Naslov
Brina Jež Brezavšček: Laughter, Smile, or the Story about Three Laughing Monchs
Anja Clift, flute, bass flute
Valentina Strucelj, clarinet, bass clarinet
Spoken text: 1 (At the beginning)
Story
Once upon a time there were three old monks in ancient China. These three monks were called the “Three Laughing Monks”. These three always travelled together and were known for nothing but for their constant laughter. Normally they would enter a village or town and stand in the centre of the main square and begin to laugh. Slowly but surely, their laughter spread throughout the community.
As the years passed, the laughing monks’ fame grew and grew. All of China loved and respected them. Nobody had ever preached the way they did: with laughter and nothing else. They never laughed at anyone in particular, but rather as if they had understood a great cosmic joke. The three laughing monks spread joy all over China without using a single word.
Then they slowly grew old. And while staying in one village one of the three monks died. The whole village gathered to witness the reaction of other two monks. They were expecting them to show some sorry or even cry, but the two of the monks were laughing only harder. They were laughing and could not seem to stop. Seeing them like this, a few of them among the crowd approached them and asked them the reason behind their unusual reaction. The people asked them why they weren’t morning their friend’s decease, and this was among many years when the monks responded: “On our way to the village, the third monk proposed a bet on who would be the first among us to beat the other two and die. We are laughing because this man has won. He had even prepared a testament.”
This is not the end of the story; you will hear it while we will perform the music.
2 (Time: 11:42) Clarinettist puts together B clarinet and at the same time tells the last part of the story to the audience:
“It was conventional that when a man died, they changed his dress and gave a bath to the body. So, the third monk had said: ‘Do not give me a bath because I have never been unclean. So much laughter has been in my life that no impurity can accumulate, can come to me. I have not gathered any dust. Laughter is always young and fresh. So do not give me a bath and do not change my clothes.’ So just to respect his wishes, they did not change his clothes. And when the body was put to fire, suddenly they became aware that he had hidden some Chinese fireworks under his clothes, and they had started going off. So, the whole village laughed, and the other two monks said: ‘You rascal, you are dead, but you have defeated us once again. Your laughter is the last.’ … smile to the audience …”