Source: Vhn Library (According to "Vietnamese Han Nom Heritage Bibliography")

From the function of funeral orations and the religious needs of all social classes, it can be said that the number of funeral orations that have existed is very large. There are authors who wrote many funeral orations, for themselves and for others. “In the Middle Ages, funeral orations were a widely used genre (…). Therefore, there is no author who has never written a funeral oration and in each author, funeral orations often account for a large number of the entire work.” [111; 42] At the end of the 18th century, there was Phan Huy Ich; at the end of the 18th century, early 19th century, there was Nguyen Ba Xuyen; at the end of the 19th century, there was Pham Than Duat; at the end of the 19th century, early 20th century, there were Nguyen Thuat, Tran Trong Giai, Phan Boi Chau… were authors who wrote many funeral orations.

The number of works that have been translated and published is only a small part of the existing works, while the Han Nom Heritage Bibliography alone shows that there are still 621 funeral orations that have not been translated. Not only in the anthologies or collected documents, but also in the folk today, there are still many valuable Han Nom documents related to funeral orations. Right in the Southern land, Han Nom literature in general and funeral orations in particular still have a significant reserve. Nguyen Van Hau commented on the reserve of funeral orations in the ancient Southern land as follows: “The funeral orations considered to be the oldest in the Southern Central land that remain to this day are the two funeral orations for Ba Da Loc, one by Prince Canh and one by Nguyen Vuong Anh in Saigon… There are many funeral orations after the two mentioned above. By famous people such as Bui Huu Nghia, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Thu Khoa Huan, Nguyen Quang Dieu… every family has one; As for the Confucian scholars, doctors, scholars, and Nhieus scattered from various localities, it is impossible to count them all.” [52, T2; 106] The comments of the experienced collector and researcher of Han Nom history and culture allow us to believe in the rich reserves of Han Nom funeral orations not only in the Central and Southern regions but also throughout the country.

In recent years, we have also collected Han Nom funeral orations in some provinces of the Southwest. In 2012, we collected a collection of Han Nom funeral orations (untitled) at the house of scholar Nguyen Tong Mau in Cai Be district, Tien Giang province, with 14 Nom funeral orations. Han Nom researcher Nguyen Ngoc Quan also collected a book of Gia le tap thanh in a province of the Southwest, with 52 Han Nom funeral orations. In 2015, in Chau Thanh district, Dong Thap province, we also collected a book of Nom funeral orations at the house of a person whose ancestors practiced fortune telling, with nearly 20 articles.

Maybe you are interested!

The above three books contribute to enriching the Southern Nom funeral oration in particular and the treasure of funeral oration and literature of Vietnam in general.

Currently, we have compiled a list of 257 Han Nom funeral orations (243 collected) from many different sources: university literature textbooks; anthologies and collections of poems and prose by authors; books, newspapers, and research magazines before and after 1975; fieldwork materials; Han Nom materials of the Institute of Han Nom Studies. In which, the newspapers we used were early newspapers such as Nam Phong , Phu Nu Tan Van , Nong Co Min Dam , Dong Nai Van Tap ... The materials in the textbooks, anthologies, collections, books, newspapers, and magazines are works that have been translated and published, so more or less everyone already knows. Here, we only briefly review the sources of literature found in VHN and the sources of literature collected from fieldwork.

1.3.4.1. Source: VHN Library (according to "Vietnamese Han Nom Heritage, summary directory")

1/ Bach Lieu Poetry Collection , KH: A.553. Handwritten copy, 382 pages, size 31x22, with Nom script. Includes poems, parallel sentences, banners, memorials, and funeral orations by authors of the Le and Nguyen dynasties.

2/ A collection of Le Tien Si's poems and literary works , KH: A.599. Le Tong

Quang compiled, Cat Dong Doctor Ha Tong Quyen (1789-1839) approved. Handwritten copy, 380 pages, 31x21, in Nom script. Mainly copies poems and prose of Le Tong Quang from Binh Vong commune. In addition, there are songs to pay respect to Hoang Dieu; Worshiping gods, ancestors, Trinh Quoc Cong Nguyen Binh Khiem...; Longevity couplets; Some couplets by Ky Dong and the poem "Chuc cam hoi van" by To Hue.

3/ Books of Famous Pens Collection , KH: A.1325. Compiled by Mr. Lap Trai. Book of

Tran family, handwritten, 103 pages, 27x15. Memorial, stele inscription, funeral oration, inscription on bronze bell, title, genealogy... by Pham Quy Thich. Inscription at Quan Thanh temple, Ha Khau ward.

4/ Anthology of Famous Meritorious Officers , KH: A.582. Handwritten copy, 306 pages, size

31x22. Selected collection of 116 memorials, memorials, inscriptions, prefaces, poems, poems, funeral orations... by famous authors of the Nguyen Dynasty such as Nguyen Huu Lap, Tran Van Chuan, Nguyen Duy Tan, Phan Hy Luong... There are some genealogical prefaces, stele inscriptions at relics, and a royal decree for the French Governor-General...

5/ Sacrificial Edict to the Gods , KH: A.547. Handwritten copy, 194p., 31x22. The poems

Edict to honor officials who contributed to the court, composed by Le Quy Don and Pham Quy Thich; Funeral oration for Nguyen Binh Khiem; Some genealogical articles, congratulatory articles for longevity, congratulatory articles for passing exams, couplets for gifts and condolences.

6/ A poem written by the Duke of Qixuan , KH: VHv.2073. Nguyen Thong, self-titled

Hy Phan, alias Don Am, composed and wrote the preface in the year of Tu Duc Nham Than (1872). His nephew is Nguyen Yen, the main name. Copied from the printed version of Ngu Trai printing house in 1872. Handwritten copy, 170 pages, 27x15, 1 title, 1 table of contents. Consists of two parts: Part 1. "Ky Xuyen cong doc": 11 memorials, 1 speech by Ky Xuyen (alias of Nguyen Thong) sent to Tu Duc; Part 2. "Ky Xuyen van sao": a collection of essays, including poems such as poems about crossing the river; poems about cemeteries; funeral orations, notes about the Confucius temple in Vinh Long; stories of famous mandarins fighting the French such as Phan Van Dat, Truong Dinh, Ho Huan Nghiep; the legend of the Goddess in Dai An commune, Khanh Hoa; the inscription at the tomb of Vo Truong Toan (hermit of Gia Dinh province)...

7/ Eulogy of the Nguyen Dynasty's rites , KH: A.213. Eulogy of the Nguyen Dynasty's literati

such as Pham Quy Thich, Ha Tong Quyen, Phan Trong Phien... There are some articles, epitaphs; poems in response, in response, in nostalgia, and as farewells to friends...

8/柳堂文Liu Tang's text , KH: VHv.1143. Compiled by Ha Tong Quyen. Transcribed copy

Handwritten, 70 pages, 28x16. Collection of poems and prose including: Letter of thanks for promotion; congratulatory letter for longevity, congratulatory letter for retirement, poem expressing feelings when going to Nam Duong as an envoy; introduction for the work Mong Duong Tap Ky ; chrysanthemum poem... Funeral oration for Trang Trinh (Nguyen Binh Khiem) by Dinh Thoi Trung.

9/ Ngo Van Loc's Collection of Poetry on the Nghiem Duong Street , KH: VHv.2463. Poetry and Literature

of Ngo Van Loc's father, including two parts: Part 1. Chinese characters: Poems to celebrate longevity, house building, wedding, birth of a son... Banners, parallel sentences to celebrate longevity, wedding, house building, funeral... Funeral oration for Trang Trinh, father's funeral...; Part 2. Nom characters: Funeral oration for parents, doctors, and the Chief of the Military...

10/ The Fifty-Twenty Grand Celebration of the Chinese New Year , KH: A.1984. Original

Handwritten, 122 pages, 28x16. Consists of two parts: Part 1. Parallel sentences (pp.1-72): Collection of parallel sentences by Tu Duc and Nguyen Dynasty officials celebrating Tu Duc's 50th birthday; Some funeral poems and parallel sentences at pagodas and houses.

worship, literature; Part 2. Banner and funeral oration (pp.73-122): 9 articles congratulating the Phan brothers on their passing the doctoral exam in the year of Tu Duc Ky Mao (1879) by authors such as the Hoang family's third-ranked scholar, Nghe An's literary scholar, the National History Institute's literary association in the village and 7 communes in the canton, paternal and maternal descendants..., 7 articles mourning the teachers, mourning the younger brother, 1 article mourning the dead in the ship given by the French to the Hue court...

11/ National Funeral Oration, Song, and Poem, KH: VNv.150. Funeral Oration, Song, and Poem, Nom: Funeral Oration, Song, and Poem, KH: VNv.150.

The memorial service for the fallen generals of the Quang Trung period; Princess Ngoc Han's memorial service for King Quang Trung; memorial service for the son-in-law Vo Ton Tanh and Ngo Tong Chau; memorial service for the driver by Phan Sao Nam, the Thi Kinh self-love song; Wife blaming her wandering husband; poem about failing the exam, poem about being uneducated. Poem about guerrillas fighting the enemy by President Ho Chi Minh and a response by Bui Bang Doan; parallel sentences in tribute to Uong Tinh Ve by Chiang Kai-shek.

12/ Mao Hien literary collection KH. A.835, part of the Temple of Literature [婁+頁] The Temple of Literature .

handwritten, 96 pages, from page 1 to page 79, 30 funeral orations are copied (praying for peace, sacrificing for relics, sacrificing for the dead, sacrificing for family temples, sacrificing to chase away rats, sacrificing to tigers...), with a funeral oration by Nguyen Thuat; from page 80 to the end, some parallel sentences are copied.

13/ Collection of Buddhist Texts , KH: A.524. Edited by Nhuế Giang Bachelor Hoàng, year

Minh Menh 2 (1821). Handwritten copy, 105 pages, 33x22, in Nom script. 64 funeral orations, memorials, and offerings: to the imperial concubine, to generals and soldiers who died in battle, to parents, grandparents, teachers, uncles, brothers, ancestors, to pray for rain, to pray for wind, to pray for peace, to pray for recovery from illness..., a genealogy of encouragement, and a letter of advice to friends.

14/ Mr. Uoc Phu's Poetry Collection , KH: A.468. Handwritten copy, 50 pages,

32x22, 1 table of contents. About 85 poems and prose by Phan Thanh Gian: farewell, farewell, response, metaphor, painting, gift, error essay, funeral essay, letter...

1.3.4.2. Field collection sources

1/ A collection of handwritten poems and prose at Mr. Nguyen Tong Mau's house. The book does not have a title, name of the compiler or date. A total of 208 pages of Do paper, each page has 8 columns, the number of words in each column is more or less even, generally ranging from a dozen to 30 words, with 291 units of works. We have counted and quantified 31 units of works in Han script and 260 units of works in Nom script.

Regarding the date, because we could not find the name of the compiler and the date, we relied on the events and characters mentioned in it to speculate that the book was compiled in

around the first half of the 20th century, the latest could be 1945 (because of the taboo of the Nguyen Dynasty king). The book has 14 Nom funeral orations.

2/ Gia le tap thanh . Anonymous Han Nom book with no date, including many works in the genre of funeral orations, prayers, collected in the Mekong Delta. The book is 14.5x20.5 in size. The book cover is yellow, on the top left is written Gia le tap thanh nhat bon . The book is handwritten, no page numbers, a total of 120 pages written on 60 large sheets of paper, each sheet is folded in the middle to make a spine, each page has 7 lines, the number of words per line is uneven (mostly 22-23 words). The book is intact in shape, color, the words are quite clear, a total of 52 funeral orations including 30 in Nom and 22 in Han (including prayers).

The funeral orations in this book are readings during the funeral ceremonies for deceased relatives with many different relationships such as grandfather-grandchild, grandmother-grandchild, father-child, mother-child, uncle-niece, aunt-niece, husband-wife, etc.

3/ Funeral oration in Binh Dinh . Collected and annotated by Loc Xuyen Dang Quy Dich, published by National Culture Publishing House in 2008. A total of 32 funeral orations are divided into three parts. Part one includes 5 Chinese orations (funeral orations for Tran Duc Hoa, Dao Duy Tu, family orations...). Part two includes 23 funeral orations in Nom and Quoc Ngu, including funeral orations by Dang Duc Sieu, Nguyen Trong Tri, Nguyen Xuan Kieu, Dao Phan Duan, Huynh Ba Van, Nguyen Chuan... Part three includes 4 Buddhist rituals.

The collected books mentioned above and most of the funeral orations in them are not very old but also partly show the appearance of funeral orations in the above localities.

٭ ٭ ٭

CONCLUSION

Funeral orations have a history in ancient China. Closely linked to people's simple conception of the natural world, funeral orations were born to meet the need for sacrifices to pray for protection from heaven, earth, and gods. Since its birth, this type of funeral oration has continuously produced different sub-types depending on the circumstances of the sacrifice, the purpose of the sacrifice, the subject of the sacrifice, and the object of the sacrifice. From the need to sacrifice to heaven, earth, and gods to pray for blessings, it led to the need to sacrifice in funerals to both

expressing condolences and praying for the deceased's soul to protect and help. That is the origin of funeral oration.

The genre of funeral orations in Vietnamese medieval literature has absorbed the influence of Chinese funeral orations in a comprehensive way, in terms of ritual, purpose, and literary style. Vietnamese funeral orations have a rich reserve, many forms, and diverse forms of composition. In Vietnam, funeral orations have still achieved great success when they have become one of the typical genres in Vietnamese medieval literature.

CHAPTER 2

MAIN CONTENT OF THE FUNERAL GENRE IN VIETNAMESE MEDIEVAL LITERATURE

2.1. FUNERAL ESSAYS IN MEDIEVAL VIETNAMESE LITERATURE AFFIRM STANDARD MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES

The first purpose of the funeral oration is to mourn and praise the deceased. Through this, the author also wants to convey many messages of greater significance to the living. Although a person has passed away, their words, actions, virtues, and achievements will remain forever in this world, worthy of being an example for the living to follow. Therefore, praising the deceased is also affirming their good qualities, and at the same time advising the living to learn those good qualities.

These messages are often indirectly conveyed by the author through words of praise and admiration, and sometimes directly stated in the funeral oration, both expressing regret for the loss of a loved one and expressing concern because he felt that the loss was a loss to the world. In the funeral oration for his friend Nguyen Phung Hien, Pham Nguyen Du once wondered: “Why is the gentleman so unlucky? The fate of Confucianism has gradually declined. It is actually related to the world! It is not because I feel too sorry for my close friend!” [77; 224] Another author in the Dong Ngac Tham Tung Quan Thanh Phan Te Van also believes that the talented person not being respected is a misfortune of the world: “The body of a subject in the court must retreat to hide in the deep mountains and valleys, causing the cause of saving the world and governing the country to not be clear at the time, and future generations cannot hear about it. That is not only the misfortune of Confucius but also the misfortune of our way.” ([5; 11b] NĐT) The authors believe that the loss of each talented person is a great loss to morality. It can be seen that in funeral orations, affirming and educating morality is one of the most concerned contents, and is also the most humane content aimed at the living people of the funeral oration genre.

Morality is most clearly expressed through ethics and morality, two factors that govern all human activities in society. These two concepts are often understood as norms, good and bad assessments of individuals or groups, actions that are in accordance with common norms and efforts to achieve those norms. These are two concepts in the same category but their connotations are not completely identical. According to Confucian thought, ethics focuses on the process and results of self-realization of individuals, mainly related to factors that constitute human character such as "righteousness of mind", "sincerity", "self-cultivation"; Ethics focuses on social relations and social norms, mainly related to manifestations of virtue such as "regulating the family", "governing the country", "pacifying the world" [165; 25]. In China as well as Vietnam, all concepts of ethics and morality stand on the position of traditional Confucian educational ideology.

In the funeral oration, the two concepts of morality and ethics are clearly expressed in both types of relationships: individuals with each other, individuals with society. Through that, we can draw lessons about morality and ethics in the funeral oration, and can partly recognize the authors' concepts, personalities, and lifestyles.

2.1.1. Affirming standard ethical values

2.1.1.1. On the moral character of men

In the funeral oration, the moral qualities of men are emphasized in three basic elements: studiousness, integrity, fairness, gentleness and respect.

The first quality is to be studious and progressive. Learning is a source of nourishment that helps develop thinking and qualifications so that individuals have the qualifications to establish themselves in the world, become officials, and help the world. This is the main purpose of Confucian education. Confucius said: "Learning without getting bored." Confucius was honored as a saint, and he said that he also had to learn to know, and moreover, he had to learn for life. His example of learning and progressiveness is the most useful practical lesson that Confucius' students must learn first. A gentleman who has the will to learn and progress, "taking the world as his duty" cannot be far from learning.

The great scholars in history are of course admirable examples of the spirit of learning. Nguyen Binh Khiem "read thousands of books", Le Quy Don "read widely", thanks to which he had a profound knowledge, understood the principles, first became an official to help the world, then passed on his knowledge to the next generation to preserve the principles. The praises of

Comment