ngày xưa in the olden days
thảm thiết movingly
thình lình all of a sudden
trịnh trọng solemnly
vồn vã warmly
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
bỏ lỡ cơ hội to miss an opportunity
cơm lành, canh ngọt delicious dishes; (fig.) harmony (in a marriage)
dâng hương cúng Phật to offer incenses to pay respect to Buddha
gương vỡ lại lành the broken pieces have been mended
học đâu nhớ đấy to have a good memory for learning
kết liễu mạng sống to put an end to one’s life
làm lại cuộc đời to start one’s life anew
trọn tình trọn nghĩa accomplished love and righteousness
văn hay chữ giỏi academically competent
Discussion Questions
1 What do you learn from the fact that Tu Uyen went to a temple to pray to a god so he could find the woman of his dreams?
2 Compare and contrast Giang Kieu’s role as a wife to that of the modern woman. What similarities and differences can you come up with?
3 Giang Kieu’s reaction to her husband’s drinking problem—flying back to heaven—could be regarded as passive. However, it did have a powerful effect when Tu Uyen awoke. Discuss this seemingly contradictory situation.
A Village of No Return
A Long-Lost Life
Perhaps because no one has seen the fairy world with their own eyes, people have fabricated countless fantastic details about this world. One of their imaginations is that time in the fairy world passes very much faster than that on Earth. One day in the fairy realm is equivalent to a hundred years in the human world. A man accidentally finds a path that leads to the fairy world, where he meets a fairy and settles down with her. Nostalgic for his old place, he returns but is not recognized by anyone in his village.
During the Tran Dynasty there was a young mandarin named Tu Thuc. Every year he attended ceremonies at the regional temple, where the famous peony festival was held. During the festival, a young lady who wasn’t aware of the strict rules of the temple happened to pick a flower. The temple’s monks immediately arrested, restrained, and imposed a fine on her. Seeing this, Tu Thuc gave the monks some money to free the girl.
He asked her thoughtfully, “If you are not familiar with the rules here, where do you come from?”
The maiden respectfully responded, “I am from the district of Tong Son. When you have a chance, I’d like to invite you to visit so that I can express my deep gratitude.”
They then parted ways. Tu Thuc returned to his everyday life. One day, he decided to resign from his post and live as a nomad. Remembering the maiden’s invitation, Tu Thuc sought out the district of Tong Son. The scenery there had a charming beauty, but even after asking everywhere, he saw neither hide nor hair of the beautiful girl. Not discouraged, he continued looking. One day, Tu Thuc arrived at Than Phu Delta. Right in front of his eyes, a majestic cave suddenly appeared. Tu Thuc cautiously entered the cave and saw a palatial house right in the middle of it, completely surrounded by exotic flora.
At the entrance to the castle, an elegant and classy woman greeted him with open arms, “Welcome, sir, you have finally reached this place, one of the thirty-six caves in the heavenly realm. I wonder if you still remember this girl from long ago.”
Upon saying this, she motioned for her maid to bring out an impressively beautiful young lady. Tu Thuc looked at her dumbfounded. She was none other than the maiden who stole the peony from the temple some years ago!
The maiden, Giang Huong, said shyly, “Thank you, not only for helping me before, but also for making the effort to look for me all this time.”
The princess of the cave gave orders to put up decorations and organize a marriage banquet for the two. From then on, Tu Thuc lived happily with his beautiful wife in this luxurious paradise filled with wealth. Time flew by, and he counted on his fingers that he had been there exactly three years. Although he was happy, Tu Thuc couldn’t stop missing his parents, friends, and neighbors.
One day he told his wife, “I want to leave you for a little bit to visit my homeland, and then I will return to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Giang Huong was extremely heartbroken. She explained to him that the fairy world and the human world were now separated. If he left, he would never be able to return. Because he missed home so much, Tu Thuc did not pay attention to his wife’s warning. Giang Tien reluctantly saw Tu Thuc off at the cloud coach so that he could visit his homeland. Before he even realized it, the cloud coach brought Tu Thuc back to his old home. The surroundings had not changed much, but he did not see any villagers who looked familiar to him. Returning to his old place, he didn’t see his house anywhere. Nobody knew who his parents or siblings were. Finally, he met an old man with silver-white hair. Tu Thuc introduced himself to the old man and inquired about his own family.
The old man thought long and hard and then slowly replied, “My great-grandfather used to tell stories about a mandarin with your name, sir. One day that mandarin went traveling and disappeared into a cave without leaving a trace. Nobody could find him. That happened about three hundred years ago.”
After bidding farewell to the old man, Tu Thuc joylessly wandered around and finally ended up at the place where he first saw the cave. The cloud coach was no longer there, and grass and bushes had grown up and covered the entire entrance to the cave. Tu Thuc walked away in a daze, and kept going in that state of mind until he was exhausted and dropped dead on the road. Villagers now call the cave that brought him to Giang Huong, Tu Thuc Cave.
Từ Thức Về Trần
Kiếp Nào Đã Mất
Có lẽ vì chưa ai đã tận mắt thấy được cõi tiên, người ta đã thêu dệt không biết bao nhiêu điều kỳ thú về thế giới này. Một trong những điều mà người ta tưởng tượng ra ra là thời gian ở cõi tiên trôi nhanh hơn thời gian ở cõi tục gấp nhiều lần. Một ngày ở cõi tiên bằng cả trăm năm ở cõi dương thế. Một người đàn ông vô tình lạc vào lối đi dẫn lên cõi tiên, gặp gỡ một nàng tiên ở đó và cùng nàng xây tổ ấm. Đến khi nhớ nhà, chàng tìm về chốn cũ trên dương gian thì chẳng còn người nào trong làng biết chàng là ai nữa.
Vào đời nhà Trần ở châu Ái có vị quan huyện trẻ tuổi tên là Từ Thức. Hằng năm, Từ Thức thường đi lễ chùa trong vùng, nơi có lễ hội hoa mẫu đơn nổi tiếng. Hôm lễ hội, có người con gái vì không biết luật lệ gắt gao của chùa, đã lỡ hái hoa. Sư sãi trong chùa liền bắt cô, trói lại và đòi tiền phạt. Từ Thức thấy vậy, đưa một quan tiền cho các nhà sư để cứu cô gái. Chàng ân cần hỏi han cô gái:
–Nàng là người vùng nào mà xem chừng không rành luật lệ nơi đây?
Thiếu nữ thưa:
–Thiếp