why was her comrades are perplexed in the story "ballad of Mulan"
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
→After it was first written, the Mulan legend was frequently popularised over the centuries, most notably in the 16th century by the Ming dynasty playwright Xu Wei, who dramatised the original poem as “The Female Mulan”.
→The story first came to film in 1927, followed by several operas and plays. Its adaptation in 1998 by Disney introduced Mulan to Western audiences.
→A part of Chinese folklore, the Mulan character is celebrated for being a symbol of heroic behaviour and for defying gender norms. Researchers Xue Keqiao and Angela Yiu write in the Review of Japanese Culture and Society (1996), “The narrative glorifies the heroine Mulan who joined the army in her father’s place and fought bravely. The theme of a woman in a man’s guise is one reason the story has been passed down for over a thousand years”.
→Text of the Ballad (Translation by Han H. Frankel, 1976)
Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.
You don’t hear the shuttle’s sound,
You only hear Daughter’s sighs.
They ask Daughter who’s in her heart,
They ask Daughter who’s on her mind.
“No one is on Daughter’s heart,
No one is on Daughter’s mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there’s Father’s name.
Father has no grown-up son,
Mu-lan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father’s place.”
In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River’s bank.
She doesn’t hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River’s flowing water cry tsien tsien.
At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She doesn’t hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen’s nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.
She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.
On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.
He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
“Mu-lan has no use for a minister’s post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home.”
When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.
When Elder Sister hears Younger Sis