In looking through some of our photos showing various rice activities I couldn't help but think of the classic Lao song, Yin Sabai Saonaa, "The Contented Rice Farmer." I'm not sure how many Lao rice farmers are truly contented, but if all goes well, no droughts, no floods, few weeds, few snails, few rodent/insect pests, plenty of labor to plant, maintain and harvest the rice, then I think there definitely is contentment. Rice, is life in Asian countries and to know in whatever way one is an important part of that cycle, can provide contentment. And of course the song celebrates Lao patriotism and reflects a socialist viewpoint, but regardless, the song has a great melody and is loved by the Lao people.
In the Animoto video we made above using some of our photos from Laos we use Yin Sabai Saonaa as the musical track. Do you like it?
You can ss our set of photos from Laos showing a wide variety of rice activities on our Flickr channel here.
In reading the book Rice in Laos published by the Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Research I came across the lyrics to Yin Sabai
Saonaa and will include them in this post along the a popular version of
the song. Enjoy!
Yin Sabai Saonaa (The Contented Rice
Farmer)
We are rice
farmers’ children
We take plows and buffaloes to the fields.
We look for food in the forests.
We look for food in the forests.
After sunset, we go home.
Everyone in our village is very happy and contented.
Very happy, very contented.
In our village, there is rice and there are fish in the rice fields,
When the wind blows, we have fresh air,
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.
In the afternoon, we ride wild buffaloes,
We sing songs, dance, and play the “khaen.”
We urge everyone to come together to play, work, and develop the nation.
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.
The direction of our lives is a happy thing.
In the fields, our skin becomes dark, but we are still happy to work for our
nation.
To work to fight hunger and poverty.
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.
We are proud to use our work to develop our nation,
We have buffaloes as powerful friends,
Our leaders direct us on the right path,
Contented, contented farmer; contented, contented farmer.
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