ဆိပ်ဖလူးပန်း
I’ve read Yearning (တမ်းတတတ်သည်) by Kyi Aye. In all honeslty, I chose to read it solely because of the title. However, I was disappointed to discover that among all the Burmese books I’ve read, this one was the most challenging to comprehend because it was filled with unfamiliar words, expressions, regional terms, and complex sentence structures.
And it’s with much shame I hereby also admit that I understood only about 45% of it. From what I could grasp, the story revolves around a love affair between a 19-year-old man and an older woman. However, I’m certain that there are still aspects of the book that remain unclear to me.
In the book, Kyi Aye describes how Htate Tin Ma Htwe collects “Sate Paluu” flowers and strings them together in A Par’s small town, where chrysanthemums blossom abundantly. I attempted to visualise the two lovers sitting beneath the Sate Paluu tree, but the problem was that I had no prior knowledge of this tree or its flowers.
Intrigued by these flowers, I wrote a social media post about the book and the Sate Paluu. I posed questions such as what kind of flower it is, where it blooms, and whether it has a scent. I was eager to learn more about its fragrance and other details. My friend responded to the post with a photo, which I believe he found online, depicting the white flowers with yellow stamens.
With that, I became utterly captivated by the Sate Paluu, also known as Night-flowering Jasmine. The following day, after our German class, I confided in my friend, Htun, about this book by Kyi Aye during our lunch break at a teashop. I explained how challenging it was for me to read compared to all the Burmese books I had read. I also mentioned the mysterious Sate Paluu flowers and trees.
I was surprised to learn that she knew about the Sate Paluu tree and its flowers. She said I could find them in a monastery right in front of our school. After hearing this, I couldn’t contain my excitement. On our way back to school after lunch, we made a stop so that she could show me the tree.
I had expected to see a tree covered in full blooms of white flowers, but there were hardly any. When Htun shook the branches that spilled over the fence, a few withered flowers fell to the ground. I picked one up and smelled it. It had a sweet scent, and surprisingly, I loved the fragrance.
Weeks later, Htun shared a heart-wrenching story about the Sate Paluu flowers, its orgins in Hindusim. The narrative begins with a tale of Princess Parijat, who fell deeply in love with the Sun God, Surya. However, her love was rejected, leaving her heart shattered. Tragically, she took her own life. After her passing, her ashes were laid to rest, and a tree grew in the same spot.
Interestingly, the flowers on this tree bloomed only at night and shed when the first rays of sunlight broke through the dawn. The story beautifully conveys the idea that these flowers shed like tears of pain, serving as a reminder of the unconditional love that Princess Parijat shared with the Sun God Surya, even after her death. This reminds me of the saying that everything feels stronger when we care for them too much.
In another version, Princess Parijat’s devotion won the heart of the Sun God, Surya. He fell deeply in love with her and descended from the sky to spend time with her on Earth. However, after a few seasons, he reluctantly returned to his heavenly kingdom because the Earth was not a suitable environment for him.
Parijat was devastated by his decision and decided to follow him. But the intensity of his heat burnt her to ashes. Surya was deeply saddened by her fate and granted her another life in the form of a tree that grew from her ashes. This tree bore white flowers with blazing orange hearts, a symbol of Surya’s enduring love for her.
It is said that Surya visits her every night and kisses her, infusing the flowers with fragrance. However, Parijat still could not bear the rays of the sun, and the flowers shed at the sight of the first rays of dawn.
Perhaps, the underlying message of this version is to remind us that when two forces collide, it is always the more powerful one that ultimately destroys the weaker one.
Regardless of the story, and how I feel about these flowers now, I envision myself settling down after the war ends. Perhaps there will be two flower trees in my compound: a frangipani and a Night-flowering jasmine (Sate Paluu).