burmese classical poems. selected and translated by fiedrich v. … · contents(contd.) pages...
TRANSCRIPT
Lustig, Friedrich V.
Burmese classicalpoems
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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTOLIBRARY
WILLIAM H. DONNER
COLLECTION
purchased from
a gift by
THE DONNER CANADIAN
FOUNDATION
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BURMESE CLASSICAL POEMS
SELECTED
and
TRANSLATED
by
The Most Rev. FRIEDRICH V. LUSTIG
Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia
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BURMESE CLASSICAL POEMS
. SKLECTKD
and
TRANSLATED
by
The Most Rev. FRIEDRICH V. LUSTIGBuJ'iliisi Ai-ch!--^^ho!' oj Laivic
Sole distributors in the USA S. r jPARAGON BOOK GAiIer;"!™
H EAST 38th STREET '
NEW YORK. N. Y. 10016
No part of this collection of translations may be reproduced
in any form whatsoever (other than in Burma) without
express permission of the Advisory Editor MargaretM. Kardell.
PL
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Printed and Published by U Khin Pe Gyi, Managing Director,Rangoon Gazette Limited, Rangoon. (Printer's RegistrationNo. 0490). (Publisher's Registration No. 0338).
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/burmeseclassicalOOIustuoft
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CONTENTS
PAGES
A cknowledgemen ts
Foreword
Short Pip
3
Lu-ga-lay
Mountains and Forests
The Month of Tabaung
The Golden-YellowPadauk
Carved Bullock-Cart
Song of the Forest
Sea Snails
The Royal Kason
Jasmine
Deliverance Cannot BeFar Distant
Military March
Forest Flowers
Dearly Loved Son
Rain
Pake to Heart (A Father'sAdmonition to Son)
Selections
Mae Khwe
Author unknown
Author unknown
Author unknov/n
U Kyaw
U Ya Kyaw
Princess Hlaing-Teik-Kaung-Tin
U Kyin U
U Kyaw
U Ponnya
Shin Maharattathara
U Kyin U
U Kyaw
Author unknown
Myavadiwungyi U Sa
Sahton Sayadaw
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
18
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CONTENTS (Contd.)
PAGES
Mya Man Setkya U Ponnya 21
Present of a Cheroot Mae Khwe 22
A Peasant Wungyi Padethayaza 23
Paddy Planting Song Author unknown 24
I Am Longing Princess Hlaing Teik-
Kaung-Tin
25
Love in Secret
Encountered
Maung Thwa 27
I Would Smile UKyi 28
Noble Wisdom Chaturinga Bala and NemyoMin Tin Kyaw Khaung
29
Donations (Dana) Shin Tezothara 31
Remorse U Khaing 33
Painful As It Is... U Kyaw Thamee 34
No Cooling of Anguish UKyawThamee 35
The Nature of Things
(Release from Anger)
Anantasuriya 36
Sources & References — 37
Botanical Glossary ... 38
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A young Burmese Upazin (monk) who was one of the
first pupiis in my American Conversation classes later
introduced my husband and me to his Guru, The MostReverend Friedrich V. Lustig, whom we found to be a
most interesting expounder on Burmese culture, the Burmeseway of Hfe and Buddhism.
Having lived midst many different cultures for longperiods of time The Reverend Lustig's background is suchthat ha brings to any cultural discussion a broad symphonyof understanding. He was born in Estonia in 1912, studied
Oriental Languages under Professor Sylvain Levi at the
College de France in Paris, and joined the Buddhist order
in Latvia at the age of eighteen. He has traveled exten-
sively in the Far East having spent quite some time in Chinaand Thailand. For the last seventeen years he has beenliving in exile in Burma, a country in which he is deeplyinterested. (I) In May of 1962 after the demise of his Guru,The Most Reverend Archbishop Tennisons, The ReverendLustig was elevated as Archbishop of Latvia by HisHoliness the Dalai Lama who is now Hving in exile in
India.
In the course of our discussions with the ReverendLustig we found that he enjoyed interpreting Burmesepoetry and so we encouraged him to set down a number of
his translations of Burmese classical poems. This he did
in conjunction with Reverend Eindawuntha and other
monks of his acquaintance.
(1) In 1952 the Government of the Union of Burma published a
musical colleciion entitled "Ciassical Burmese Music"—Prepared ForPiano By the Right Rev. Friedrich W. A. Lustig. After The PianoPresentation By Saya Myaing Under The Supervision of U Po Lat,
Secretary, Ministry of Union Culture.
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We shared these interpretations among Burmese andforeign friends. Much interesting discussion ensued and
many people urged us to share these poems with all and this
we decided to do.
We then set to work in earnest and had to decide onsuch issues as strict line and style translation versus interpre-
tation of ideas and opted for this latter approach as we feh
it would prove more interesting to most foreigners. ToBurmese scholars and philologists we leave the more impor-
tant academic tasks of analysis of style, comparison of
various translations, and the presentation of a compilation
of all Burmese poems that lend themselves to translation.
For the "armchair" translators we have included the Bur-
mese Text so that they might have the enjoyment of improv-
ing upon our work.
As any student of a foreign language soon learns,
there are many ways of expression in his own language
which do not have exact equivalents in other languages dueto differences in climate, culture, philosophy, religion, andhistory. These differences are perhaps most difficult to
overcome when moving from a philosophically oriented
Buddhist script language to the theocentrically based
International English language used by most world travelers
today.
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We are indebted to many Burmese and foreigners whohelped and who gave their time and ideas: particularly10 Mrs. John W. Neave for her assistance in helping us toachieve a smoother presentation in English, to ProfessorU E Maiuig for his helpful suggestions,lo U San MaungTor his independent translations which we used to checkagainst The Reverend Lustig's, to Daw Dolly Khaingfor the typing of the f3urinese sections, to my Burmesegardener v/ho disagreed with the botany books, and mostof all to those who have read the manuscript and given theirsuggestions. Certainly our lesults are a composite effortand many points strongly argued had to be compromisedand will be disputed.
We know from reading Burmese English languagenewspapers for the past three years that there is probablyno more interesting subject in Burma than that of the properinterpretation of Pali and of poetical Burmese into rnodernBurmese or into International English. And quite obviouslyno interpretation of a poem in any other language of soundscan give the exact true flavor and meaning as in its ownlanguage of sounds but one can try. And in the tryingperhaps we may encourage others to try and we shall all
gain from our further mutual understanding.
Margaret M. Kardell,
Advisory Editor,
October 31, 1966,
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FOREWORD
Poetry enpbles a person and elevates him above his
petty environment. It can guide a wavering mind throughthe daily rough course of life to a safer position. And,in a way, it can make our everyday life a thing of beauty.
Only poetic, elevated emotions, stirring the imaginationof all, can lay bare the meaning of a culture. For this
reason I am attracted by Burmese lyrical art and find the
poetry of Burma irresistible.
Apart from universal human themes, ever present in
Burmese poetry is an intense expression of a spiritual wayof life and the ethical experience. The profound active
humanism of the common man is verbally outhned in aform which often turns their poetry into music. That is
why the Burmese lyrical art with centuries-old traditions,
rich and variegated, arouses a wondering and eager interest.
Burmese poetry has for me a quite special significance.
A people of rich and responsive human sympathy, theBurmese are very gifted as a race. They built Pagan, astriking testimony to their spiritual insight. A nationwhich has such capacity possesses inexhaustible possibilities.
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Tn translating these Burmese poems I have tried to
catch the correct meaning and to remain scrupulously
faithful to the author's expressions. But to see what a
poet or poetess saw passing before his or her mind's eyewhen the original lines were composed, is somethingwhich cannot be solved like a mathematical formula. I
worked patiently and conscientiously, and am grateful
to Rev. Eindawuntha, a Buddhist monk of BawdigoneKyaung, Rangoon, who offered counsel to me in analysing
the most perplex metrical lines; and to Maung Aung Khinfor his practical assistance.
The Burmese patterns of intonation and well recognizedmelodic phrases of the times obviously governed the original
compositions. Today to decipher such particular words orgroups of words sometimes makes one uncomfortable,because Burmese word arrangements may often express
more than one meaning. Also during the last two centuries
or so the Burmese language has been greatly enriched
by the accession of new words and nev/ meanings due to
scientific advancement. In the process a large number ofold words and arrangements have become obsolete ; and theBurmese reader often has a present understood meaningquite different from the original. Some of the difficuhies
encountered in translating older poems stem directly fromthese circumstances.
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T shall consider my labor amply rewarded if thesetranslated Burmese lyrics prove interesting to today'sforeigners and help them share, even in a very small degree,
the innermost thoughts and feelings of the talented Burmesepeople.
Friedrich V. Lustig (Ashin Ananda),
Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia,
Sangharaja for Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania,
Great Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon.
April 26, 1966.
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SHORT PIPE
A pipe...a pufF...
short as a finger...
I give youfor smoking.
"If I do not take it
you will think me crudeIf I accept it
you will think I like you.
If you want meto smoke it
put it near the bed,my dear one."
Mae Khwe.
Mae Khwe was the daughter of the Mayor of Sittaungand she was married to a Maung Swe. When KingBodopaya (Bodawphaya) ascended the throne in 1782C.E., Mae Khwe became a Court Poetess.
C.E. means Christian Era.
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LU-GA-LAY
Oh little boy crying!
I would I could
Catch you a pigeon
White, blue or black
Oh Uttle boy
How hard it is
To catch a pigeon
White, blue or black.
A lullaby.
Author unknown.
Lii-ga-lay may be translated young son or little boy as the
song although originally sung by those caring for small
princes is now sung in the same fashion by modern mothersand fathers.
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MOUNTAINS AND FORESTS
Ah... beautiful...
The mountains
The forests
The quivering buds
The trees caressing one another.
The birds frolicking with joy!
Author unknown.
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THE MONTH OF TABAUNG
On mountain tops sweet nwe-kyo creepers
Bloom midst other blooms
And thabye leaves dindpet-sut flowers
Are once again pure bright colors.
On the Festival of Tabaung
Tharaphi and gangaw open into flower
And fragrance pervades everywhere
On Mount Popa.
Author unknown.
For more detailed information on flowers and trees
see page 38,
The Festival of Tabaung is on the full moon day of Marchwhich is the last lunar month (February-March) in the
Burmese calendar.
Mount Popa is over 4,000' above sea level and lies in
Central Burma near the ancient city of Pagan.
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THE GOLDEN-YELLOW PADAUK
Tn the month of TaguFrom emerald green leaf-clusters
Bloom forth golden-yellow flowers.
Truly what other flowersCan compare with these in beautyThere in paclauk's cool breezy shadeWhere the flow of sweat ceasesAt the entrance to Nanda Cave—Retreat of the Pacceka Buddha.
During one month in a yearDuring one day in that monthDuring that Day for the BuddhaPadauk blooms forth in the forest.
Summertime
!
The time of Thingyan has arrived.
And glorious is the golden pollenMistily blown from padaukAnd spreading its fragranceAlong forest roads.
No one can describe all the marvelsOf this royal flower
Padauk
I
U Kyaw,
U Kyaw flourished in the reign of King Mindon(1853-1878 C.E.)
Tagu is the first Burmese lunar month (part of Apriland of May).
Nanda Cave is a mythological name for a cave supposedlysituated somewhere in a jungle and to which no ordinary
being has access. Only super beings—Buddha, PaccekaBuddhas, and Nat Spirits or the like—may stay in this cave.
Pacceka Buddha is a Buddha who has attained enlighten-
ment but who does not preach to tho world.
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CARVED BULLOCK—CART
In his carved bullock-cart
He takes his girl to the pwe
Many are the beautiful girls
In his village district;
Some are better dressedThan the girls in townAnd as they go to the pweSitting up front in the carts
Attention they attract
With their blue, blackAnd violet hued kerchiefs
Round their necksAnd small satin stoles
On their shoulders.
Each young man and his girl
Snugly sitting side by side.
As the cart from behindOvertakes the cart in front
Bells of wood and metal ring;
Young men yell across to each otherRacing with their carts
Moving abreast of one-another
One cart on the roadThe other close-by.
A pwe is a stage performance including music, dancing
repartee, singing and folk opera. Most of the poems inclu-
ded in this book were first heard by the Burmese people at
some pwe.
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To be first at the town's entranceAnd to be first at the pwe means praiseAnd to be first means a better place.
The boy is excited—he must try hard
—
No longer distant is the place.
Proud is he of his bullocks
—
Purchased for over a hundred kyats.And proud are his perfect bullocksWith their white-spotted foreheads.Restrain them with reins
And bullocks look skyward
—
And the pace suffers
—
So slacken the reins.
U Ya Kyaw.
U Ya Kyaw gained celebrity in the reign of King Thibaw(1878-1885 C.E.). U Ya Kyaw was considered a master
of realism.
The kyat is the Burmese monetary unit.
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SONG OF THE FOREST
Fragrant and fresh
Are the whole branches
Brimming with nev/ life
;
Brilliant are the leaves
All golden lights.
Pleasant are the forests
At Thingyall's festival time.
One delights to see
Lingpya birds building nests
;
To hear cuckoos in pairs
Making heavenly melodies; and
To see a parakeet's lovely airs
Makes a maiden long to
To feed him in a cage .
"Oh darling!
Catch him without delay
He is about to fly away.'
Princess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin,
Princess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin (1833-1875 C.E.) was a
gifted poetess and musician as well as one of the most
beautiful women at the Mandalay Court. She married the
younger brother of King Mindon and was therefore the
consort of the Heir Apparent of the Court.
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SEA SNAILS
If you meetIf you see
You believe.
So quaint to see
On curved sea shoresClusters of snails
Whites, reds, yellows and bluesMoving and displaying themselves,Some golden penholdersOthers hard iron traps
Still others—fairies' hairpins.
Oh? Hermit crabs!
Coming here or going there
And everjrvvhere
Attention attracting
By borrowingEmpty sea snail shells
To Hve in themAnd move about in them.
Bizarre indeed are these.
U Kyin Uo
U Kyin U wrote poems and enjoyed great renown in the
reigns of King Bagyidaw (1819-1837), King Tharrawaddy(1837-1846 C.E.) and King Pagan (1846-1853 C.E.).
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10
THE ROYAL KASON
As the hot seasonRevolts against the cold
—
In the pattern of contrasts
—
The firmament becomes cloudyAnd winds are hot again.
It is summer.
Leaves on trees turn yellow,
To fall—to show new leaves-Stems twist or break, yet
Sprouts on tama trees
Are now soft greens
Like parrot eggs.
While in summer trees thirst
In foothills thazin flowers
Are climbing thabye trees
Eff'using fragrance
Mixing with the wafting air.
At sunset crow-pheasants are cooing,
And from afar come the cuckoo's notes.
Now and again thunder is beating
Through heaven's expanses
Like lambara and deindi drums.
And I...
Oh, I think
Of the pouring of water
On the Bodhi tree
And of the absent companionIn the Golden Palace of Victory,
And I am mournful.
U Kyaw.
Kason is the Burmese second lunar month (May) and its
full-moon day is the day on which the Buddha was born,
obtained enlightenment, and on which he also passed
away.
Bodhi tree is the tree under which Buddha obtained en-
lightenment.
od
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11
JASMINE
When jasmineIs not in bloomIn palace gardensCourtiers mustBedeck themselvesWith kan flowers.
When jasmineIs in full bloomIn Mandalay'sPalace gardensCourtiers neverAdorn themselvesWith kan flowers.
Then kan flowers
Find favor onlyAmong villagers.
U Ponnya.
U Ponnya was known as the best of the poets in thereign of King Mindon (1853-1878 C.E.). The King gaveU Ponnya a noble title and some land as a fief.
Jasmine has a sweet odor and is beautiful whereas kanflowers although beautiful have no odor.
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12
DELIVERANCE CANNOT BE FAR DISTANT
Listening, thinking, questioning, answeringExamining, writing, praciicing, and memorizing-Daily these eight disciplines need wearingAs one wears flower garlands.
Constantly, with a spirit of competition andWith diligence the beginner in fundamental lore
Must practice recitation...andIf he tries as hard as ever he canHe will become a famous learned man.
If one does not try with the eagerness
Of a daring eagle that firmly catches a hen;If one does not study and ponder,
Does not question and does not discuss, andIf one cannot give a discourse—
•
Knowing only how to read palm leaves
—
How can one become a well-known man of letters ?
Like a cat eating a shrimp with special enjoymicnt
A learner must study all texts—omitting none
—
And he must learn all by heart.
He must become sharp as teeth of a sawPenetrating deeply into all discussed matters.
Thus reaching comprehensionIndelible as a stone inscription.
Then when perfect in understanding
He will be ready to say all by heart.
Then on any matter at any public concourse
He will be ready to give a perfect discourse.
To unravel the subject from beginning to end,
Without fear—like a lion
—
To stand in the midst of the crowd,
Like a pillar of stone unshaken,
Going over into every detail
And replying to all without fail.
op
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13
He must be familiar with verses in Pali,
Various forms of address and old difficult words.He must know the meanings and formationsOf elements, use of metaphors and versification,Grammatical method and annotation.And how to reason forwards and backwards.Then if he knows all this he will have recognition.He will be celebrated in this life as a man of erudition.In future rebirths in this SamsaraHe will come near Buddha Aiya Maitreya.Then for him not too far distant will be Nirvana.
Shin Maharattathara.
Shin Maharattathara (1468-1529 C.E.) was a famousBuddhist monk.
Written in the sixteenth century, this poem reflects thespirit of scholasticism. However, laying stress on thorough-ness as it does, it has a message for our age as well. (F.L.)
Samsara is the phenomenal world, the repeating round ofbirths and deaths.
Buddha Arya Maitreya is the expected Buddha of the future.
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14
MILITARY MARCH
We are not afraid of anything!We are daring and braveReady to sacrifice our lives
With Parpahein marching to the royal cityOn this day fixed as the day of victory.
At our camp in the forest
Verdant are the branchesFull of small flower buds
;
Sweet are the soundsOf the military drums and gongsIn the soft evening's twihght.
Just as mists and clouds are dispersedSo too must we destroy our enemyThe elder brother Zeyathein.
U Kyin U.
Zeyathein is an imaginary prince, an heir appaient, and oneofthe chiefcharacters ofU Kyin U's play entitled "ParpaheinPyazat". In the denouement of the drama Zeyathein is
being attacked by Parpahein, Zeyathein's younger brother,
and in the fighting loses his throne to his younger brother.
The above excerpt is of course only a small part of the wholeplay. (F.L.)
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It
FOREST FLOWERS
Budding branches sway daintily in the windsBlooming forth into abundance.Red-dappled white flowers of nan- 1haAnd blooms of sandalwoodSweetly scent the foothills.
Summertime endsBut it is not yet the season of rains.
From the ground belowRises khatta's overwhelming perfumeWhile from aboveJasmine's small swinging branches
Send down their fragrance.
Climbing the forest trees
Khabaung flowers sway in the windLike rain-soaked silver strands.
Later in the rains their stems too
Will be all a silver hue.
And in the valleys
Surprisingly charming too
Are the strange flowers
Called by the villagers
Crocodile flowers.
U Kyaw.
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16
DEARLY LOVED SON
With the armyShe has entrusted him,Her dearly beloved son,
She must not pity him.
On the way to ThailandMany are the rising rivers and streamsViolent are the rains and strong is the storm.But his own mother has agreed,
"Let him die.. .(if need be)..."
"In my heart too,
No distress lingers.'
Historical song.
Author unknown.
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17
RAIN
When soft breezes blowRare fragrance spreadsFrom the saga flowers
Growing on the not far-off
Mountain of the Giant's Palace.
Dark becomes the horizonEnveloping us from the south in gloom.Melancholy assails my heart.
Oh, Rain God, do not cause us sorrow!Do not cause us sorrow, Rain down andAll the eight directions will look gloomy.And the rain will sadden us in many ways.
Myavati Mingyi U Sa.
Myavati Mingyi U Sa (1766-1853 CE.) was not only agreat poet but also one ox the most remarkable creators
and preservers of Surmesc music. He is the composer of
the celebrated FItumachana Thachingan.
The eight directions are N.,E.,S.,\V., and NE., NW., St.,
and SW.
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18
TAKE TO HEART
(A Father's Admonition to His Son
With this poemLet me give you, my son,A parent's admonition—A true garland of emerald flowers—As useful to youAs your right hand.
The love in my heartFor you my sonIs like a mountain of gold •
So listen carefullyTo the not to be lost heritageWhich is Good Conduct.
Traditional knowledge,My dear son, you must master.For if you do not acquire knowledgeYou will be hke spilt water
—
Not a whole man
—
And you will feel shame.Repenting ten times overYou will grow pale of faceAnd in the world lack good place.Like monkeys in the forest,Who have hands and feet too
,
You will be a wasted ragged fellow -
A useless purposeless man.As a man of no solid substance—By others held in contempt
—
Ashamed you will be, dear boy.
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Therefore from childhood.My dear son, it is necessaryTo learn about all human matters :
To stay in school firmly and to studyTo read as told,
To write as told.
To ask as told.
To reply as told,
To sit as told.
To rise as told,
To stoop as told,To use what told,
To change as told,To partake of food and drink as told,To address persons as toldTo behave as told,
To approach persons as told,And to honor lovinglyYour teacher as directed.
Beloved son,
Bo not forgQt all this
Your Father's message-Mentally note it^
Carefully heed it^
Keep it deep in your heart.
Let me say more^So it will be indelibly
Written in your heart.
Listen gladly!
Do not make friendships with drifters,Pleasure-seeking low-thinking men.Or vapid men seeking only evil.
When sometimes the^se types come near youSeeming to befriend you or in play
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20
Keep away from tlieni,
At a distance stay,
Then your welfarePerfect will beDearest son!
Without fail
Try to do everythingJust as instructed.
Do not push aside
Your Father's speech.Take it gladly
And live by it.
This is cognizancej5My son.
Sahton Sayadaw.
(Buddhist monk, probably 18th, Cent. C.E.)
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21MYA MAN SETKYA
The royal steamer Man Mya SetkyaNow proudly flying for the KingHis own Golden Peacock flag
Makes her way to MandalayCarrying diirian fruits
To the King.
To accompanying echoesOf whistles and trumpetsSteadily Oii steams Mya Man SetkyaDays beyond HanthawaddyUntil finally at duskSamalauk village is seen.
From Samalauk village on upstreamTo the mainstream—Irrawaddy
—
She continues making her way.On through the night she steamsHer captain and crew, obliviousTo beautiful passing scenes,
Thinking only of reachingTheir next stop on the stream.
Even at the secret time near dawnShe moves on. And from the river
Rebounds to villages sounds of herRevving engines rending the skies.
Just below Kanaung town at duskThe anchor is dropped at last
And now the captain and crewMay sleep and rest.
U Ponnya.
U Ponnya is understood to have written this poem whiletraveling upstream on the Mya Man Setkya—a steam vessel
that had been presented to King Mindon (reign 1853-1878
C.E.) by the British then in control of Lower Burma. TheBurmese historian U Tin Ohn, the author of the "Biographyof Yo Atwin Wun U Po Hlaing", claims that the plan of
the British was to kidnap King Mindon while the Kingwas inspecting the imposing interior of the first-class ship
given to him as a present. However, King Mindon fearing
the danger (he was forewarned by Minister U Po Hlaing*)
refused to go on board the Mya Man Setkya. (F.L.)
Hanthawaddy is the name of the district in which Rangoonis and was located.
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22
PRESENT OF A CHEROOT
The cheroot leaves
I do not buy, but pluck myself.
I do not dry them on the fire
I do not spread them in the sun.But for your smoking
—
I dry them under my bedclothing.And with my teeth I trimThese aromatic leaves.
The cheroot I do not bind with silk
But with common cotton threadTo give it truly to you^My youthful lover in Ava.
Mae Khwe.
"Youthful lover" can also be translated sweetheart fromchildhood.Ava was the capital of the Burmese Kingdom of Ava.
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23
A PEASANTRainy season it is
!
And when it rains
Happily husband and wife
—
In red cotton turbans.And tattered pasohs and aingyis—Carry along their childrenRain-wet and without clothes
Body warm in their arms.
A short pipe between his teeth
—
The peasant ploughs his field
;
And in his rice fields
Are water-filled holes
Homes of many small crabs.
Tossing these into his shoulder basket
Together with frogs, snails,
Su-pou plants, kazoon and kin-hon leaves,
And pilo—all for his curry
—
Stoopingly he goes back home.
Sweet and juicy is the curry
Cooked on arrival and laid out quickly
With kyan-hing and kywet-na vegetables.
The rice is hotAnd the curry is hot
With pungent Shan chillies
That make one suck tht, tht, tht.
Scooping sizable handfuls,
Bending he eats
—
Surrounded on all sides
By robust sons and grandsons
Of these happy parents,
Wungyi Padethayaza.
Wungyi Padethayaza was born in Ava in 1672 and died in
Syrian! in 1752. He flourished at the Court of Ava in the
reign of King Sane (1698-1714 C.E.) during whose reign
he was a Minister. He later lived in exile in Lower Burma.
His tomb stands on the northern slopes of KyaikkhaukPagoda in Syriam.
Pasoh is another word for longyi which is the tubular skirt
worn by both men and women in Burma.
Aingyis are the blouse Uke jackets worn by the Burmese.
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PADDY PLANTING SONG
No need to pay the goldsmith
!
From the palm tree conies our gold !
Rolled palm leaves are our earringsChains of flowers are our necklaces.
Pleasant to look at are we—The well-mannered rural folkFrom the village of Aung Pin LayNear golden Mandalay.
Rather shortish are our skirtsAnd our cotton jacketsAre dyed from bark of trees.
Yet fine and tidy are our seams.
Our cheeks are smartly thanakad. AndAs we move swaying from left to rightOur braids shine like buffalo- horns"Our beauty is all from nature. AndEven our hair we adorn onlyWith white mayo flowers.
Author unknown.
Thanaka is a pounded power made from thanaka tree barkand even smaller branches. This dust is then used as apowder or a paste, as a cosmetic, an astringent, a medicinalapplication, and/or as a decoration and sun screen for theface.
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25
I AM LONGING
Gilt glass filtered moon rays
Light my stately diamond-studded couchWhere alone J hear the drum's sweet soundAnnounce the third watch of the night.
Dawn is no loncer far-off.
On my thazin scented couchAlone I await your coming.Hands to my forehead1 cannot but museOver all that has passed
And 1 am filled with pensive sadness.
On oath you promised never to shun meAlways to be loyal to meSolemnly you swore, "If I become KingI shall make you my Queen.Even if a Goddess tried to seduce me,Never would J surrender to her."
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26
"In coronation's splendid display
I shall give to you the place of chief QueenWith eight Brahmins and many pages attending youAnd at the time of libation's ceremonialI shall cause all men to worship you."
I believed you and gave you my love.
Novv...hov/ different is your manner.Oh, Prince of Kanaung how stern is your face.
Where is the former brightness of your face ?
Where are the loving caresses
You so fondly showered on me?Oh, prince of Kanaung.
Princess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin.
(1833-1857 CE.)
This is only part of a very long song sung originally byPrincess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin supposedly while waiting
for her husband to return to her chamber. The sequel is
that he finally hears her sweet voice, remembers her andcomes back again to her from an adjoining chamber.
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27
LOVE IN SECRET ENCOUNTERED
By chanceSecretly I fell in loveWith a lovely girl,
Emerald fresh,
And of gentle birth.
As a consequenceI had to grapple withGrief vaster than the sea.
My life is unbearable.
First pretending to love meThis maiden was like a cockCourting round a hen;Then suddenly she flaunted ojff.
In many ways she broke the trust
So naively placed in her.
How wrongly I beheved in her.
It wasn't true love, just pretense.
She loves me not, all is in vain.
But for this lovely garlandContaining many sweet smelling flowers,
Not long shall I wait
To be decorated with it.
I am a man of sufficient worth.Soon the time will comeAs comes floresence of all plants
And I shall have a true love.
Ah no ! My dear young lady
You are not made of jewels.
You vain and conceited girl
I have not long to wait.
Maung Thwa.
(Date unavailable,
probably second Konbaungperiod 1818-1885).
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U Kyi rose to fame at the Court of King Tharrawadd}(1837-46 C.E.) who for the second time in Burmese history
moved the capital to Amarapura. U Kyi was a poewhh a great command of imagery, he speaks of the thing:
on which the world is forever pivoted. (F.L.)
Sit'sali are whistling teal and Mauklin are Uke coot.
28
I WOULD SMILE
Round our village
How pleasing
To see
Growing in profusionLai'kci-nyo creepers
Living amongThe paddy rowsWith blue khataukIts fragrance
Fining the air.
Surrounded here
By such beauty
I cannot help
Missing my lover.
Oh, how lovely
The beautiful
Kazoon creepers
Rocking gently
On the water;
And in the fields
Blue v/ater hensMauklin, andSit-sali birds
Are billing
And cooing.
Poor me!Here alone
Midst this beauty
With my lover awayT am overcomeWith sadness.
Now too,
The sky is overcast
Thunder heralds rain.
Yet if my lover
Were here
I would smile.
U Kyi.
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NOBLE WISDOM
To the Three Noble Jewels! AndTo Mother, Father and Teacher!To these Six with pure faith
RespectfLilly having paid homage,I shall compose into easy verses,So we may learn orallyThe text Lokaniti, so full of lore,Yet so difficult in Pali.
From Lokanitfs maximsMuch wisdom will all receive.It will be like admonitionFrom one ripe in years,
A parent, a teacher and a good friend.Then vastly learned one will become;Full of knowledge and insightHarvesting benefits untold,One's name will shine as the purest gold.
(contd.)
The Three Noble Jewels mean the Buddha (the Enlightenedone), the Dhamma(the Teachings of the Buddha, Doctrine,Truth, Law, Norm), and the Sangha (the Buddhist Order,Community, Ecclesia).
Lokaniti or "The Ways ofthe World"—and the right conductrelating to them—is a collection of excerpts from various
Pali treatises. The collection consists of seven chapters
and its maxims are piercing and enthralling. "The NobleWisdom" is only a small part of the LokanitL ChaturingaBala and later Nemyo Min Tin Kyaw Khaung rendered into
Burmese verse the whole text of this celebrated work.
Pali is the language used in Buddhist sacred writings.
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Study and acquire recorded knov/ledgeSo full of treasured benefits.Be lazy and where will be knowledge ?Without knowledge where is wealth?And for one without wealthThere will be no loving friends.When there are no friendsWhere is happiness?When there is unhappinessHow will you do good deeds?Again, when there are no good deeds,How will you get lo Nirvana?In this world the best friendIs knowledge hrmly acquired.That, no thief can steal away.And in your next existence tooKnowledge will follow youAnd happiness bring you.
All mankind note ihis way(Follow it each day.)
Chaturinga Bala andNemyo Min Tin Kvaw Khaune.
Chaturinga Bala lived in the 14th, century C.E. and Nem\ oMin Tin Kyaw Khaung in the 19th. century. The fornier
wrote his "Lokaniti'' in Pali verses and the latter later
rendered it into melodious Burmese poetical language.Born in Prome district, Chaturinga Bala distinguished
himself in the reign of King Ngah Sih Shin Kyaw^swa ofPinya (1342-1350 C.E.) and after that served ' as HomeMinister to King Leh Sin Shin (also known as Thihathu)who reigned 1350-1359 C.E.)
Nemyo Min Tin Kyaw Khaung rose to fame in the reign oi"
King Thibaw (1878-1885 C.E.) as a significant contributor
to Burmese aesthetic thought.
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31
DONATIONS
(Dana)
'*Unsimilar is human destiny.At the time true rehgion is no moreSome will still be full of faithAnd desirous of giving in charity
;
Though they will see no worthy recipientsYet with genuine devotionThey will give gifts
To those they do not like
And the result will be poor."Thus spoke Buddha to Angura Deva.
He who does not urge other menTo do meritorious deeds,But practices his largess alone,Will in future rebirths
Have many possessionsBut no attendants at all
He who gives and urges othersTo give things in charity
Will be reborn rich
Surrounded by numerous attendantsAnd holding vast possessions.He will be a shining moonIn the assembly of men.
He who earnestly exhorts othersTo give donations freely,
While himself offering nothing,In future rebirths will beDeficient in material belongings
Yet many attendants and relatives
Sons and grandsons will beIn his entourage.
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31
WhosoeverNeither himself is munificentNor urges others to beWill encounter e\il fate
After his body's dissolution:
Never feeling satiated,
Scarcely finding eating plants.
Showing hunger day and night.
He will become a hungry spirit-
Meet in 2 all kinds of miserv.
Shin Tezothara.
(Dale unavailable
The Buddhists beheve that munificence (the giving of gifts)
is one of the highest and most noble virtues. Charity(in Pali Dana) always leads to happy rebirths on earth
or in a heaven of the Dcvas (Gods). In the practice o\'
giving the Burmese excel other nationalities. (F.L.)
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33
REMORSE
To gain the prize of lUuminafionI have made up my mind.Then \ shall have liberationFrom the bondage of craving {Tanha)The all consuming darknessOf ignorance (Avijja-asava).
Seeking a womb for rebirthIn other after-death conditionsMany times I have experiencedDifferent forms.But in whatever sphereNever can it be pure.
Thus no longer do I seek a consort.Satiated with a layman's Hfe,
I renounce it all and goTo muse in the Dhamma cave.
U Khaing.
The Dhamma cave is a cave for meditation.
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34
PAINFUL AS IT IS
Painful as it is...
Let me state my trouble.
How full of anguish most direIs one tormented by Universal Fire.
As if seven suns blazed fiercely
Equally burning is pain the world-round.Nowhere can a cool spot be found.My heart's trouble seems a death agony.
But presently beautiful maidens appear."If you want to alleviate my pain.Sprinkle me with rose scented rain."
U Kyaw Thamee.
Poetess U Kyaw Thamee was a daughter of the poet U Kyawwho lived in the reign of King Mindon (1853-1878 C.E.)
and who had received unanimous acclaim as a poet of
extraordinary talent.
By Universal Fire is meant the catastrophic fire which
will destroy and consume our universe at the end of the
Kalpa according to Buddhist beUefs.
Kalpa is the "World Age" or "World Cycle" extending to
millions of years.
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35
NO COOLING OF ANGUISH
In human life
We meet constant renewal.Slowly like tree-cottonBurning without ceasingDay after tomorrow and the nextOne day after another dayDescends upon usBut there is no cooHng of anguish.
Though the sun and the moonWill not change in the futureAlways shall I seek succorAnd seeking it I shall fret.
My anguish I try to forget.
But no!Day after day anguish Hngers;My tears run in a steady flow.
*'Oh, softly dry them one by oneWith the best cloth of Bassein."
U Kyaw Thamee.
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36
THE xNATURE OF TfflNGS
(Release from Anger)
Often a man suffers destructionIn order that another manMight enjoy well-being.
Such is the nature of things!
A courtier's satisfaction
In enjoying kingly confidencesIn golden palaces
And a King's own good fortuneAre merely bubblesOn the surface of a vast oceanMomentary and evanescent.
If dictated by commiserationi were to be released
And freed from executionI would not escape Death.Inseparable am I from KarmaAll sentient beings
Being subject to dissolution.
Respectfully I salute His Majesty.
Should I again meet my Lord the KingIn one of my future rebirths
In the cycle ofSamsaraBegrudging him nothingI would lovingly forgive him.Impermanent is my body of blood.
Anantasuriya.
Anantasuriya was a chief minister in the Kingdom of Paganunder King Naratheinka (C.E. 1 170-1 1 73). When as a result
of a palace revolution Naratheinka's brother Narapatisithuseized the throne, Anantasuriya was ordered to be executed.
On the eve of his death he wrote this classical poem entitled
"Dhammata" (The Nature of Things), which is one of the
literary treasures of the world. (F.L.)
Karma can loosely be translated as destiny as ordained bythe ethical consequences of one's acts in previous existences.
Samsara is as explained before the cycle of deaths andrebirths until Nirvana is reached.
97
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37
SOURCES AND REFERENCES(Titles of Works in Burmese)
1. Thi-khying padetha.
2. Kabya pan-kon Professor U E Maung
3
.
Kabya pan-kon a-phye zon Hanthawaddy U Ba Yin
4. Kabya pan-kon a-phye thit Editor Saya Magha
5. Khan hman Myan ma za U E Maung
6. Tan myin kabya phve nyi kyam U Pho Ngve
7. Kabya pan-myaing U Thein Naing (B.A.)
8. Khet-thit kabya mya U Wun and U Thein Han
9. Zasodaw mya atthuppatti Bo-gyi Ba Thaung
38BOFANICAL GLOSSARY
PAGES
Bodhi (Bawdi) 10 Bo-tree, Pipal (peepul)
Nyaung Bawdi Ficus religiosa-Linnc no
GgOCGOlQ
Gangaw 4 Poached-egg tree
nOGCQOo
Mesua ferrea
Kan flower 11 Carissa carandas-Linn
6uc
Kazoon creepers 23, 28 Watercress
rofo^s Ipomea leaves
Khabaung vine or
(Kabaung) leaves
15 Calamus longisetus
SGolcS
Khabaung tree 15 Strychnos nux blanda
Khatauk flowers 28 Thalictrum foliolosum(Kandauk)
OGCOono
Khatta flowers 15 Eurycles amboiiiensis
3C0DCO
Kyaw(Akyaw)
15 Acqiiillavia agallocha
GCOp
Kala-met 15 Mansoiiia gagei
nr)S|yfD
Kin-bon 23 Acacia concinna DC.
TOCSOL
Acacia rugata-Lam
Lai-ka-nyo(Lai-ka-nyun)
28 Asparagus racemosus
COUOCOgJ^CCO
39
Mayo(Ma-yo)o
Mayo gyi
Mi-chaung vine
Migyaungo cyGcqncs
24 Milk weedCalotropis procera
24 Calotropis gigantea
15 Crocodile flower
Derris scandens
Nan-thaHatha
Natha-pyu
>^atha-ni
Nwe-gyo (kyo)
Nwe-cho
|oSo|
Padauko coscoono
Pet-sut
Pilo
'JGODO
Sabe
o C©003
5flg^ flowers
©noos
15 Milletia ovalifolia
15 Milletia piseidia
15 Red Sanders
Pterocarpus santalinos
Burma liquorice
Thurbergia laurifolia
5 Pterocarpus macrocarpus
4 Eriobotrya bengalensis
23 Corchorous spp.
1 1 JasmineJasminum pubescens-Wild
17 Michelia champaca
mSu-pouSubokSubok'gyi30S00
IL L
Tamacoyo
Thabye
Tharaphi
TharapiQ
Thazinc
COCC
23 Accacia pinnata
10 The Persian lilac-Pride of
China, India.
Azadirachta indica-A Juss
4, 10 Eugenia spp.
10, 25
Laurel-Alexandrian
Callophyllum amvenum-Wall
„ kunstlevi-King
,, parkavi-Fischer
Orchid
Bulbophyllum spp.
Burmese words for trees, shrubs, and flowers, often differ
in different sections of the country. Naturally a single
Burmese name will often apply to a great number of different
latin botanical names and at this late date it is a little difficult
to be positive just which specific latin-named plant a poet
was seeing in his mind's eye. The above list was compiledwith the "help of some Burmese botanists and from the
following
:
List of Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, and Principal Climbers, Etc.
Third, Revised and Enlarged Edition, by H.G. Hundley,B.Sc. (For. Rgn.) Silviculturist, Burma, and U Chit Ko Ko,Herbarium Curator 1961, Superintendent, GovernmentPrinting and Staty., Union of Burma, Rangoon.
Journal ofthe Burma Research Society Vol XXXIIl Part II,
A Key To The Trees and Shrubs of the University Estate,
Rangoon by Nant Gladys Kwa.
A Check List of some Common Roadside and GardenPlants of Rangoon F.G. Dickason (unpublished pamphlet).
M PL3984-
L87
Lustig, Friedrich V..
Burmese classical poems
PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY
