Skip to main content

2. Birth and death

Sun was going downing. Birds turned back their nests. A woodcutter was heading his home on the winding road. Dark started covering the place. It got more and more silently. Bell tones echoing from distance seemed hurry people to get the scary forest. Howls coming out from deep forest frightened people who were in there. Night was the time monsters moved out from their hiding. An old monk was on his way from his place, the temple at the foot of mountain, to the edge where a couple lived. The people were the followers of the monk. The monk arrived to the tent when dark just covered whole the place.
vietnamese fairy tales
“Knock! Knock! Knock”, the monk knocked the door. The couple appeared. After greeting, the couple invited the monk in. The monk sat on a round carpet while others surrounded him. They all were enjoying tea.
“From the time you were followers”, said the monk, “I used to come here and directed you. I am very happy as I see you both progress every day. We meet and then we part that is the life. Tonight, I come to goodbye. I have come to other place ang help other people. I don’t know it will take me how much time so I don’t daresay whether we can meet again or not. So before I leave, I have some advices for you”, the monk stopped a while. “Don’t forget to recite the Buddhist scriptures. Live and work followed Buddaha’s direction. You both will meet things you don’t like but you have keep yourself calm, not being impatient. One of us will die early but the other doesn’t hurt too much. Have to help the dead recite the Buddhist scriptures. Only if you do that, the soul of the dead can reincarnate early. It’s difficult to do what I say. Many people also can’t do that. But, you have to remember the words and follow them”.
The monk left in the next morning.
Time passed. The monk had left the place for two years. The couple always followed the monk’s words. They recited the Buddhist scriptures everyday. They used to help others. They love people and was loved by people. Their family life was happy and peaceful. The days like that continued passed but,
One day, the husband got sick. The sick made him stay on bed whole day and seemed not to relieve. The wife had found all the ways to doctors around the place they lived but no one could cure. At last, a relative helped her invite famous doctor to come. The doctor examined and said:
“He won’t pass”, said the doctor, “His pulse’s very weak. You had better prepare for the thing’s going to come”.
The wife fell in hopelessness. Her mind turned confused. She forgot all the words. She bent her head down on her husband and cried. The last seconds the husband opened his eyes, looked at her, she cried more violently.
“Don’t leave me alone”, she scream, “Why can I live without you?” The wife cried loudly.
The husband listened mournful words, the feeling of sorry his wife made him could not be peaceful. He looked her awhile, tears dropped from his eyes then he died. His soul left out from eyes but she still bent down and cried on his face so the soul went in her nostril and changed into a worm.
   She did her duty after that. She held a funeral. People came and helped her very much. After her husband was buried, people found the ways to their home, left her alone in the empty house. The house now became too big with her. It’s so cold and quiet. Besides, the worm in her nostril got bigger each day, made her get more and pained. She felt unhappy and so that she cried. She cried whole day, daytime and including nighttime. The mournful cry came out from the house made people who lived surrounding felt sorry for her but they couldn’t do anything.
Then, the monk came back. The first thing he did was visited to her home. She burst into him as she just saw him. She started lamenting.
“Stop do the thing”, said the monk, “You’re one follower must know that birth and death are obvious. We are born and we all will die. With followers, death is a good thing that they are recused from blood and flesh. You should feel happy for him because of that. Why’d you still cry? You cry it mean you still don’t understand the dogma. Hear me. Stop crying and focus on practicing. You have to let the dead leave in peace”.
After heard monk’s words, she seemed to understand. She helped herself redress her clothes, comb her hair. Then, in the accident, she sneezed. The worm was pushed out.
The monk laughed. He said:
“There had very few people in the world who because of mercy husband, getting a worm in nostril”.
The wife felt ashamed, she planned to kill the worm. But, the monk prevented her.
“Stop”, said the monk, “Don’t do that. It’s your husband changing in”.
That seemed surprised her.
“Master”, said her, “My husband had done good deeds for all his life. Why’ d he change into a worm when he died? That’s nonsense”.
“You forgot my direction”, said the monk, “When your husband died, you forgot to recite the Buddhist scriptures, leading him to the right way. Instead of that you fell in sadness, you burst in tears. So, when he died, his soul couldn’t go, it was bounded by emotions. He changed into worm and lived as a worm in your nostril. His life was wasted. A follower want rescue but to be bound by emotions that like a bird want to fly up to escape from trap but it don’t know its legs are tied by a rope. It’s so pitiful”.
The monk approached the worm. He said gently:
“When you lived, you followed me doing good deeds but when you died, you were bounded by emotions so you couldn’t go on the right way. So that, you was changed in a worm. It’s so pitiful.
The worm lied still on ground. It heard and understood what the monk said. It felt ashamed. Later, the worm died. The monk helped him recite the Buddhist scriptures, telling all the good deeds it had done when it’s human. Its soul was led on the right way, another time going to the gate to become a human.

THE END

Book Introductions

1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore

Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese

This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

3. The Treasury of Fables

An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

Read more:
***
2. Birth and death

Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss!

Nhãn:

Comments

Post a Comment

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese  fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has  its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!
1 comment
Read more

Thach Sanh and Ly Thong Chapter 1

Chap 1:  fight with huge snake  Once upon a time, a woodcutter and  his wife were over sixty years old but they had had not any children. Although they were sad, they still did good thing and hoped God would give them one child. At last, their kindness had come to King of heaven who requested his son to fly down and reincarnate to be the old couple’son. They had just enjoyed the happiness for a short time. Then, the old man died, before his son was born. Vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com After that, the woman gave birth to a beautiful, strength boy. She named him Thach Sach. The poor boy grew up with no father then his mother also left after few years living with him. They only left him an ax and a pair of shorts. Day by day, he went to forest, cut tree, split them then took to market to get money. When he was thirteen, king of heaven forced his servants down to teach him magic and martial arts. Then they was back heaven, Thach Sanh continued living alone in...
Read more

Thanh Giong

Once  upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies.  One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...
Read more

Thach Sanh and Ly Thong Chapter 2

Chapte r 2: attack to the giant eagle One day, as Quynh Nga who was the King’s daughter was walking in the garden, a giant eagle flew down from the sky and brought her away. The eagle flew cross the hut where Thach Sanh now was living. Thach Sanh saw that eagle so he shot a arrow. The arrow stuck on the eagle’s left wing but it took the arrow out by its beak and continued flying. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com Thach Sanh followed blood dropped on the ground and found out a cave where the eagle lived. He ticked on the entrance of cave them he came back his hut. 
Read more

Story 9: Royal Concubine Y Lan

Being  royal concubine seemed to be god’s setting for Thi Yen Le, a country girl. She was born in Tho Loi village (in Duong Quang, Thuan Thanh which now is Gia Lam, Hanoi). She lost her mother when she was child. Every day, she busied weaving but she still kept the beauty and innocence. That year, in 1062 while mulberry trees was in harvest time, King Thanh Tong Ly was on his travel went to Dau temple in neighbor village, crossed Tho Loi. The temple was sacred temple and King Thanh Tong Le went to there to pray for a son (King Thanh Tong Ly that time was 40 years old but he still had never had a son. Therefore, having a son was the greatest wish). While Yen was picking up mulberry leaves in filed, a crowd of people went cross the field who were the king and his servants. King Thanh Tong Ly rode on a horse and was escorted by soldiers. People living the village didn’t want lose their chance seeing the king, sprinted to and rounded him. King Thanh Tong Ly stopped to meet the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tam and Cam

Once upon a time, there had a little girl named Tam. Her mother died early so her father decided to remarry on purpose the stepmother would take care of his little daughter. The stepmother gave birth to a girl, named Cam after that. Then, her father died after few years. Tam had to live with her stepmother and her sister, Cam. Since the time, she was forced to work hard, all housework, while Cam had to do nothing. One day, the stepmother gave Tam and Cam each one a corf to caught fish. She promised that who caught full her corf would receive a piece of red silk. Tam and Cam went to field together. She was hard to catch fish while Cam only wondered around till afternoon and had nothing in her coft. Cam pointed at Tam’s coft and realised it is full, thinking seconds, she said gently: “sister Tam, your head is mud, you should wash it or mother will punish you” Belive Cam, Tam went to river nearly. She left her corf on the shore,  waded into water to wash. Cam, meanwhile, stayed on t...
Read more

The tale of watermelon

Once  upon a time, a young man whose name was Mai An  Tiem   was a slave. He was sold to a King named Hung   Vuong . Mai An   Tiem   was clever, he   learned   vietnamese   language very fast.   Futher , he knew so many stories, places and could do everything so good so he was liked by Hung   Vuong   very much that wherever Hung   Vuong   had come he also came with him. Three years later, he was Hung   Vuong   let to become a noble and was stayed in a building near the castle. Besides, Hung   Vuong   made his daughter become his wife.  Mai An   Tiem   now had wife, a five-year-old son, servants and assets. He seemed to lack nothing. Although he had never been arrogant people still were jealous with his his luck. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com One day, people who were participating in a party complimented as much as they could but he only said: “That because of ...
Read more

My Chau and Trong Thuy

Once upon a time, there had a king, named An Duong Vuong. After many years fighting, he get a large area. The king planed to build a castle but whenever it had been built as tall as a men’s height then it was ruined. The king was unhappy. Therefore, the king had made an altar to pray God for few days until an early morning, a old man from seaside went to talk him God Turtle was going come to help him. The king was very happy and forced soldiers to wait on the seaside. The next day, in the water appeared a big gold turles toward seaside. The soldiers invited God Turtle to set sat on a big gold platter and brought to the king. The God Turtle told the king that the castle couldn’t have finished because of demons. God Turtle helped the king to kill the demons so all demons was killed. Besides, the God Turtle help the king design a castle look like a seashell with many gate levels. Half a month later, the castle had been finished. The king was very pleased but a little worry. He a...
Read more

The dangerous thing existing inside a person

A  man was good-for-nothing but he was gentle and good-hearted. He had a wife but she dead so early. He lived alone from that and his life also became poorer. He had ever begged but he thought the job was too raffish and besides, it couldn’t help him to have enough money to live. Therefore, he changed into another job. He worked for another to get wages but he only worked a day to realize the job made him tired and ashamed because he was blamed by his owner. Therefore, he decided to stop working and planed to go fishing he thought the job would be more freely and easily. His owner gave him a little money for his-a-day-working and he used the money to buy a fishing rod. The next morning he went fishing but he could get nothing till noon. He wasted bait along passing time. Until afternoon when the float was pulled down into water he pulled up the rod immediately. Fortunately, he got something but it was only a snake which had no useful for him. He caught the snake then thre...
Read more