The Night Jasmine
THE NIGHT JASMINE
Stanski
Copyright©2013 Stanski
Crawling Distance
In Decline
Cover photo © Stanski
THE NIGHT JASMINE
CONTENTS
1.Province
2. Pra Yai
3. Nok Noi Si Khieo (Small Green Bird)
4.North/South Divide
5. Rice
6. The Nongkhai Naga
7. Dreaming Of Springtime
8. All On A Summer’s Day
9.Same Same
10.Isan Funeral
11.Lao Soup
12.Water Of Life
13. Unsavoury Savoury
14. Tropical Winter
15. All According To Plan
16.Fulfilment
17.Judgement Day
18.Dec 25, 2009
19.Wet And Dry Rain
20.Papaya Pok-Pok
21.Ching-Ching
22.No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
23.Free Meal
24.Salon Isan
25.Planet Isan
26.Beun Bang Fai
27.Isan Heartland
28.Casting The Spell
29.Isan Market Day
30.The Night Jasmine
About The Author
1. Province
Khon Kaen, Udon Thani,
Nongkai, Nongbualamphu.
Ubon Ratchatani,
Surin, Korat, Si Chompu.
Maha Sarakam, Non Sang,
Sakhon Nakon, Roi-et.
Mukdahan, Chaiyaphum, Buri Ram,
Loei, Kalasin, Si Saket.
Wherever you stay in Isan
You’ll probably feel the pang
For sticky rice – ‘khao nieow’; ‘lao khao’
- Rice liquor - and Beer Chang
I could tell you all about Isan
But if you go alone
You’ll feel blessed by the warmth of welcome
And gratitude you’re shown
2. Pra Yai
Gazing forth, across the earth, from high
Stands a monument to Buddhist Faith; Pra Yai
To his rear, the people of Khon Kaen
Over to his left, it’s Chaiyaphum and then
Udon Thani kneels at his right hand
In reverence; voicing the respect of Thailand
Before him, Loei and Nongbualamphu
Receive the careful attention of his view
Pra Yai symbolises Lord Buddha
In his presence, his loyal pilgrims shudder
The hopes and fears of all the nation
Are offered in praise and meditation
Gratitude for the harvest; the rain
For the relief of suffering and of pain
Food for the hungry, strength to the weak
A fitting focal point for the blessed meek
Supports the infirm, tends to the old
The pious poor, the emotionally cold
The waters below, gently lapping
Reflect the subtle sound of one hand clapping
Prepared to unleash their potential
Energy; electricity; essential
Lighting our progress through the ferment
Physical guide; practical enlightenment
No tree to shade his contemplation
Deflect his wisdom, distract concentration
His sacrament of inner vision
Available via the conscious decision
To follow the example of his life
Grants untold pleasures, and the absence of strife
3. Nok Noi Si Khieo (Small Green Bird)
In Thailand, as in places round the world
Education can be passed by word of mouth
Lessons are not learned while just at school
The same is true in North as well as South
One evening, as we sat to eat a meal
A bright young girl, the daughter of a guest
Noticed a bird that flew into the house
And put her old grandmother to the test
“Khun Yai, nok noi si khieo, nee, shue arai?”
What do we call this miniature green bird?
‘Yai’ – grandmother, looked at the child and spoke
She asked the girl, as though she hadn’t heard
“Arai na look?” What’s that you want to know?
The girl looked her grandmother in the eye
“I want to know the name of this green bird”
“I know that, girl, but let me ask you why”
“If I can tell my teacher, she’ll be proud.
She’ll put me at the top place in her class.”
“Dek ying, thammai?” The old girl had to know
Young girl, why? Gran thought she could let it pass
Left arm across her chest, right hand to chin
Grandmother thought about it for a while
Then slapping both hands down against her knees
She looked up with a knowing nod and smile
“Dek ying, nok noi nee, shue yang nee - dieo”
Granddaughter, this small bird is called – hang on
She braced herself and passed on what she knew
“Nok noi, si khieo” - Small green bird – Wisdom’s a con!!
4. North/South Divide
“If you stay long time in Thailand,
You must to learn speak Thai
If you want happy ending
No promplem; just sabai, sabai.
Thai lady speak good English
When learn so high, at school.
She very like your rangwedge
And have jai yen – that’s ‘cool’.
She have good teacher Angkrit,
Up-country, in Isan.
Not only khao nieow – ‘sticky rice’,
Also homework – that’s karn barn.”
“I understand you, clearly,
But here’s what’s wrong with you.
You say things back-to-front, e.g.
For ‘your friend’, you say, ‘my friend you’.
Now, here’s what I learnt, just this week,
But something is amiss
You never explained that Isan and Thai
Are different. Look at this!
I’ll say the Isan version first,
And then translate, to Thai.
You’ll see just what my problem is,
But can you explain why?
Khop khun lai derr, means khop kuhn krap,
Bo penyang dor, means mai pen rai.
Koi mark chao, that means pom rak khun
Chao si pai sai, is kuhn ja pai nai?
Thank-you very much, never mind,
I love you, where are you going?
Mai mi pen har; no problem,
My Thai has started flowing!”
5.Rice
Harvest time in Isan
Means labour; sweat and pain
Gathering food for another year
That Holy, precious grain
Rice! Glutinous and sticky
Is what it’s all about
We’re off, down to the farm now
It’s time to check it out
The heat is so oppressive
One hundred in the shade
A flash of light that dazzles you
Is just the sickle blade
But it’s money in your pocket
And worth it, in a way,
For ten hours work, not riches,
Two hundred Baht a day
That’s just three Pounds, in English.
Would you get out of bed
For even that, an hour
Or stay asleep instead?
I don’t thin
k so, but here
It’s an honest daily rate
Food and drink included
You go home feeling great!
And when it’s all been gathered
It’s time to sort it out
The rice from chaff; and bag it
Two hundred sacks, about
That’s sixteen sacks a month, though
Much more than we can eat
We’ll sell a hundred sacks, or more
This year we’ll have a treat
And when we get the rice home
We can use it, straight away
Fresh grown rice for breakfast
Lunch, tea, dinner, every day!
Boiled, steamed, or sticky
Cook it how you wish
But in Isan, we’re not fussy
So it’s STICKY every dish!
6. The Nongkhai Naga
The seven-headed serpent of the Mekong
Breathes fireballs known as; ‘bang fai paya nak’.
For centuries, this legendary ‘Naga’
Has haunted Isan with its ‘S’ shaped track
Late autumn, full moon; the end of Buddhist Lent
Location: the heart of Nong Khai province
The sixteenth century temple, Wat Paa Luang
Provides the setting for our vigilance
A ball of pink light reflects on the river
Followed by more, with similar features
Without a sound, they hurtle ever-skywards
Up to a height of hundreds of metres
The ‘Nong Khai Naga’, like the ‘Loch Ness Monster’
Inhabits the depths, rarely seen or heard
An existence which is disputed by some
But photographs ‘prove’ the witnesses’ word
Like all good myths, this one’s fiercely contested
Legend claims a monster breathing fire
“It’s folk-lore, and however deeply rooted”,
Science counters, “Legend is a liar”
“Merely Mekong Methane,” agree professors
“Ignited by the natural forces
Of pressure, heat, gravity, oxygen, and
Proximity to Sun’s UV sources.”
Believers hit back with their words of caution
To those who would put nature to the test
“Don’t ever doubt the power of the Naga
Don’t make him angry…if you know what’s best.”
7.Dreaming Of Springtime
Overnight minimum of ninety Fahrenheit
Humidity level racing off the scale to
Saturation point, provoking thirst it can’t quench
Gasping for life’s breath, like a fish out of water
Sucking fiercely; syrup-sticky scents of morning,
Huge moisture-laden mouthfuls of hydrated air
Sun’s rapid rise, announces, ‘morning is cancelled’
Insipid cherry-pink, transforms to tangerine,
Lemon-yellow, molten-metal-white, in seconds
Water seems so foreign, yet so familiar
Shower-outs, a testament to dried river-beds
Power-outs, resulting from the lack of hydro
Yet you could drown in your sleep from the sweat of air
Just for a moment, a dream; nostalgic nonsense
Give me a misty-mountain, cool English morning
Overlooking valleys, steeped in shrouds of silence
Dew-dappled daybreak, evaporating slowly
Cock-crow to consciousness; time to re-live reverie
Landscape gives way to the industrial townscape
That skyscrapes the starscape; invites a ‘great escape’
Reality bites, with the sound of alarm bells
Back to ‘beat thy neighbour’ and vanity culture
Take excesses of climate, lock them in a box
Throw away the key. Live forever, in Springtime
When blissful bird-song beckons each day, in greeting
Leave unpredictability to weathermen
8. All On A Summer’s Day
Glancing upwards, to the treetops
From time to time, swifts can be seen
Darting about the foliage
Disappearing into the green
In the cool of early morning
Congregations of dragonflies
Commence proceedings for the day
Then introduce the butterflies
Brightly coloured ballerinas
Shimmering to an unheard tune
Building up to a crescendo
In the heat of late afternoon
Sunset heralds the finale
Morning’s dragonflies reappear
Flying strictly in formation
Performing without flaw or fear
Flowing and ebbing on breezes
Thermals only they can detect
They glide along the golden glow
Mesmerising, peerless, perfect
Soaring skywards, surfing sweet scents
Summer’s subtle, silent surprise
Show’s not over, still the encore
As bats replace the dragonflies
Unknowingly, the sightless bats
Mimic the actions of the swifts
The butterflies, the dragonflies
And entertain us with their gifts
A short-lived treat as clouds, in crowds
Gather to make a mockery
Of summer’s promise, never spoken
Never guaranteed…yet broken
9. Same Same
Village Isan; Amazing Thailand
Here’s a thing that’s truly exotic
Don’t call them ‘Siamese’ twins; they’re Thai
Identical; Monozygotic
Tong, on the left (or is it the right?)
Won the ‘Long’ look-alike contest
Long, on the right (or is it the left?)
Won the ‘Tong’ look-alike contest
It’s pure poetry watching them play
Synchronized structure to their games
Interchangeable identities
And they’ve even got those rhyming names
The bond of brotherhood that exists
Between twins, is like no other
I should know – I’m one of a pair
With my Dizygotic twin brother
10. Isan Funeral
Mother’s mother
Lies in state;
Serene.
Monks from the Wat
Line the walls;
In prayer,
Chanting mantras
To the
Great Unseen
Male descendants
Sacrifice
Their hair,
Don saffron robes
Marking their
Respect,
Lead the mourners
To the
Holy Field
Solemn faces
Silently
Reflect.
Young coconuts
Spill their
Cleansing yield
On head and face
Of mother’s
Mother
Each one in turn
Takes part in
The Rite;
Grandson, daughter
Sister and
Brother.
Grievers gaze as
Pyre is set
Alight
Five days and nights
Set aside
To mourn
The passing of
Our loved one;
Loved still.
Her memory
Lives on in
Hearts torn
By tragedy
Of death’s
Bitter pill
11.Lao Soup
Morlam is a celebration
Of cultural preservation
A musical presentation
Of Isan lifestyle themes
Passed down as an education
Through every generation
The history of the nation
The hopes, the fears, the dreams
Songs release us from our strife
Basic aspects of our life
Songs release us from our strife
Face each day with a smile
Hardship, poverty and toil
Hardship, poverty and toil
Reap the harvest of the soil
Face each day with a smile
Arom dee – a cheerful mood
Adjustment of our attitude
‘Eat to live; don’t live for food’
Simple fare sustains us
Soup Laos, normai, plar, larb moo
Het fang, somtam, prik khee noo
Kin khap khao-nieow, plar lar, ping noo
Simple fare sustains us
Serb lai derr; aroi mark mark
Serb lai derr; aroi mark mark
Ta wow Laos dai, ko arb park
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’
Ta wow Laos dai, ko arb park
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’
Te bor wow ‘Bor sanuk’
12. Water Of Life
Evening falls on treetops
Thunder in the air
Grasses rustle in the breeze
Shadows all around
Silence as the wind drops
Animals prepare
Hostile clouds gather to tease
Moisture deprived ground
Spirits rise as raindrops
Fall on land laid bare
The season’s first rain will please
Satisfy, astound
Relentless, torrential
Harder, stronger, faster
Breathing a new lease of life
On parched, barren land
Unleashing potential
Sparing disaster
Rewards for labour and strife
Given by God’s hand
Praise, respect; essential
Rain is the master
Its servants; husband and wife
United they stand
13. Unsavoury Savoury
“So you want to try PLAR LAR?
Come out with me, in my boat;
we’ll have some fun, catching fish,
now the rain has stopped falling.
Here’s a bottle of LAO KHAO…
it’ll put hairs on your chest;
take your mind off the journey.”