War Story, Jim Morris

How true.

"It s a mistake to call the girls whores because that word has connotations that do not apply in Asia. Their services were offered in much the same spirit, and with no more shame, than bar peanuts or table napkins. A simple commercial transaction with no moral or personal implications."

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Thuy Kieu is the heroine of The Tale Of Kieu which is Vietnam's Epic National Poem, by Nguyen Du. It is difficult to think that a poem in another language could be translated so it reads as though it was written in English, but Huynh Sanh Thong of Yale accomplishes just this. There are other translations, but this is the one to read. On one page it has the Vietnamese, while on the adjoining page English. There are so many footnotes that you won't really enjoy the rhythm until you read it for the second or third time, as without actually following the footnotes and determining their meaning, much of the tale would be lost to the average reader. It has 3,254 verses with 22,778 words. BT

Thuy Kieu

A hundred years in this life span on earth/
talent and destiny are apt to feud./
You must go through a play of ebb and flow/
and watch such things as make you sick at heart/
Is it so strange that losses balance gains? /

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN KIEU AND THE AUTHOR NGUYEN DU

Kieu sold herself to settle the debt of her family	Nguyen Du considered the action of joining the new government as selling himself
Kieu had to endure suffering and hardship	Nguyen Du suffered greatly because of his loyalty to his former king
Deep in her heart, Kieu stays faithful to Kim Trong	Nguyen Du was truly loyal to the Le Dynasty
Finally Kieu was reunited with Kim Trong	Nguyen Du hoped for the return of his king

More @ The Tale of Kieu