Lustig, Friedrich V.

Burmese classical poems

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BURMESE CLASSICAL POEMS

SELECTED
and

TRANSLATED
by

The Most Rev.

FRTEDRICH

V.

LUSTIG

Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia

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BURMESi; CLASSICAL POEMS'

SfOLECTED
and

translate: I)

by

The Most Rev,

Bdddiiisi.

FRIEDRICH
ArJibishop

V.

LUSTIG

oj Latvfc

Sole distributors in the

PARAGON BOOK H EAST 38th GAUER;"!

'

USA

6;.

NEW

STREET

YORK.

N. Y. 10016

No part of this collection of translations may be reproduced

in

any form whatsoever

of

express permission

(other than in Burma) without the Advisory Editor Margaret

M. KardeU.

PL

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Printed and Published by U Khin Pe Gyi, Managing Director, Rangoon Gazette Limited, Rangoon. (Printer's Registration

No. 0490).

(Publisher's

Registration No. 0338).

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CONTENTS

(Contd.)

PAGES

My a Man
A Peasant

Setkya

U Ponnya
Mae Khwe
Wungyi Padethayaza
Author unknown
Princess Hlaing Teik-

...

21

Present of a Cheroot

...

22
23

...

Paddy Planting Song

I

...

24
25

Am Longing

...

Kaung-Tin
Love in Secret Encountered
I

Maung Thwa

...

27

Would Smile

UKyi

...

28
29

Noble Wisdom

Chaturinga Bala and Nemyo Min Tin Kyaw Khaung

Shin Tezothara

Donations (Dana)

Remorse
Painful

As

Ills...

No

Cooling of Anguish

The Nature of Things (Release from Anger)

Sources

&

References

Botanical Glossary

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Burmese Upazin (monk) who was one of the my American Conversation classes later introduced my husband and me to his Guru, The Most Reverend Friedrich V. Lustig, whom we found to be a most interesting expounder on Burmese culture, the Burmese way of hfe and Buddhism.
pupils in

A young

first

Having Uved midst many different cultures for long periods of time The Reverend Lustig' s background is such that he brings to any cultural discussion a broad symphony of understanding. He was born in Estonia in 1912, studied Oriental Languages under Professor Sylvain Levi at the College de France in Paris, and joined the Buddhist order

He has traveled extenin Latvia at the age of eighteen. sively in the Far East having spent quite some time in China
and Thailand.
living in exile in interested. (I) In

For the last seventeen years he has been Burma, a country in which he is deeply May of 1962 after the demise of his Guru, The Most Reverend Archbishop Tennisons, The Reverend Lustig was elevated as Archbishop of Latvia by His
Holiness the Dalai
India.

Lama who

is

now

living in exile in

In the course of our discussions with the Reverend Lustig v/e found that he enjoyed interpreting Burmese poetry and so we encouraged him to set down a number of This he did his translations of Burmese classical poems. in conjunction with Reverend Eindawuntha and other monks of his acquaintance.

(1)

In 1952 the Government of the Union of Burma published a musical collection entitled "Classical Burmese Music" Prepared For Piano By the Right Rev. Friedrich W. A. Lustig. After The Piano Presentation By Saya Myaing Under The Supervision of U Po Lat, Secretary, Ministry of Union Culture.

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We

shared these interpretations

among Burmese and

interesting discussion ensued and us to share these poems with all and this many people urged we decided to do.

foreign friends.

Much

We then set to work in earnest and had to decide on such issues as strict line and style translation versus interpretation of ideas and opted for this latter approach as we feU
it

would prove more interesting to most foreigners. To Burmese scholars and philologists we leave the more important academic tasks of analysis of style, comparison of various translations, and the presentation of a compilation of all Burmese poems that lend themselves to translation. For the "armchair" translators we have included the Burmese Text so that they might have the enjoyment of improving upon our work.

there are

As any student of a foreign language soon learns, many ways of expression in his own language

which do not have exact equivalents in other languages due to differences in climate, culture, philosophy, religion, and These differences are perhaps most difficult to history. overcome when moving from a philosophically oriented Buddhist script language to the theocentrically based International English language used by most world travelers
today.

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are indebted to many Burmese and foreigners who helped and who gave their time and ideas: particularly to Mrs. John W. Neave for her assistance in helping us to achieve a smoother presentation in English, to Professor

We

UE

Maiuig for

for his

his helpful suggestions, to independent translations which vvq

San Maung

against The Reverend for the typing of the

Lustig's,

to

Daw

used to check Doily Khaing

Burmese

sections,

to

disagreed with the botany books, and most gardener of all to those who have read the manuscript and given their suggestions. Certainly our lesults are a composite effort and many points strongly argued had to be compromised and will be disputed.

who

my Burmese

We know

from

reading

Burm^^se

English

language

newspapers for the past three years that there is probably no more interesting subject in Burma than that of the proper interpretation of Pali and of poetical Burmese into modern Burmese or into International English. And quite obviously no interpretation of a poem in any other language of sounds can give the exact true flavor and meaning as in its own language of sounds but one can try. And in the trying perhaps we may encourage others to try and we shall all gain from our further mutual understanding.

Margaret

Kardell, Advisory Editor,

M.

October

31, 1966,

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FOREWORD
Poetry enpbles a person and elevates him above his It can guide a wavering mind through petty environment. the daily rough course of life to a safer position. And, in a way, it can make our everyday life a tiling of beauty.

Only poetic, elevated emotions, stirring the imagination can lay bare the meaning of a culture. For this reason I am attracted by Burmese lyrical art and find the
of
all,

poetry of

Burma

irresistible.

Apart from universal human themes, ever present in Burmese poetry is an intense expression of a spiritual way of life and the ethical experience. The profound active humanism of the common man is verbally outhned in a form which often turns their poetry into music. That is why the Burmese lyrical art with centuries-old traditions, rich and variegated, arouses a wondering and eager interest.

Burmese poetry has for me a quite special significance. people of rich and responsive human sympathy, the Burmese are very gifted as a race. They built Pagan, a
testimony to their spiritual insight.

striking

nation

which has such capacity possesses inexhaustible

possibilities.

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In translating these Burmese poems J have tried to catch the correct meaning and to remain scrupulously But to see what a faithful to the author's expressions. or poetess saw passing before his or her mind's eye poet
the original lines v/ere composed, is something which cannot be solved like a mathematical formula. I worked patiently and conscientiously, and am grateful to Rev. Eindawuntha, a Buddhist monk of Bawdigone Kyaung, Rangoon, who offered counsel to me in analysing the most perplex metrical lines; and to Maung Aung Khin
for his practical assistance.

when

The Burmese patterns of intonation and well recognized melodic phrases of the times obviously governed the original compositions. Today to decipher such particular words or groups of words sometimes makes one uncomfortable, because Burmese word arrangements may often express more than one meaning. Also during the last two centuries or so the Burmese language has been greatly enriched by the accession of new words and nev/ meanings due to In the process a large number of scientific advancement. and arrangements have become obsolete and the old words Burmese reader often has a present understood meaning Some of the difficuhies quite different from the original. in translating older poems stem directly from encountered
;

these circumstances.

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consider my labor amply rewarded if these Burmese lyrics prove interesting to today's foreigners and help them share, even in a very small degree, the innermost thoughts and feelings of the talented Burmese
T

shall

translated

people.

Friedrich V. Lustig (Ashin Anauda), Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia, Sangharaja for Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania,

Great Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon.

April 26, 1966.

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11

ouoes

SHORT PIPE
A
I

pipe... a

puff...

short

as

finger...

give you for smoking.

"If

do not take you will think

I

it

me

crude

If I accept it you will think I like you. If

to

you want smoke

me
it

put

my

it near the bed, dear one."

Mae Khwe*

Mae Khwe was the daughter of the Mayor of Sittaung and she was married to a Maung Swe. When King Bodopaya (Bodawphaya) ascended the throne in 1782 C.E., Mae Khwe became a Court Poetess.
C.E. means Christian Era.

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LU-GA-LAY

Oh
I

little

boy crying!
I

would

could

Catch you a pigeon

White, blue or black

Oh

Uttle

boy
it

How
To

hard

is

catch a pigeon

White, blue or black.

A lullaby.
Author unknown.

Lu-ga-lay

be translated young son or little boy as the song akhough originally sung by those caring for small princes is now sung in the same fashion by modern mothers

may

and

fathers.

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MOUNTAINS AND
Ah... beautiful...

FORESTS

The mountains

The

forests

The quivering buds The

trees caressing

one another.

The

birds frohcking with joy!

Author unknown.

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,

II

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THE MONTH OF TABAUNG

On mountain tops sweet nwe-kyo creepers
Bloom midst
other blooms

And thabye leaves and pet-sut flowers

Are once again pure bright
colors.

On

the Festival of

Tabaung

Tharaphi and gangaw open into flower

And

fragrance pervades everywhere

On Mount Popa.

Author unknown.

For more detailed information on flowers and trees see page 38. The Festival of Tabaung is on the full moon day of March which is the last lunar month (February-March) in the Burmese calendar.

Mount Popa is over 4,000' above sea level and Central Burma near the ancient city of Pagan.

lies in

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THE GOLDEN-YELLOW PADAUK

month of Tagu From emerald green leaf-chisters Bloom forth golden-yellow flowers.
Tn the

Truly what other flowers Can compare with these in beauty There in paclauk's cool breezy shade Where the flow of sweat ceases At the entrance to Nanda Cave Retreat of the Pacceka Buddha.

During During During Padauk

one month in a year one day in that month

that

Day
!

blooms forth

for the Buddha in the forest.

And

Summertime The time of Thingyan has

is

arrived.

glorious Mistily blown

the golden pollen

its

And

from padauk
fragrance

spreading

Along

forest roads.
all

No
Of

one can describe

this royal flower
!

the marvels

Padauk

Kyaw.

U Kyaw flourished in the reign of King Mindon

(1853-1878 C.E.)

Tagu is the first Burmese lunar month (part of April and of May). Nanda Cave is a mythological name for a cave supposedly situated somewhere in a jungle and to which no ordinary being has access. Only super beings Buddha, Pacceka Buddhas, and Nat Spirits or the like may stay in this cave. Pacceka Buddha is a Buddha who has attained enlightenment but who does not preach to the world.

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CARVED BULLOCK CART

In his carved bullock-cart

He

takes his girl to the pwe

Many are the beautiful girls

In his village district Some are better dressed
;

Than

And

the girls in town as they go to the pwe Sitting up front in the carts Attention they attract

With

their blue, black

And violet hued kerchiefs Round their necks And small satin stoles

On

their shoulders.

Each young man and Snugly sitting side by

his girl side.

As

the cart from behind Overtakes the cart in front Bells of wood and metal ring Young men yell across to each other Racing with their carts Moving abreast of one-another One cart on the road
;

The other

close-by.

a stage performance including music, dancing folk opera. Most of the poems inclurepartee, singing and ded in this book were first heard by the Burmese people at

pwe

is

some pwe.

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Q
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II

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CM

To be first at the town's entrance And to be first at the pwe means praise And to be first means a better place.
The boy

No

excited longer distant

is

he must try hard

is

the place.

Proud is he of his bullocks Purchased for over a hundred kyats. And proud are his perfect bullocks
their white-spotted foreheads. Restrain them with reins And bullocks look skyward And the pace suffers So slacken the reins.

With

U Ya

Kyaw.

U Ya Kyaw gained celebrity in the reign of King Thibaw (1878-1885 C.E.). U Ya Kyaw was considered a master
of reahsm.

The kyat is the Burmese monetary

unit.

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[op^CCO|?CC00C0S]^l

II

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SONG OF THE FOREST

Fragrant and fresh Are the whole branches Brimming with new life
Brilliant are the leaves

All golden lights. Pleasant are the forests At Thmgyaii's festival time.

delights to see Lingpya birds building nests To hear cuckoos in pairs

One

Making heavenly melodies; and To see a parakeet's lovely airs Makes a maiden long to To feed him in a cage
.

"Oh darling!
Catch him without delay He is about to fly away.^

Princess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin,

was a Princess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin (1833- 1 875 C.E.) as v/ell as one of the most gifted poetess and musician She married the beautiful women at the Mandalay Court. Mindon and was therefore the younger brother of King consort of the Heir Apparent of the Court.

oScocSd^c^]'?:
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SEA SNAILS
If If

you meet you see

believe.

You

So quaint to see

On curved

sea shores Clusters of snails

Whites, reds, yellows and blues

Moving and displaying themselves, Some golden penholders

Others hard iron traps
Still

others

fairies' hairpins.

Oh? Hermit
Coming here

crabs! or going there

And

everywhere Attention attracting

By borrowing Empty sea snail To live in them

shells

And move

about in them.

Bizarre indeed are these.

Kyin Uo

U Kyin U wrote

poems and enjoyed great renown in the reigns of King Bagyidaw (1819-1837), King Tharrawaddy (1837-1846 C.E.) and King Pagan (1846-1853 C.E.).

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11

10

THE ROYAL KASON

the hot season Revolts against the cold In the pattern of contrasts

As

The firmament becomes cloudy

And

winds are hot again.

It is

summer.

Leaves on trees turn yellow,

To

fall

to

show new

leaves

Stems twist or break, yet Sprouts on tama trees

Are now

soft greens

Like parrot eggs.

While in summer

trees thirst

In foothills thazin flowers Are climbing thabye trees Effusing fragrance Mixing with the wafting air.

At sunset crow-pheasants are cooing, And from afar come the cuckoo's notes.

Now

and again thunder

is

beating

Through heaven's expanses

Like lambara and deindi drums.

And
Oh,
I

I...

Of

think the pouring of water On the Bodhi tree And of the absent companion In the Golden Palace of Victory,

And

am

mournful.

U
Kason
is

Kyaw.

the Burmese second lunar month (May) and its full-moon day is the day on which the Buddha was born, obtained enUghtenment, and on which he also passed

away. Bodhi tree

is

the tree under which

Buddha obtained

en-

lightenment.

OD

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c-

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c o c

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II

9
psopo

IL

JASMINE
jasmine not in bloom In palace gardens Courtiers must Bedeck thomselves
Is

When

With kan

flowers.

When

jasmine

Is in full

bloom

In Mandalay's Palace gardens Courtiers never Adorn themselves

With kan

flowers.

Then kan

flowers

Find favor only

Among

villagers.

Ponnya.

Ponnya was known as the best of the poets in the reign of King Mindon (1853-1878 C.E.). The King gave U Ponnya a noble title and some land as a fief.
Jasmine has a sweet odor and
flowers although beautiful have
is

beautiful whereas kan

no odor.

^J

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3$g|CG000C0GCO0ll

12

DELIVERANCE CANNOT BE FAR DISTANT

Listening, thinking, questioning, answering Examining, writing, praciicing, and memorizing Daily these eight disciplines need wearing As one wears flower garlands.

Constantly, with a spirit of competition and With diligence the beginner in fandanicntal lore

Must

practice

recitation... and

If he tries as

hard as ever he can

He
If

will

become a famous learned man.

one does not try with the eagerness

a daring eagle that firmly catches a hen;

Of
If

one does not study and ponder. Does not question and does not discuss, and If one cannot give a discourse Knowing only how to read palm leaves How can one become a well-known man of letters ?

Like a cat eating a shrimp with special enjoyment A learner must study all texts omitting none And he must learn all by heart. He must become sharp as teeth of a saw Penetrating deeply into all discussed matters. Thus reaching comprehension Indelible as a stone inscription.

perfect in understanding be ready to say all by heart. Then on any matter at any public concourse He will be ready to give a perfect discourse, To unravel the subject from beginning to end, Without fear like a lion To stand in the midst of the crowd, Like a pillar of stone unshaken, Going over into every detail And replying to all without fail.

Then when

He

will

op
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13

He will be celebrated in this hfe as a man of erudition. In future rebirths in this Samsara He will come near Buddha Arya Maitreya. Then for him not too far distant will be Nirvana,

Grammatical method and annotation, to reason forwards and backwards. Then if he knows all this he will have recognition.

He must be familiar with verses in Pali, Various forms of address and old difficult words, He must know the meanings and formations Of elements, use of metaphors and versificaiion.

And how

Shin Maharattathara.

Shin Maharattathara Buddhist monk.

(1468-1529

C.E.)

was

a famous

Written in the sixteenth century, this poem reflects the spirit of scholasticism. However, laying stress on thoroughness as it does, it has a message for our age as well. (F.L.) Samsara is the phenomenal world, the repeating round of
births

and deaths.
is

Buddha Arya Maitreya

the expected

Buddha of the future.

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((

>-

14

MILITARY

MARCH

We We

are not afraid of anything! are daring and brave

Ready to sacrifice our lives With Parpahein marcliing to the royal city On this day fixed as the "day of victory.
At our camp in the forest Verdant are the branches Full of small flower buds Sweet are the sounds
;

Of

the military drums and gongs In the soft evening's twihght.

Just as mists

The

and clouds are dispersed So too must we destroy our enemy

elder brother Zeyathein.

Kyin U.

Zeyathein is an imaginary prince, an heir apparent, and one of the chief characters of Kyin U's play entitled "Parpahein Pyazat". In the denouement of the drama Zeyathein is being attacked by Parpahein, Zeyathein's younger brother, and in the fighting loses his throne to his younger brother. The above excerpt is of course only a small part of the whole

play. (F.L.)

>D

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1*

FOREST FLOWERS
Budding branches sway daintily in the winds Blooming forth into abundance. Red-dappled white flowers of nan- 1 ha And blooms of sandalwood
Sweetly scent the foothills. Summertime ends But it is not yet the season of rains.

From the ground below Rises khatta's overwhelming perfume

While from above
Jasmine's small swinging branches

Send down

their fragrance.

Climbing the forest trees Khabaung flowers sway in the wind

Like rain-soaked silver strands. Later in the rains their stems too Will be all a silver hue.

And

in the valleys

Surprisingly charming too Are the strange flowers Called by the villagers

Crocodile

flowers.

Kyaw.

>6

ecicoos
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16

DEARLY LOVED SON

With the army
She has entrusted
him,

Her dearly beloved son, She must not pity him.

streams Violent are the rains and strong is the storm. But his own mother has agreed,

On the way to Thailand Many are the rising rivers and

die... (if

"Let him

need be)..."

"In

No

my

heart too.
lingers."

distress

Historical

song.

Author unknown.

r-oc

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17

RAIN
When soft breezes blow Rare fragrance spreads
From
the saga flowers Growing on the not far-off Mountain of the Giant's Palace.

Dark becomes
Melancholy

the horizon us from the south in gloom. Enveloping

assails

my

heart.

Oh, Rain God, do not cause us sorrow! not cause us sorrow, Rain down and All the eight directions vAll look gloomy. And the rain will sadden us in many ways.

Do

Myavati Mingyi

Sa.

Sa (1766-1853 C.li.) was not only a Myavati Mingyi great poet but also one of the most remarkable creators and preservers of Burmese music. He is the composer of the celebrated Htiimachana Thachingan.

The

eight directions are N.,E.,S.,V/., and NE.,

NW.,

SE.,

and SW.

DO

,'

c \

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18

TAKE TO HEART
(A Father's Admonition
Witfi this

to His

Son )

As your

give you, my son, parent's admonition true garland of emerald flowers As useful to you

Let

me

poem

A A

right hand.

The love in my heart For you my son Is like a mountain of goldSo

To the Which

listen carefully not to be lost

is

Good Conduct.

heritage

Traditional knowledge. dear son, you must master. For if you do not acquire knowledge You will be hke spilt water Not a whole man

My

shame. Repenting ten times over You will grow pale of face And in the world lack good place. Like monkeys in the forest, Who have hands and feet too You will be a wasted ragged fellow A useless purposeless man. As a man of no solid substance By others held in contempt
,

And you

will feel

Ashamed you

will be,

dear boy.

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i9

Therefore from childhood. My dear son, it is To learii about all necessary human matters To stay in school firmly and to study* To read as told,
:

To write as told. To ask as told. To reply as told, To sit as told, To rise as told, To stoop as told, To use what told, To change as told, To partake of food and drink To address persons as told To behave as told, To approach persons as told, And to honor lovingly Your teacher as directed.
Beloved son, not forget

as told,

Do

all this

Your

Father's message

Mentally note it^ Carefully heed it, Keep it deep in your heart.

Let

me
it

So

will

say more ) be indelibly

Written in your heart.

Listen gladly!

Do

not

make friendships with drifters,

Seeming to befriend you or

Or vapid men seeking only evil. When sometimes these types come near you
in

Pleasure-seeking low-thinking men.

play

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20

Keep away from tliem, At a distance stay, Then your welfare

Perfect will be Dearest son!

Without fail Try to do everything

Just as instructed. Do not push aside Your Father's speech.

Take

it

gladly

And
This

live

by

it.

is

cognizance^

My

son.

Sahton Sayadaw.
(Buddhist monk, probably 18th, Cent. C.E.)

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MYA MAN SETKYA

The royal steamer Man Mya Setkya

21

Now
His

own Golden Peacock flag Makes her way to Mandalay

fruits

proudly flying for the King

Carrying durian To {hQ King.

To accompanying echoes Of whistles and trumpets

Steadily Oii steams

Mya Man Setkya

Days beyond Hanthawaddy

Until finally at dusk Samalauk village is seen. From Samalauk village on upstream To the mainstream Irrawaddy She continues making her way.

On

through the night she steams

oblivious beautiful passing scenes,

Her captain and crew,

To

Thinking only of reaching

Their next stop on the stream. Even at the secret time near dawn

She moves on.

Rebounds
Just

And from the river to villages sounds of her

Revving engines rending the skies. below Kanaung town at dusk The anchor is dropped at last And now the captain and crew May sleep and rest.

Ponnya.

traveling upstream on the Mya Man Setkya a steam vessel that had been presented to King Mindon (reign 1853-1878 C.E.) by the British then in control of Lower Burma. The Burmese historian Tin Ohn, the author of the "Biography Po Hlaing", claims that the plan of of Yo Atwin British was to kidnap King Mindon while the King the was inspecting the imposing interior of the first-class ship given to him as a present. However, King Mindon fearing Po Hlaing*) the danger (he was forewarned by Minister refused to go on board the Mya Man Setkya. (F.L.)

Ponnya

is

understood to

have written

this

poem

while

Wun U

Hanthawaddy is the name of the is and was located.

district in

which Rangoon

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22

PRESENT OF A CHEROOT
The cheroot
I

leaves

do not buy, but pluck myself.

do not dry them on the fire do not spread them in the sun. But for your smoking I dry them under my bedclothing.
I
I

And with my teeth I trim

These aromatic leaves.

The cheroot
But with

do not bind with

you 5

silk

common
truly to

cotton thread

To

give

it

My

youthful lover in Ava.

Mae Khwe.

*'Youthful lover" can also be translated sweetheart from childhood, Ava was the capital of the Burmese Kingdom of Ava.

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23

A PEASANT
Rainy season
it is
!

And wiien it rains

Happily husband and wife

In red cotton turbans. And tattered pasohs and aingyis Carry along their children Rain- wet and without clothes Body warm in their arms.

A short pipe between his teeth

The peasant ploughs
his field
;

And in his rice fields

Are
water-filled holes

many small crabs. these into his shoulder basket Tossing Together with frogs, snails, Su-pou plants, kazoon and kin-bon leaves, And pilo all for his curry

Homes

of

Stoopingly he goes back home.

Cooked on
The
rice is

Sweet and juicy is the curry arrival and laid out quickly With kyan-hing and kywet-na vegetables.
hot

And the curry is hot

With pungent Shan chilUes That make one suck tht, tht,
tht.

Scooping sizable handfuls, Bending he eats Surrounded on all sides By robust sons and grandsons

Of these happy

parents.

Wungyi Padethayaza.

Wungyi Padethayaza was born

Syrian! in 1752. whose reign reign of King Sane (1698-1714 C.E.) during he was a Minister. He later lived in exile in Lower Burma. His tomb stands on the northern slopes of Kyaikkhauk

He

in Ava in 1672 and died in flourished at the Court of Ava in the

Pagoda
Pasoh

another word for longyi which is the tubular skirt worn by both men and women in Burma. worn by the Burmese. Aingyis are the blouse like jackets
is

in Syriam.

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PADDY PLANTING SONG

No
need to pay the goldsmith! the palm tree comes our gold Rolled palm leaves are our earrings Chains of flowers are our necklaces.

From

Pleasant to look at are

we
Lay

The well-mannered

rural folk

From the

Near golden Mandalay.

village of Aung Pin

And

Rather shortish are our skirts our cotton jackets Are dyed from bark of trees. Yet fine and tidy are our seams.

Our cheeks are smartly thanaka'd. And As we move swaying from left to right Our braids shine like buffalo- horns'! Our beauty is all from nature. And Even our hair we adorn only With white mayo flowers.

Author unknown.

Thanaka is a pounded power made from thanaka tree bark and even smaller branches. This dust is then used as a powder or a paste, as a cosmetic, an astringent, a medicinal application, and/or as a decoration and sun screen for the
face.

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25
I

AM LONGING
couch

Gilt glass filtered moon rays Light my stately diamond-studded

I

Where alone hear the drum's sweet sound Announce the third watch of the night.

Dawn

is

no longer

far-off.

On my
Alone
I

tJiazin

scented couch await your coming.

Hands
1

to my forehead cannot but muse Over all that has passed

[

And

am

filled

with pensive sadness.

oath you promised never to shun me Always to be loyal to me Solemnly you swore, "If I become King
I shall

On

make you my Queen. Even if a Goddess tried to seduce me. Never would I surrender to her."

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26 In coronation's splendid display give to you the place of chief Queen With eight Brahmins and many pages attending you And at the time of libation's ceremonial I shall cause all men to worship you."
I shall

believed you and gave you my love. Nov/... how different is your manner. Oh, Prince of Kanaung how stern is your face. Where is the former brightness of your face? Where are the loving caresses You so fondly showered on me?
I

Oh, Pnnce of Kanaung.

Princess Hlaing-Teik-Khaung-Tin.

(1833-1857 C.E.)

Thi s is only part of a very long song sung originally by . _ncess Princess HIaing-Teik~Khaung-Tin supposedly while waiting Ihe sequel is for her husband to return to her chamber. he finally hears her sweet voice, remembers her and that comes back again to her from an adjoining chamber.

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27

LOVE IN SECRET ENCOUiNTERED

By chance
Secretly I
fell in

love

With a lovely Emerald fresh,

girl,

of gentle birth. a consequence I had to grapple with Grief vaster than the sea.

And

As

My

life is

unbearable.

First pretending to love me This maiden was like a cock Courting round a hen; Then suddenly she flaunted ojff. In many ways she broke the trust

How
It

So naively placed in her. wrongly I believed in

her.

wasn't true love, just pretense.

She loves

me

not, all

is

in vain.

But for this lovely garland Containing many sweet smeUing

flowers,

Not long shall I v/ait To be decorated with

I

it.

am

Soon As comes

a man of sufficient worth. the time will come

floresence of all plants have a true love.

And

T shall

Ah
I

You You

dear young lady made of jewels. vain and conceited girl have not long to wait.
!

no

My

are not

Maung Thwa.
(Date unavailable, probably second Konbaung
period 1818-1885).

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II

JJ

Kyi rose to fame at the Court of King Tharrawadd] (1837-46 C.E.) who for tlie second time in Burmese history moved the capital to Amarapura. Kyi was a poe with a great command of imagery, he speaks of the thing: on which the world is forever pivoted. (F.L.) Sit'sali are whistling teal and Mauklin are Uke coot.

28
I

WOULD SMILE

How
To

Roiind our village

pleasing
see

Growing in profusion Lai'ka-nyo creepers Living among

The paddy rows With blue k ha tank

Its

fragrance

Filling the air.

Surrounded here

By such beauty
I

cannot help

Missing

my

lover.

Oh, how lovely

The beautiful Kazoon creepers

Rocking gently

On
And

the water; in the fields

Blue v/ater hens Mauklin, and

Sit-sali birds

Are

billing

And

cooing.

Poor me! Here alone

Midst
this

beauty

With my lover away T am overcome With sadness.

Now
Yet
I

too,

The sky Thunder

if

Were

overcast heralds rain. my lover here

is

would

smile.

Kyi.

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NOBLE WISDOM
To the Three Noble Jewels! And To Molhcr, Father and Teacher! To these Six with pure faith
Respectfully having paid homage, compose into easy verses, So we may learn orally The text Lokaniti, so full of lore, Yet so difficult in Pali. From Lokanit'Cs maxims
I shall

Much wisdom
It will

will all receive.

be

like

admonition
.

From one

A parent,

ripe in years,
;

a teacher and a good friend Then vastly learned one will become Full of knowledge and insight

Harvesting benefits untold, One's name will shine as the purest gold.
(contd.)

(the Enlightened of the Buddha, Doctrine, Truth, Law, Norm), and the Sangha (the Buddhist Order,

The Three Noble Jewels mean

one), the

the

Buddha

Dhamma(the Teachings
Ecclcsia).

Lokaniti or "The Ways of the World" and the right conduct is a collection of excerpts from various relating to them Pali treatises. The collection consists of seven chapters

Community,

and

its

maxims
is

Wisdom"
Pali

are piercing and enthraUing. only a small part of the Lokaniti.

"The Noble
Chaturinga
into

Bala and later

is

Nemyo Min Tin Kyaw Khaung rendered

text of this celebrated work. in Buddhist sacred writings.

Burmese verse the whole

the language used

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Study and acquire recorded knov/ledee So full of treasured benefits. Be lazy and where will be knowledge? Without knowledge where is wealth? And for one without wealth There will be no loving friends. When there are no friends

Where

is

When

there

How
How

will

happiness? is unhappiness you do good deeds?

Again, when there are no good deeds,

will

you

In this world
Is

tiie

get to Nirvana? best friend

knowledge firmly acquired.

That, no thief can steal away. And in your next existence too Knowledge will follow you And happiness bring you.
Ail

mankind note
it

ihis

way
Chaturinga Bala and Tin Kyaw K ha una.

(Follow

each

day.)

Nemyo Min

Chaturinga Bala lived in the 14th, century C.E. and Nemyo Min Tin Kyaw Khaung in the 19th. century. The former wrote his "Lokaniti'' in Pali verses and the latter later rendered it into melodious Burmese poetical language. Born in Prome district, Chaturinga Bala distinguished himself in the reign of King Ngah Sih Shin Kyawswa of Pinya (1342-1350 C.E.) and after that served as Home Minister to King Leh Sin Shin (also known as Thihathu) who reigned 1350-1359 C.E.) Nemyo Min Tin Kyaw Khaung rose to fame in the reign of King Thibaw (1878-1885 C.E.) as a significant contributor
to

Burmese

aesthetic thought.

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31

DONATIONS
(Dana)

'*Unsimiiar is human destiny. At the time true rehgion is no more Some will still be full of faith And desirous of giving in charity;
will see no worthy recipients Yet with genuine devotion

Though they

And

They will give gifts To those they do not Hke

the result will be poor." to Angura Deva,

Thus spoke Buddha

He who does not urge other men To do meritorious deeds,

But practices
his largess alone,

Will in future rebirths

Have many

possessions
at
all.

But no attendants

He will be a shining moon In the assembly of men.

gives and urges others give things in charity Will be reborn rich Surrounded by numerous attendants And holding vast possessions.

He who

To

He who
To

earnestly exhorts others

give donations freely,

While himself offering nothing,

In future rebirths will be Deficient in material belongings Yet many attendants and relatives Sons and grandsons will be In his entourage.

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Whosoever
Neither himself is iiiuniiiceat Nor urges others to be Will encounter e^'il fate After his body's dissolution;

Never feehng

satiated,

Scarcely finding eating plants, Shovving hunger day and night. He will become a hungry spiritMeeting all kinds of miserv.

Shin

Tezolhara.

(Dale unavailable)

The Buddhists beheve

is

that munificence (the giving of gifts)

one of the highest and most noble virtues. Charily (in Pali Dana) always leads to happy rebirths on earth or in a heaven of the Dcvas (Gods). In the practice o\^
giving the

Burmese excel other

nationalities.

(F.L.)

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33

REMORSE
To
I

gain the prize of Illuminaiion

Of

have made up my mind. Then I shall have liberation From the bondage of craving {Tanha) The all consuming darkness
ignorance (Avijja-asava).

Seeking a womb for rebirth In other after-death conditions Many times I have experienced Different forms. But in whatever sphere Never can it be pure.

Thus no longer do
I

I seek a consort. Satiated with a layman's Hfe,

renounce

it all

and go

To muse

in the

Dhamma

cave.

Khains.

The Dhamma cave

is

a cave for meditation.

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34

PAINFUL AS IT
Painful as it Let me state
is...

IS

my

trouble.

How
Is

As

full of anguish most dire one tormented by Universal Fire.

if seven suns blazed fiercely Equally burning is pain the world-round. Nowhere can a cool spot be found. My heart's trouble seems a death agony.

''If

But presently beautiful maidens appear. you want to alleviate my pain.

Sprinkle

me

with rose scented rain."

U Kvaw

Thamee.

Poetess

U Kyaw Thamee was a daughter of the poet U Kyaw

who

King Mindon (1853-1878 C.E.) and who had received unanimous acclaim as a poet of
lived in the reign of
is meant the catastrophic fire which and consume our universe at the end of the

extraordinary talent.

By

Universal Fire

will destroy

Kalpa according to Buddhist behefs. Kalpa is the "World Age" or "World Cycle" extending to
millions of years.

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35

NO COOLING OF ANGUISH
In

human

life

We

meet constant renewal.

Slowly like tree-cotton Burning without ceasing Day after tomorrow and the next One day after another day Descends upon us But there is no cooHng of anguish.
the sun and the moon Will not change in the future Always shall I seek succor And seeking it I shall fret. anguish I try to forget. But no!

Though

My

Day

My

after day anguish Hngers; tears run in a steady flow.

"Oh, softly dry them one by one With the best cloth of Bassein."

Kyaw Thamee.

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36

THE xNATLRE OF THINGS

(Release from Anger)

Often a man suffers destruction In order that another man Might enjoy well-being. Such is the nature of things!

courtier's satisfaction

In enjoying kingly confidences In golden palaces And a King's own good fortune Are merely bubbles On the surface of a vast ocean Momentary and evanescent.
If dictated
t

by commiseration were to be released

And
I

freed from execution would not escape Death. Inseparable am I from Karma

All sentient beings Being subject to dissolution.

Respectfully I salute His Majesty. Should I again meet my Lord the King In one of my future rebirths In the cycle of Samsara

Begrudging him nothing

would lovingly forgive him= Impermanent is my body of blood.

I

Anantasuriya,

Anantasuriya was a chief minister in the Kingdom of Pagan under King Naratheinka (C.E. 1 1 70- 1 1 73). When as a resuli of a palace revolution Naratheinka's brother Narapatisithu seized the throne, Anantasuriya was ordered to be executed. On the eve of his death he wrote this classical poem entitled ^'Dhammata" (The Nature of Things), which is one of the literary treasures of the world. (F.L.)
loosely be translated as destiny as ordained by the ethical consequences of one's acts in previous existences. Samsara is as explained before the cycle of deaths and rebirths until Nirvana is reached.

Karma can

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37

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

(Titles

of Works in Burmese)

1.

Thi-khying padetha.

2.

Kabya pan-kon
Kabya pan-kon a-phye zon

Professor

U E Maung

Hanthawaddy U Ba Yin
Editor Saya

4.

Kabya pan-kon

a-pliye thit

Magha

5.

Khan hman Myan ma

Tan myin
kabyil

za

U E Maung
U Pho
Ngve

6.

phve nyi kyam

7.

Kabya pan-myaing
Khet-thit kabya

Thein Naing (B.A.)

8.

mya
atthuppatti

U Wun and U Thein

Han

9.

Zasodaw mya

Bo-gyi Ba Thaung

38

BOTANICAL GLOSSARY

39

Mayo
(Ma-yo)

.40

Su-pou

Subok
Subok'gyi
30S00
It

23

Accacia pinnata

Tama
C090

10

The Persian

lilac-Pride of

China, India.

Azadirachta indica-A Juss

Thabye

4,

10

Eugenia spp.

Tharaphi
Tharapi
Q
COSjCS

Laurel- Alexandrian

Callophyllum amvenum-VVall

>

kunstlevi-King parkavi-Fischer

Thazin
c

10,

25

Orchid

COCC

Bulbophyllum spp.
trees, shrubs,

and flowers, often differ the country. in different sections of Naturally a single Burmese name will often apply to a great number of different latin botanical names and at this late date it is a little difficult to be positive just v/hich specific latin-named plant a poet

Burmese words for

was seeing

mind's eye. The above Ust was compiled of some Burmese botanists and from the whh the help following:
in his

and Principal Climbers, Etc. and Enlarged Edition, by H.G. Hundley, Third, Revised B.Sc. (For. Rgn.) Silviculturist, Burma, and U Chit Ko Ko, Herbarium Curator 1961, Superintendent, Government Printing and Staty., Union of Burma, Rangoon.
List of Trees, Shrubs, Herbs,

Journal ofthe

Burma Research Society Vol XXXIll Part IT, To The Trees and Shrubs of the University Estate, A Key Rangoon by Nant Gladys Kwa.
Check

Plants of

Common Roadside and Garden E.G. Dickason (unpublished pamphlet). Rangoon

List of

some

r
PL
3984-

Lustig, Friedrich V,. Burmese classical poems

L87

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DO NOT REMOVE
FROM
THIS

CARDS OR

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POCKET

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