SCROLLS SPRING - Roinn 2
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Hung NGUYEN Manh 1
... leanfar ar aghaidh le haghaidh roinn 1 ...
The Parallel Sentences at the time the French first came to South Vietnam, called at that time Cochin China
A man who lived almost throughout the 20th century – had travelled a great deal, had enjoyed a bit much, and had much written – had acknowledged that “more than half of his life had been wasted”. Upon his death, one can see that the “wasted half life” belongs only in the corporeal point of view, while from the spiritual point of view, he’s left behind for the people in the South a great collection of artefacts and precious old books and magazines… worthing their weights in gold (evaluated at almost a million US dollars by the Evaluation Commitee). That personage who had “wasted half of his life"4 had written a few interesting books and articles that can be used as types of “popular historical documents”, relating to facts that have happened in this century in South Vietnam.
One among his articles is related to the Tết parallel sentences and is entitled: “Saigonese personages at the time the French first came to this South”5.
His articles is aimed at calling the roll and mentioning a number of personages that “had, very early, surrendered themselves to the French and served as mandarins for them”. According to him, these personages are namely: Tôn Thọ Tường, canton-chief Du, commanding-officer Huỳnh Công Tấn.
District chiefs Trần Bá Lộc, agus Nguyễn Trực, District chief Đỗ Hữu Phương, interpreters Joannes Liễu, Paul Lương agus Iasacht.
He also mentioned marginal personages such as Hoàng Cao Khải in the North and Nguyễn Thân in the Centre. He also related how those people who were considered as traitors, had strived their best to serve the French, through their actions that disgusted even the French Governor General Paul Doumer. After mentioning a series of names, as shown above, of people that weren’t unknown to our people, he went deep into a number of anecdotes, at this moment, he prefers to conceal the names of those traitors and let the readers interpret in their own ways.
To appreciate parallel sentences intended for satirizing man’s political personality, we ought to halt for a short moment, looking for some historical materials relating to individuals. According to the above-mentioned antiquary, that certain personage was relatively “cairdiúil” compared with the one that wore the “honorary title of provincial governor” at the time he retired, and was buried at Mỹ Tho when he died. This “cairdiúil” personage is rather short and chubby, wearing a scattered silvery beard and a sharp moustache, resembling a pair of buffalo horns. In his old age, he used to organize parties for French guests, treating them to champagne and genuine butter biscuits from Nantes”.
Following are additional descriptions relating to that personage’s way of living: “His house is built in a half European, half local way, with five apartments having frames made of precious woods, ornamented with clever sunk carvings, and has on its front side an immense courtyard on which are displayed all types of rooted ornamental trees (pruned trees). This courtyard is built facing an arroyo that had been filled in previously. "
The aforesaid fairly funny image had caught the attention of the colonialist governor general Paul Doumer who had the following remark: “He is similar to his house – having adopted the French costume for his external relations, while preserving the indigenous manners"6
According to his remark, the “amiable” nature of that personage was quite dialectical: with regard to Thủ Khoa Huân (First Laureate Huân) that personage had protected him, had answered for him, fed him and permitted him to live in his (that personage’s own house) house, but later on that same personage was also the one that delivered First Laureate Huân to the French and executed him. On a certain Tt occasion, that “amiable” personage had propounded a pair of parallel sentences to assert his achievement as follows: There lived at Chợ Lớn a Đỗ family, a bhfuil “five blessings and Three Abundance” all succeed in their examination.7
Rumour has it that, later on, there was a scholar living in retirement that had sent a pair of parallel sentences to take part in the contest, a contest which the result had never been made public:
"An Cù lao Rồng (Dragon’s islet) has a band of lepers living on it.
And countless is the number of these lepers”.8
NÓTA:
1 An tOllamh Comhlach HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Dochtúir Phylosophy sa Stair.
4 VƯƠNG HỒNG SỂN – Saigonese personages at the time the French first came to this South – in “Sáng dội miền Nam"(Reflected light over the South) – Social and culture monthly magazine – Issue No.6 (12) – 1960 – Saigon.
5 PAUL DOUMER – French Indochina. Souvenirs – Vuibert et Nony – Paris 1905 – P. 162.
6 PAUL DOUMER – French Indochina. Souvenirs – Quoted book – P.67.
7 This means that all that family’s children have succeeded in examinations and become celebrated and honoured, the phrase “five blessings and Three Abundance” means the five sons became mandarins and the three daughters married wealthy and powerful people.
8 The Dragon’s islet lies within the town of Mỹ Tho and is considered as a hospital for lepers. In the South, the word “phung” can be pronounced as “phun” and both words mean the same thing.
BAN TU THU
01 / 2020
NÓTA:
◊ Foinse: Bliain Nua Bhéarla Vítneaimis - Mórfhéile - Asso. An tOllamh HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Dochtúir Phylosophy sa Stair.
Text Tá íomhánna trom téacs agus sepia socraithe ag Ban Tu Thu - thanhdiavietnamhoc.com
FÉACH FREISIN:
◊ Ó Sceitsí go luath sa 20ú haois go deasghnátha agus féile thraidisiúnta.
◊ Síniú an téarma “Tết”
◊ Féile Bhliain Nua Lunar
◊ Imní maidir le Daoine faoi Chosaint - Imní maidir le CISTINEACH agus CÁISTÍ
◊ Imní na DAOINE SOLÁTHAIR - Imní maidir le MARGADH - Roinn 1
◊ Imní na DAOINE SOLÁTHAIR - Imní maidir le MARGADH - Roinn 2
◊ Imní na DAOINE SOLÁTHAIR - Imní maidir le híocaíocht na Roinne
◊ I gCOMHAIRLE AN DEISCIRT sa TÍR: HOST DE CHOMHLACHTAÍ PARALLEL
◊ Tráidire Cúig thorthaí
◊ Teacht na Bliana Nua
◊ SCROLLS SPRING - Roinn 1
◊ Athbhliain Lunar Vítneam - vi-VersiGoo
◊ srl.