November 18, 2018: Senior Composition Recital, performed by musicians at North Park University: Olga Lebedeva (mezzo-soprano), Rebekah Harvey (flute), and Michael Ronnett (piano).
A previous performance by the same musicians took place on November 13, 2017.
While Mãn Giác (滿覺, 1052–96), a revered Vietnamese Zen master and Buddhist monk, was facing the imminent departure from this world, he wrote the poem ‘Cáo Tật Thị Chúng’ [Announcing My Sickness to the Public], widely recognized as ‘Nhất Chi Mai’ [A Branch of Plum Blossoms].”
Much like the tradition of Zen poetry, this poem’s brevity invites the readers to explore the most profound meaning of nature symbolism. Notably, the image of plum blossoms is a prominent symbol in Vietnamese culture as they usually bloom defiantly at the end of winter, when other flowers still hide from the freezing cold and wait for the warmth of spring. Therefore, plum flowers signal the arrival of spring while embodying pride, resilience, and the solitude of a sage.
The poem reminds me of O. Henry’s timeless short story “The Last Leaf.” Despite coming from two different eras and cultures, both Mãn Giác and O. Henry share an appreciation for a faint beam of hope admid darkness and coldness. In this poem, a peaceful branch of plum blossoms is also the symbol of the cyclical nature of human life and the universe. The enlightened Mãn Giác faced life and death with a smile, leaving this world an eternal branch of plum blossoms.
Below are the original poem written by Mãn Giác and my English translation, which is also the texts for this composition.
告 疾 示眾 (一枝梅 )
春去百花落
春到百花開
事逐眼前過
老從頭上來
莫謂春殘花落盡
庭前昨夜一枝梅
Annoucing My Sickness to the Public (A Branch of Plum Blossoms)
The spring leaves, flowers fall.
The spring comes, flowers bloom.
Life is flowing before the eyes,
Age appearing over the head
Don’t you say when spring leaves, all flowers fall.
Last night, in the front yard, a branch of plum blossoms.
Cover Art: “Plum Blossoms” by Ky Nam Nguyen. Oil pastel.
The yellow plum blossoms in the painting are usually found in South Vietnam. Mãn Giác may have encountered a different kind of plum flowers in North Vietnam. Both kinds of plum flowers are called “mai” in Vietnamese, and both of them are the symbol of spring.