Friday, August 24, 2012

Do Not Marry A Magician



 
There is an old Chinese saying: “Do not let your daughter marry with a witchdoctor household (有女莫嫁師公屋).”  A “Sai Kong” (師公) is a term generally given to a person involved in Taoist magic.

 

In Chinese society, and other community a like; a witchdoctor is normally a person of lower social status, he can have some income but the livelihood is generally quite poor. There are exceptions of course. Below is a folk song describes the condition of a Sai Kong:

 

人家祖宗出官職,我家祖宗出師公。

有女莫嫁師公屋,師公浪蕩不耕田。

一日打卦三碗米,不是耕田也過年。

人家耕田一般過,十月禾倉王王開。

不圖手巾做被蓋,不圖米碗不耕田。

不圖香花做富貴,只圖名字九流轉。

人話師公得肉吃,生鐵犁頭得嘴光。

人話師公得酒吃,不見師公醉傲慢。

人話師公得錢使,不見師公買馬騎。

 

“People’s ancestor produces ministers, my ancestor produces a witchdoctor.

Do not marry a witchdoctor; a witchdoctor is lazy does not plow the land.

Earning three bowls of rice by divination, no need to plow also can live.

While ordinary people plow to live, the rice stores open every October.

Don’t want to use handkerchief as my blanket,

Don’t want the rice bowl if I never plow the land.

Don’t want the fragrance of flower to be rich,

Don’t want my name to stay in the lower classes.

People said a witchdoctor eats meat,

I enjoy my meat by plowing my land.

People said a witchdoctor drinks wine,

No one sees a witchdoctor gets drunk arrogantly.

People said a witchdoctor earns a living,

No one sees a witchdoctor rides a horse.”

 

Having said so… Guys, do you still want to be a magician?

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