is often used to talk about the status of women.
Tale of Kieu , folk literature, folk beliefs are very familiar phenomena, close to people. This explains why the funeral orations that borrow these phenomena are mostly funeral orations for loved ones. This way of borrowing makes the funeral oration more intimate, fully expressing the feelings of the person performing the ceremony and the personality of the person being honored.
3.3. THE TOE OF THE FUNERAL IN VIETNAMESE MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
Tone is an aesthetic category, an important element in literature. Along with language, tone is the second indispensable material in building and developing ideas and emotions.
Funeral orations in Vietnamese medieval literature are not only rich in content and diverse in form, but also unique in tone. This is one of the factors that create the uniqueness of this genre. The tone of the funeral oration is expressed very clearly and richly, especially through the Nom funeral oration.
3.3.1. Solemn voice
Solemn is the appearance and form that shows a high level of respect and reverence. In dealing with superiors, one must show a solemn attitude, and this is even more so in sacrificial ceremonies. Except for satirical orations, solemnity is the dominant tone of orations in general.
The Book of Rites says: “The sacrifice of a wise man should be extremely sincere, offering offerings with loyalty and respect, taking the ceremony as the way, taking music as peace, taking the time to participate, offering clear and bright offerings, that’s all.” [88; 204] These words show that the sacrifice does not place much importance on the offerings, the most important thing is sincerity and solemnity. Sincerity and solemnity in the sacrifice is to express one’s feelings and to see the image and feelings of the person being sacrificed while he was still alive. The real space of the funeral oration is the ceremony, which requires solemnity, so the funeral oration cannot lack this tone.
More specifically than other tones, the solemn tone can be spread throughout the funeral oration. The solemn tone can be expressed in many different parts of the funeral oration such as exclamation, narrative, regret... but most clearly in the beginning and the end, because these are two important milestones that open and close the essay, and at the same time are also two parts that directly express the attitude and feelings of the person performing the ceremony.
At the beginning of the Funeral Oration for the fallen soldiers and the sick , Le Van Duc prayed: “Respectfully obeying the king’s command, I have set up an altar, with full offerings, wine, meat and delicious food, to commemorate the soldiers who heroically died in battle and died in illness during the attack on the rebel Nong Van Van. Now I have set up an altar to inform the souls of the soldiers…” Le Van Duc was a general, a superior of the soldiers, but before the sacred moment of the ceremony, with heaven and earth and the souls of the soldiers as witnesses, he fully expressed his respectful attitude and appreciation for them. The prayer clearly expressed a solemn and respectful attitude, not only because he was performing the ceremony according to the king’s command but also because he was grateful and remembered those who had passed away.
At the end of the funeral oration for Hiep Quan Le Dinh Quy , the author of the funeral oration also expressed his sincerity as follows: “Now my soul is at peace, my spirit has returned to my homeland. It is called a sincere offering, foolish according to the ancient law (…) Alas! If there is a sacred person, please understand.” [79, T19; 630] One of the important purposes of the funeral oration in terms of beliefs is to comfort the soul, helping the soul find a peaceful place to live. The words of comfort must come from the bottom of the heart to be able to sympathize with the soul, as the author expressed through the funeral oration “a sincere offering”.
Sincerity is certainly shown in the solemn appearance, words and tone, regardless of the amount of offerings. In funeral orations, offerings are often just a cup of plain wine, a plate of pickled vegetables, a bowl of plain soup, and a small bowl of rice, but sincerity is always the most important factor.
3.3.2. Intimate and intimate voice
Intimacy is having a close relationship, attachment to each other, loving and respecting each other; confiding is expressing private, secret thoughts to someone with whom you have an extremely close relationship. The intimate, confiding tone is commonly expressed for most groups of subjects of funeral orations, the first of which must be mentioned is funeral orations for relatives.
In the funeral oration, the author’s words, whether they are words of complaint, words of pity, words of narration… all seem to be words of confidence, direct conversation with the deceased. These are the words Ngo Thi Nham confided directly to his father’s soul: “Alas! Father has left this house for three years, we have not been able to pass by the yard to hear his advice. Because father’s ascension to heaven has a deadline, the joy is under his pillow, the days and months are still long. Suddenly, the stars Cơ and Vỹ returned to the sky, the dragon god transformed, the truth, the mortal eye cannot calculate. A few months ago, the coffin was still in the house, we were waiting for him standing and sitting, looking at his clothes and hats and crying, as if father were still alive. The burial date has been set, the days and months cannot be saved, now the hearse has been urged, father will have to leave this house forever. A thousand years have passed, there will be no more chance to meet again, the farewell party is before our eyes, the sadness is too much to bear, so how can we hold back our hearts!” ( Daily funeral oration at the funeral home upon returning home [38, T2; 550])
Emotions are a very important element in these types of funeral orations. It is impossible and there is no longer a chance to directly express affection for the deceased, the only way left is to express it through language and tone. Many funeral oration authors express their respect.
Express your love and respect to your parents and siblings with very profound and touching words and tones.
Some authors wrote many funeral orations such as Nguyen Ba Xuyen, Nguyen Quang Dieu... wrote funeral orations for parents for colleagues, friends, and neighbors (B46, B47, B159, B160, B161, B165). Although they wrote for someone else, the feelings expressed were very genuine, the tone was full of love as if it was for their own relatives. The author must be a filial person, kind-hearted, and know how to love everyone to be respected, trusted, and able to write such funeral orations.
The subject and object of the funeral oration are very diverse, so the intimate tone is also expressed very richly. Not only filial piety to parents, harmony with siblings, but all other relationships, from family to society, are expressed specifically and richly through language and tone. There are authors who directly express their close relationship with their teachers like a father and a son: "Step up to the high platform, the love is as deep as a father and son." ( Elegy for the Governor of Tuyen Quang [5; 3a]) Just one short sentence clearly describes the author's love and respect for his respected teacher.
Even people of low social status or strangers in distress were mentioned by the author of the funeral oration with a particularly intimate and loving tone and sentiment: “Who knew that you could use the heart of a god to worship me, to the point of suffering this painful accident. That day, Nguyen Ngoc Than came to tell me everything about your loss, my heart was shocked, and I quickly told your younger brother to go find you. I ran back and forth four or five times but could not find you. I guessed that you had died in the chaos, the corpses piled up, unrecognizable. However, for the past five or six years, because of the loss of the country and the destruction of the home, I have fallen into extreme poverty, so I could not go find your whereabouts, causing your old mother, your foolish wife, and your young children to cry out in grief, drifting in misery. You in the afterlife must not have been without hope in me, and in fact I have not forgotten that deep affection for you for a single day.” [91; [526] The words of confidences and confessions of Minister Ngo Trong Khue for his servant show the humane nature of the Vietnamese people, not only loving their relatives but also extending their love to everyone.
3.3.3. Proud voice
Pride is to be justifiably proud of the good things that you or those who have a certain relationship with you have. In funeral orations, pride can come from many factors, including three main factors: 1/ From a close and respectful relationship leading to pride in the good qualities of the person being sacrificed (funeral oration for relatives); 2/ From admiration, respect for the talent, virtue, and sacrifice of the person being sacrificed (funeral oration for virtuous and heroic people); 3/ More broadly, when talking about the good traditions of the nation and country (patriotic oration). Therefore, the tone of pride is more or less clearly expressed in each work.
An author is proud of the virtues of his ancestors as follows: “Four generations of humane words and righteous voices, harmonious surroundings; Three dynasties of pure rules and regulations, shining in history books. Cultivating great deeds and bright bones; Forging a peaceful and prosperous family. Gold paper and precious books, honoring all aspects of appearance; Jade house, jade platform, nurturing a harmonious heart.” ( Duc dai ton dai te van [5; 7b] NDT) The good traditions of the family are nurtured and passed down from many previous generations. More closely, it is built from the daily exemplary speech, behavior and gestures of each person; more importantly, it is nurtured from the virtues and achievements of each generation of ancestors. All are worthy of being the pride of descendants and the family. Proud of the virtues and achievements of their ancestors, future generations will follow their example, trying to preserve and promote that tradition.
The patriotism and sacrifice of the heroic and righteous men are also truly worthy of pride, so they are expressed in a proud tone in the funeral oration: “The will to raise the flag and reveal the map, shining brightly in the midst of the tide; Who wants to bring the precious sword Can Tuong, bury it outside the border (…) Rach Gia, Go Cong, the battles were so fierce that everyone who saw it was terrified; Cua Khau, Trai Ca everywhere, who did not hear about it was afraid.” ( Funeral Oration for Truong Dinh [21; 81] Truong Dinh’s battles were so fierce that anyone who heard them was terrified, but reading the above sentences by Nguyen Dinh Chieu, we must understand them in two ways: our terror and the enemy’s terror. Our terror was due to being too excited and enthusiastic before the heroic and earth-shattering battles that made the enemy miserable; the enemy’s terror was due to having to endure many of our stormy attacks. In either way, the image of the general Truong is very worthy of pride. In particular,
The above sentence also uses the phrase "co xue lo bo" in the style of famous general Ly Thuong Kiet, expressing his determination to sweep the invaders out of the shore.
Pride in family tradition and good human qualities is the foundation of pride in the country. In a broader sense, pride in the funeral oration is pride in patriotism, a precious tradition of the nation for thousands of years: “The body between heaven and earth, the heroic spirit from ancient times to the present. Who in this life does not die, but who dies with dignity.” ( Funeral oration for generals who died in battle against the French [4; 11b] NDT) The above funeral oration clearly shows the proud tone of the heroic spirit, the patriotism of the nation, the “heroic spirit” that has been fostered by heaven and earth since ancient times to the present. The work of restoring and eliminating violence has achieved many results thanks to that. In particular, the above sentences also praise the spirit of not sparing blood and bones for the country, ready to sacrifice on the battlefield, not letting people lose their lives to meaningless deaths.
This tone is often expressed in the eulogy section. The function of this enthusiastic, proud tone is to praise the virtues and achievements of the deceased. Remembering the virtues and achievements of the deceased, the author cannot help but feel sorry for their untimely passing. Therefore, associated with the enthusiastic, proud tone (and the intimate tone) is the tone of sorrow and lament.
3.3.4. Voice of lamentation and lamentation
Lamentation is a feeling of sadness and pity, and at the same time causes a feeling of pity in others. This is the constant tone of funeral orations. Death is a permanent loss. Whether it is the death of a loved one or any other relationship, the person performing the ceremony expresses pity, regret, and sorrow.
The sorrowful tone is based on the intimate tone. Because of the extreme intimacy and love, when someone goes away, the person who stays behind cannot avoid the feeling of an extremely great spiritual loss. The greatest shock is nothing like a child losing his mother: “The way of heaven has the yin and yang, gain and loss, the most tragic moment is when a mother and child are separated. The pain of his mother's departure was so great that Thuat was covered in tears of sorrow and blood. Nhi Ha water flows to the east, the streets are desolate; Spring lake lotuses fill the water, the villages are sad.” ( Nguyen Thuat's offering of a mother's sacrifice [9; 7a] NDT) Understanding the way of heaven has the yin and yang, gain and loss, but the way of human beings still cannot accept the scene of separation. That is the natural order of human love. Water flows according to its laws, lotuses bloom in season, the heart