Respected viewers, since her youth,
with a heart of immense compassion,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has composed many touching poems
about the silent suffering of
our beloved animal co-inhabitants.
In the past, Supreme Master Television
has had the honor of presenting to you
these poetic works, along with other
creative compositions, such as music,
drama, or chèo traditional opera,
as adapted from
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s verses.
This week, we once again broadcast
those selected programs
with the special theme
about our gentle animal friends.
Please join us and feel for the noble
animals who are always willing
to share their unconditional love.
Greetings to viewers.
Actually, I’ve known poet Phi Vân
since long ago; I also performed songs
adapted from poet Phi Vân’s verses.
In fact, when I learned about the poem
“Words of a Piglet,”
I was greatly surprised.
My surprise has to do
with the poet’s style of composing.
It’s very diverse
in themes and presentation,
and the genres are also very diverse.
Second, when I received the song lyrics,
right at the first few musical notes,
I already felt quite touched.
Why? Because
it’s a very difficult theme to write,
it’s about the animals, the environment
and thoughts about life around us.
This is a realistic subject, very hard to
relate to the romantic realm of music.
However, composer Trần Quang Lộc
was immensely talented
when he adapted this poem into a
musical piece with a variety of strains
that entice listeners.
Even I, the singer, while performing
the first notes and melodies,
I already felt drawn to it.
Very beautiful.
The first strain is about a playful, witty
and very innocent piglet in the world,
and the second strain
is about the calamity occurring.
The third strain is after
being ill-treated and enduring disaster.
That has a profound philosophy about
life, about cause and retribution,
and finally,
it’s words of farewell to the world.
It seems to sound the bell
to waken us all, that we must
protect our environment,
protect the animals around us.
And that is indeed to protect our life,
our resources.
I think this perhaps
is the profound meaning that the poet
and the composer who wrote the song
wish to convey to everyone:
Love all the animals,
love our environment; that means
we’re protecting us ourselves,
so that we’re able to live
in a pristine environment.
I hope that when I sang the song
“Words of a Piglet,”
I’d sung with all my heart
and all my feeling and my awareness
of the environment around us.
I think with that feeling,
I will be able to convey the song
to the audience and hopefully
it will touch people’s hearts,
so that we can join hands in protecting
the environment around us.
Aside from enjoying good songs,
we also realize a deep meaning.
I think that
when poet Phi Vân wrote this poem,
she also put her feeling in there.
In the song, I perceive a sense of irony;
the piglet wishes that humans
and their children live long,
but also kind of pleads
that if there’s a next life,
he’d like to be human, not a pig.
That is so painful, isn’t it?
When we enjoy a dish,
which we can have during a party
in any restaurant, and that dish
contains the roasted flesh of a piglet,
but can you imagine
such a poor animal,
who is so loving,
so small, to be treated
with such painful torture,
and if we can sacrifice a little bit
of our own taste, and we should
contribute to the protection
of our living environment around us,
since the rare animal species
on this Earth are facing the danger
of being extinct right now.
Poet Phi Vân has used the words
of a piglet to speak about something
more noble, which is that
we should put our efforts together
to protect the living environment,
which is more and more each day
becoming drained.
I hope that with my humble thinking,
I can share these thoughts with you
and have your understanding.
When I receive a poem
written by poet Phi Vân, I feel
very happy, because her poetic verses
are always very deep and encompass
so much of profound meaning.
When I have a chance to perform
such works, I am very happy and
I try my best to express these poems.
And now through this program,
I would like to thank all the viewers
who have supported our program,
and supported me in the past.
I hope that you continue to support us
in the future.
I respectfully wish poet Phi Vân
all the best in good health.
I hope that the poet is always
healthy, happy, and continues
to give to the world all the beautiful
and profound poetic verses.
Up next is Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living.
Farewell for now.