Prepare the Farewell Address

Short FAREWELL ADDRESS 1

Short FAREWELL ADDRESS 2

A. BASIC KNOWLEDGE

1. Origin of the excerpt
- Farewell Advice to Lover is one of the most famous poems of the Thai people.
- The work consists of 1846 verses.
- The character in the story recounts his love-marriage story.
- The excerpt is the farewell advice of the young man to the girl when she is forced to marry someone else.

2. Summary of Farewell Advice to Lover
- The young man and the girl have known each other since childhood, growing up they fall in love, but the girl's parents accept gifts from another wealthy but less courteous man.
- The young man, in anguish, leaves home, determined to make his fortune and return to marry the girl, who waits for him.
- When his time as a son-in-law ends, the other man asks to marry the girl. When he returns wealthy, the young man learns the girl is already married. He leaves in sorrow to bid farewell to his lover.
- Following the young man's advice, the girl pretends to be clumsy at her husband's house to be sent back to her parents' house so they can marry.
- But the in-laws sell her to an official. Disappointed, the girl becomes even more rebellious. The official takes her to the market but no one wants to buy her. They then trade her for a roll of dong leaves.
- The person who trades for her turns out to be the young man who loved her before. He doesn't recognize her because she is now emaciated.
- She plays the mouth organ, reviving old memories, and he recognizes her, so he splits his wealth, takes her back to her parents' house, and they marry as promised: if we cannot be together in youth, we will be when gray hairs come.

3. Emotional development of the young man on his way to bid farewell to his lover
- He reaffirms his love for Her, which is still deep-rooted.
- He wants to prolong the journey to stay with Her longer, to envelop himself in Her scent for the future, the fire of his body still bears the scent of today's lover.

4. Girl's Emotional Development
- In His perception, She also seems to want to prolong the time together. Her steps are hesitant, Her eyes look back: 'I came to the chili forest, cutting chili leaves, waiting / I came to the eggplant forest, cutting eggplant leaves, waiting...'.
- This description shows that He understands Her inner feelings very well.

5. Verses and Details Showing the Gentle Attitude of the Boy Towards the Girl When He Stays at Her Husband's House
- He combs Her hair, brushes Her clothes.
- He boils medicine for Her.
- Affirming their strong feelings: 'Dying into salt, we scoop together in the same bowl / Dying into souls, under the same roof, side by side... Loving each other, loving for a lifetime, hard wood / Loving each other, loving for life until old age'.
- The repeated phrases (like 'dying into', 'loving each other'...) show His unwavering determination and affection for Her.

6. The Meaning of the Text
- The text describes a sincere but troubled, tragic love of a Thai couple.
- It vividly portrays the emotions, souls of the couple, and praises their love.

B. ESSAY

Your Understanding of Minority Ethnic Poetry and the Excerpt 'Farewell Advice' (From 'Farewell Advice to My Lover' - Thai Ethnic Minority Poetry)

Essay Suggestions

I. Genre of Poetry
- Poetry is folk creations, in the form of autobiographical narratives, using prosody to tell a story about love or impoverished fates. Poetry can exist in textual or non-textual forms.

- Poetry is one of the cultural heritages, crystallizing the artistic values of various Southeast Asian ethnic groups. Outside this region, there is no such genre of poetry. In Vietnam, poetry is considered the great work of the Northern ethnic groups. Therefore, it is seen as a bridge between folk literature and written literature, between ethnic literature and foreign literature.

- Folk poetry originated from the development of two genres: folktales and folk songs... The characteristic of the literary development of many ethnic groups in Southeast Asia is that their works are not read but recited. Therefore, unlike scholarly poetry (such as 'The Tale of Kieu,' 'Luc Van Tien'...), folk poetry exists in a form that is both literary and non-literary, both autobiographical and romantic, both prose and verse, both narrative and sung. This stems from a holistic artistic thinking, unlike the decisive, clear-cut thinking of the working people.

- In Southeast Asian countries, poetry is written literature (in Laos, three consecutive kings composed poetry). In Vietnam, it is quite different: some ethnic groups have writing systems, some do not, and some are just learning the Latin alphabet... Oral arts have also reached a high level, approaching written literature.

- The emergence of Folk Poetry reflects changes in artistic and humanistic perceptions of the era. It reflects the need to reflect more holistic human beings. The form of storytelling aims to convey social and contemporary issues, addressing the lowly status of people under ancient regimes. Alongside, the psychological developments, emotions, and feelings of people are deeply and vividly portrayed through poetry, thanks to the participation of folk song forms. Therefore, folk poetry's important characteristic is the harmonious combination of romance and autobiography, singing and storytelling. It is a form of poetry within stories and stories within poetry.

- Most Folk Poetry contains wholesome content embodying traditional moral ethics, the consciousness of the people, extolling humanity, filial piety, and righteousness according to the viewpoint of the working people, praising loyalty, intelligence, and courage in fighting against violence and tyranny...
- Exemplary works of various ethnic groups include:
+ Muong Folk Poetry: Nang Nga - Hai Moi; Ut Ly - Ho Lieu. Nang Om - Chang Bong Huong, Mountain Flower Garden...
+ Tay Folk Poetry: Nhan Lang, Bioc La, Chieu Duc, Li The Khanh, Nho Huong... Tay Nom Poetry has about 30 stories (from 7-800 lines to 3000 lines). These stories are written in the Tay ethnic Nom script, on dó paper, with most covers coated with a shiny resin from the 'se' tree to ensure they can be passed down without damage. The poems are long, using the 7-character poetic form with two distinct character lines, with interesting and sometimes mysterious developments. (page 6 introduces Tay Folk Poetry)
+ Thai Folk Poetry, while not abundant, is a unique genre. Thai Folk Poetry is a crystallization of the convergence of traditional cultural and literary values of the Thai ethnic group. Typical are poems on love themes: Farewell Advice, Chang Li - Nang Ua, Hien Hom - Cam Do, U Them. These are stories of love between young men and women in the old society, where they have beautiful, pure, and loyal love but face arranged marriages, being sold, and unjust treatment. Each work is a paean to love, human ethics, representing 'the intense democratic aspirations of the people, manifested in the struggle for a happy life, against harsh customs, and the suppression of the freedom to love' (Le Truong Phat). The basic plot of this type of poetry goes through three main stages: The couple loves each other passionately - Love is broken, the young men and women fall into misery when forced into arranged marriages, sold to others - The couple tries to escape from that forced, unjust situation.

II. The Tale of Farewell Advice to the Lover (Xong chu xon xao)
The Tale of Farewell Advice to the Lover is a translation of “Xong chu xon xao,” according to author Vu Anh Tuan, where 'xon' means advice and also means lesson, learning. Therefore, the work is both a farewell advice and a lesson for young girls on the threshold of love.
The text of the work is mainly circulated among the people, transmitted through songs, stories of artists, and young men and women of the Thai ethnic group. The work was also soon textualized through the collection and translation efforts of many researchers. The text compiled by Mac Phi (in Thuan Chau - Son La), translated, and edited, is a valuable document and a major literary work. This text was published in 1961, and has been reprinted many times, with textbook authors quoting excerpts from this text.

The Tale of Farewell Advice to the Lover is a famous romantic story in Thai literature about He loves Her, and She loves Him, loving each other passionately. Because Her parents criticize Him for being poor and not suitable for marriage, He decides to go trading and become wealthy to marry Her. Her parents force Her to marry, and she tries to postpone staying with the groom's family but fails. The day He returns is also the day She has to go to her in-laws, and He accompanies her with farewell advice. Living at her in-laws', She is cruelly beaten and sent back to her parents to be sold off. The buyer is Him, and they marry in complete happiness, after He escorts his wife back to her hometown.

The Tale of Farewell Advice to the Lover is one of the poems that deeply influences the traditional romantic folk singing more than the influence of folk tales. Therefore, many researchers classify the work into the autobiographical poetry group (meaning the romantic element is foremost). In many parts, we see the presence of many Thai folk verses, creating romantic melodies, vividly depicting the various emotional states of the romantic characters.

III. Excerpt of the Farewell Advice

1. Context of the excerpt
The excerpt tells the story of a young man (He loves) escorting his lover (She loves) to her in-laws' house, bidding farewell, giving advice, and expressing his sincere, faithful love. This happens after he becomes wealthy and returns to find the girls he loved now belong to others. As he escorts them, he witnesses the girls being mistreated and beaten, which adds to his pain and sorrow. This is one of the best excerpts, portraying the emotional love of a person deeply and truthfully through the language of sweet, earnest lyrics.

2. The young man's feelings on escorting his lover to her in-laws' house
The entire excerpt is the imagination, the feeling of the young man when escorting his lover. Every action, emotion of the girl is also expressed through the eyes of the young man, so his feelings, emotions are extremely earnest, sincere.
The young man, because of poverty, could not marry the girl, so he decided to become rich. He returns with hopes of a happy ending for his love. But now, everything has changed, the girl has been taken by someone else (after the period of living with the groom's family according to Thai customs, a stranger has brought engagement gifts to propose to the girl). The young man only knows how to escort with deep love and heavy-heartedness, in agony.

First and foremost, the young man escorts the girl according to customs, but more importantly, he shows his love, care for the girl:
Being urged to leave, he finally turns back
Being advised a few words, he loves you enough to turn away

Parting always brings sadness. The young man escorting his lover to her in-laws' house is truly tragic. He is restless as the girl goes to a strange place, he cannot bear to see her leave. Walking a distance, he tries to hold onto his love, earnestly expressing his feelings. The farewell advice for the girl is also a way for him to express his own heart, to express his feelings:

Please let me lean against your slender body
Wrapped around your shoulders, imbued with your scent
So that after the fire has faded from my body
For a moment beside you, replacing the farewell words

The young man expressed his desire to be close to the girl, to be intimate and share their sorrows. This desire is extremely intense, both in life and in death. He wants to convey: if we cannot be together, it is as if there is no one dear to me for life, borrowing the scent of your skin from now on so that even if I die, I will not become a lonely person, the fire of my body will be filled with your breath, and my soul will be freed. Thus, even though he is escorting the girl to her husband's house, the young man affirms his lifelong bond with her, considering her his only loved one.
His love and determination continue through his confessions:

Little one, let me hold you
Pretty baby, let me carry you...

He affectionately calls the girl's children his own with words like 'little dragon, phoenix, small one, pretty baby, descendant...'. This shows his deep love; he loves everything about the girl and is willing to share difficulties in daily life. This young man is similar to characters in Vietnamese folk verses: 'I’ll carry the water for you to wash/I don’t mind if I’m covered in mud.' These sincere, noble feelings are the reason for their coming together. And the promise he makes to the girl is truly surprising and touching:

We love each other, waiting until May for the lau flowers to bloom
Waiting for the fish to return in the flood season
Waiting for the cuckoo to sing, calling for summer
If we can't marry in the summer, we'll marry in winter
If we can't marry in our youth, we'll marry when we're old and gray

This is a typical oath, a familiar promise in folk verses, but the young man has his own way of expressing it. He is determined to wait, regardless of the months and years: from the blooming lau flowers, to the flood season, and to the summer when the cuckoo sings mournfully... Time flows, things change, but his love remains constant. His promise transcends all challenges of time and fate. Some have argued that the young man is selfish for wanting to marry the girl at all costs, that his happiness comes at the expense of others' unhappiness (his wife, the girl's husband). But this situation must be understood within the context of the genre, the logical development of emotions, to understand the young man's expression. In this poem, all artistic elements, details, lead to one purpose: praising love and happiness. Therefore, the poem portrays all situations and characters as sacrificing for love. Hence, the young man's promise demonstrates a noble love and character.

3. The girl's mood on the way to her husband's house
The girl's mood is seen through the eyes of the young man, showing empathy and understanding between them. Without the words of the young man, without the words of the girl, the beginning of the passage only depicts the actions of the girl, illustrating her painful emotions and tragic fate.

Walking and looking back
Walking and gazing ahead
With every step, her heart aches with longing

The girl's steps were heavy and hesitant, expressing confusion, pain, and loss of direction. This is also the state of mind of Kiều in 'The Tale of Kiều' as she 'takes a step, then stops.' It's like the young man and woman in 'Chinh Phụ Ngâm' looking back and not seeing each other.

The folk author vividly compares the girl's painful emotions: with every step away from the village, her longing grows stronger. Each of her steps takes her further from her happiness, leading her to an unwanted place and a murky future.
The young man continues to imagine the girl waiting for him on the road. Her heavy steps and futile waiting only add to her suffering, her tragic fate: 'She sits on chili leaves, eggplant leaves, and finger leaves,' toxic leaves people only turn to in despair. Turning to wait for those things also means she is no longer attached to life. But just the presence of the young man makes her snap out of it. Thus, her emotions are manifested through actions. The young man arrives and she sits, breaking the green leaves. He brings her faith and hope, brings life and love.
Although the girl's mood is not directly expressed, through the young man's imagination, we see the beauty in her soul and love. Through these poems, their love is affirmed and praised.

4. The young man's attitude and feelings at the girl's husband's house
According to tradition, the young man escorts the girl to her husband's house and stays there for a few days. During this time, he shows care and thoughtfulness through caring gestures and affection.

He adjusts her headscarf
Ties up her hair
He cuts bamboo to make a headrest
Cuts thick bamboo to make a central pillar
This medicinal herb, when you drink it, will cure your pain

These are the things that should have been done by the girl's husband, but love and care have prompted him to act this way. He witnessed the girl being beaten and mistreated by her husband. She pretended to be clumsy to make her husband bored and send her back, so she could reunite with her lover, but her husband cruelly abused her. She was beaten to the ground, her clothes covered in dust and insects crawling on her. The young man took care of her attentively, giving her medicine.
Finally, the young man once again affirmed their undying love:

Dead for three years, the image still hangs there
Dead, turning into a stream, the water is cool to drink
Dead, turning into earth, the betel vine grows lush green...

The long, intricate electronic poem strongly affirmed their bond, a love that nothing could separate. The metaphorical imagery embellished and beautified their faithful love. Their love is like Khun Lu - Nang Ua, even though they are far apart, their love remains eternal.
5. Artistic Value
The excerpt skillfully utilizes Thai folk poetry. The use of metaphorical imagery, proverbs, and idioms enhances the expression, vividly portraying the characters' complex emotions and moving the audience.

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