Songpamin and Gaxina
Songpamin and Gaxina (Song Pa Min He Ga Xi Na in Chinese) is a folk narrative long poem of Dai ethnic group,widely spread in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture,Yunnan Province in China,translated into Chinese by Chen Guipei and Li Jianyao.
Songpamin and Gaxina tells the story of a king and a queen,Songpamin and Gaxina,totaling 1,600 lines.As the king of Mengzangba (Meng Zang Ba in Chinese),Songpamin is brave and sagacious,kind and benevolent.Under his reign,people in Mengzangba live a happy life with peace and stability.As the queen of Mengzangba,Gaxina,as all the people know,is beautiful and kind.They love each other and have two little princes who are so cute.However,good times don’t last long.Zhaogang (Zhao Gang in Chinese),a brother of the king,reveals his heart of disobedience and manages to take the place of Songpamin.Songpamin is so kind that he doesn’t want to make his people suffered,so he relinquishes his throne to Zhaogang and escapes with his whole family.They encounter all kinds of misfortunes on their way and come back together in the end.Having been told that the people are suffering under the reign of Zhaogang,Songpamin is determined to lead the people to get rid of the evils.
This narrative long poem shapes the images of a kind and benevolent king and a kind and beautiful queen by using unique artistic techniques,reflecting the wisdom of the Dai people.
Below is an extract from the poem:
There is a big tree in Mengzangba,
Clouds are covering its body,
Dew is washing its face,
Wind is combing its hair.(https://www.daowen.com)
The tree supports the sky,
Its roots can’t be splashed by heavy rain,
Its leaves can’t be blown down by wild wind,
It is our king,Songpamin.
Songpamin,a sagacious king,
He rules trillions of people,
His heart is soft,like cotton,
His mind is broader than ocean.