An Evening of Poetry and Music – Traces of Previous Lives and Love Songs for the Homeland, Part 4 of a Multi-part Series

As we all know, there are many spiritual poems that lead us deep into the spiritual realm. Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poetry is about the blending of worldly love and the purity of the spiritual life. But in my opinion, Her poetry is not only the nonconformist verses of a renunciate. It is also the poetry of journeys of thought, the voyage of human life on the river of contemplation. “When you come home, There will be only grass and flowers Greeting your footsteps! The garden sheds her evening dews, The house bows weighed in loneliness, Murmuring farewell! Even if my heart was made of stone And my feeling of brass, They would be softened and melt Thinking of the pain I’ve left you! Why were we born in this world of woe For you to pine, for me to taste sorrow!? Since which era have we pledged our faithful vows, Thus bind ourselves in matrimony now? Please lift your heart out of the blue web So my mind will also be lightened when we are apart. Praised be the Buddha whose light guides my way, And protects you in your lonely days One day, I’ll be enlightened and bring illumination to the world, We will be together for eternity...” It is truly a carefree turning away and a very carefree return.

As for me, in the trend of spiritual music, with the theme “Traces of Previous Lives,” I have chosen the poem, “A Lonesome Night” by Supreme Master Ching Hai and set it to music. We are the people who have been away from our homeland for over 20 years. We are the birds twice lost in the vast sky. And Supreme Master Ching Hai reached out with open arms. I’m honestly not surprised that She has disciples all over the world. Indeed, in a gathering like tonight, in this musical concert, without having to give a lecture, She has traveled with us to childhood, to the mythical region as in verses of Her poetry. The advantage of modern music over traditional music is that the melody is newer and more flexible than a fixed one.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we approach the end of the old year in the cozy setting of this Spiritual Music Evening, I respectfully invite you to listen to the song “A Lonesome Night.” A poem by Supreme Master Ching Hai, set to music by Phạm Duy, and performed by Duy Quang. “Lonely like I’ve never been so lonely... Sad like I’ve never been so sad... Lost in the midst of a vast firmament! Like a bird looking for a cozy nest My Darling, please come by and visit. Hands extending, longer than the night, Light my soul with your mysterious eyes So life won’t be a gloomy passage. My Darling, please come by and visit. Oh beloved, sing for me lullabies of tender dreaminess, Timeless songs of jeweled and blameless years. Journey to the realm of legends together. Let sadness ripen and fall into a rainy river. Tonight only the muse and I remain; Tomorrow is far away, the night still lingers. I lie here, hiding my soul behind my flowing hair, And listen as life’s burdens fall upon my lonely shoulders.”