“Taf’’ the poem of Karen ethnic.
Hauf hkof k’if lauz, PgazK’Nyau neif k’a Htauf
Taj av soo neif k’ koj lof, taj av wa neif k’lauz hpav
Taj cooz t’baf av lauj, taj koj t’div av lauj
Hti klo nyaf hpo t’of ,lez pgaj pooz htof yuj t’of
Maz bu t’neif auf bu, maz cei de auf t’sei
The land will be narrow because the number of humans will be increasing.
The darkness will be unity and the light will have disappeared.
The rain will not fall. Everything will be dry.
However, the bird will sing in the trees. The money will be full in the pocket.
But the rice will not be full because people who eat rice, they never have seen it.
Because people who drink water, they never have seen the stream .
Karen “Taf “Composed by Mr. Chi Suwitchan, Karen musician.
What is “Taf”
“Taf’’ is a word in Karen language. A “Taf” is a poem and moral story. Karen people usually use it for teaching their children. It usually talks about the emptiness , land, God, nature, human relationships, birds, war, love, sadness, happiness, seeds, living things, disasters, and daily life.
No one know how old “Taf” is. Some of the chapters of Taf are similar in the Gospel. It talks about how God has created the land. However, it is a tradition for Karen people and it will be lost soon because it will be replaced by the music and entertainment from the new world. This is a challenge for this Karen poem.
Taf is collected by recording. The Karen ancestors pass it from generation to generation. Now, it’s facing extinction. However, it may become extinct like some plants and some species of animals or a small culture, small village, the homeless, refugee and peers which society will abandon.
Finally, every culture has a poem and musical sound. It tells us about ourselves. Happiness and suffering are consistent in all of human life. We have to accept the natural rules. Crying, happiness, and breaking up follow the steps of life.