Poetry
Yak Legpai Lhadar Gawo
Not translated into English
Ap Chuni Dorji · 1960
Synopsis
A song composed for a lozey contest, in which the yak itself speaks. Legpai Lhadar Gawo, “the magnificent and splendid yak”, tells of his life in the high pastures at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, the dances at the edge of the distant meadows, the bond that ties him to his herdsman. Then comes the heavy order of a powerful lord, who wants his flesh, and the yak sings of his parting from his master.
Context
The lozey was born of contests of boasting and insults between rival herders; this song departs from it by attacking authority and slaughter, according to the essayist Mihir S. Sharma. The original version lasted more than an hour. The court singer Soe Gup Limchu made it famous, to the point of often being thought its author, and the lyrics were shortened and reworked over the years. Its melody serves as the theme of the film Travellers and Magicians by Khyentse Norbu.
Who it is for
A long song made to be heard, which today circulates in abridged and reworked versions.
Prizes and reception
It made its first listeners weep, spread through the villages of the North and remains one of the most famous songs in the country.
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