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A few ways to open an excerpt from Kiều at Ngung Bich Pavilion (excerpt from The Tale of Kieu) by Nguyen Du
1. Opening Method 1
2. Opening Method 2
3. Opening Method 3
4. Opening Method 4
1. Opening Method 1:
“Pitying Miss Kiều as the fate of the nation
Her talent, why so many tribulations?”
(Excerpt from “Reading Kiều” - Chế Lan Viên)
The moving verses of poet Chế Lan Viên evoke profound feelings about the life of 'Miss Kiều,' full of tears and pain, representing the tragic fate of women in feudal society. One of the most painful tragedies that Miss Kiều had to endure was falling into the hands of the human trafficker Mã Giám Sinh. After realizing her dignity was trampled upon and being imprisoned in Ngung Bich Pavilion, she continued to be held captive by the courtesan Tú. In that miserable space, she constantly reminisced about Kim Trọng and worried about her twin soul, while also having premonitions about the future. The excerpt “Kiều at Ngung Bich Pavilion” from the “Family changes and wanderings” section successfully portrays the complex inner turmoil and anxieties of Miss Kiều.
2. Opening Method 2:
“Through a sea of hardships
The verses still resonate the pain of human relationships
Life floats and sinks
Oh Tố Như, tears flow around Kiều’s body”
(Excerpt from “Spring song 61” - Tố Hữu)
The verses of author Tố Hữu contain profound empathy for the tragic fate of Thúy Kiều - the woman of complete beauty who suffered from the injustices and torment of feudal society. During the fifteen years of her painful journey, Ngung Bich Pavilion was one of Kiều’s stops. After falling into the hands of the human trafficker Mã Giám Sinh, Kiều was imprisoned in Ngung Bich Pavilion along with the deceitful promises of the madam Tú. Using the talent of national language and the technique of 'depicting emotional scenes,' the verses in the excerpt 'Kiều at Ngung Bich Pavilion' vividly depict the inner turmoil and the consciousness of dignity, as well as the uneasy premonitions about the future of the deeply sorrowful and emotional Thúy Kiều.
3. Opening Method 3:
“Nguyễn Du possessed eyes that could see through six realms, and a heart that contemplated through a thousand lifetimes.” This statement by Mộng Liên Đường, a renowned literary critic of the 19th century, expressed admiration and praise for the talent of Nguyễn Du - the national poet and the success of his masterpiece “The Tale of Kieu”. In the masterpiece “A New Cry from a Broken Heart”, author Nguyễn Du seemed to embody the characters to depict the deepest emotions in the soul of the talented but ill-fated woman. The excerpt “Kieu at Ngung Bich Pavilion” is one of the typical examples of this. With a compassionate pen and a deeply empathetic heart, Nguyễn Du successfully portrayed the picture of loneliness, sorrow, and countless woes of Thúy Kiều in the space of “Ngung Bich Pavilion, locked in spring”.
4. Opening Method 4:
“No scene is free from sorrow
Sad people find no joy ever
Sad people remain listless
Sad scenes leave people lost in melancholy”
