RE: A'o Da`i (1910)

[Tuan Pham <tuan.pham@unsw.edu.au>]

Cha`o ca'c ba'c

Nhu+ dda~ hu+'a, to^i ra thu+ vie^.n ti`m cuo^'n sa'ch On and Off Duty
in Annam cu?a Gabrielle Vassal xua^'t ba?n na(m 1910 trong ddo' co'
nhie^`u a?nh chu.p o+? VN (pha^`n lo+'n o+? Nhatrang va` la^n ca^.n)
trong nh~ na(m 1904-1910 va` kie^'m ddu+o+.c i't nha^'t 3 ta^'m a?nh
phu. nu+~ ma(.c a'o da`i (co`n nhie^`u ta^'m kha'c nhu+ng kho^ng ro~
ba(`ng). 1 ta^'m la` 1 ba` co^ng chu'a te^n Thuyen Hoa (tro^ng "dda(.ng"
la('m!) va` 2 ta^'m cu?a hai ba` nha` que^ ddi cho+.. Ta^'m sau na`y
ra^'t ro~ la` a'o da`i, vi` 1 ba` ve'n va.t a'o le^n dde^? lo^.i
nu+o+'c!

To^i dda~ dda(.t nh~ ta^'m a?nh a^'y le^n net o+? URL:
http://www.ceic.unsw.edu.au/staff/Tuan_Pham/Tuan.htm

Ta'c gia? ta? ba` co^ng chu'a Thuyen Hoa nhu+ sau:

"The Princess was pretty, with a clear and a very white complexion, 
in fact, as regards colouring, she might have been mistaken for a 
European.  Her hair, very smoothly brushed back, was done up in a 
waving chignon at the back of her head, in the same manner as other 
Annamese women, but with much more care and chic.  She wore several 
tunics one over the other, but as all were of light feathery silk, 
they must have caused no inconvenience, and the colours, as perceived 
through the slits up the sides of the tunic, 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
harmonised admirably.  The top one was a glorious shade of opal pink.  
It was fastened by means of tiny round gold buttons instead of the 
ordinary stuff ones.  The sleeves were in the height of Annamese 
fashion, and so narrow at the wrist that I could not imagine how the 
Princess had managed to get her hands, slender though they were, 
through them.  Her gold bracelets were fastened over the sleeves 
and clung tightly to the arm.

Her trousers were of black satin, and the tips of her toes were 
slipped into tiny ornamented Annamese shoes.  A woman's feet are 
one of her chief attractions, and she is careful not to hide them 
too effectually; though the richer class of women possess slippers, 
their feet lie on them rather than in them.  The " carmine heel," 
so much admired, can thus display its full charm."


Dde^? y' dde^'n ca^u: "through the slits up the sides of the 
tunic", chu+ng to? la` a'o co' xe? be^n ho^ng, tu+'c la` a'o da`i
(chu+' kho^ng pha?i tu+' tha^n hay va'y).
Di~ nhie^n ca'ch ma(.c a'o nhie^`u lo+'p thi` nay kho^ng
co`n nu+~a.

To'm la.i ta co' the^? ke^'t lua^.n la`: dda`n ba` VN mo.i
gio+'i - tu+` nha` que^ to+'i co^ng chu'a - ma(.c a'o da`i 
tu+` tru+o+'c 1910, kie^?u a'o ca(n ba?n kho^ng kha'c 
nga`y nay ma^'y, va` do ddo' a'o da`i cu?a phu. nu+~ VN 
kho^ng pha?i la` ba('t chu+o+'c Ta`u, Ta^y, A^'n va`o 
tha^.p nie^n 1930!


Cheers
Tuan Pham