Perfume Pagoda - Popular Culture - References in Literature

References in Literature

One particular legend about Chua Huong has been preserved in a poem by Nguyen Nhuoc Phap. The poem tells the story of a girl who accompanied her father on pilgrimage to Chua Huong and found love while there. The following is a translated excerpt from the poem:

Oh! Here we are at Trong Pagoda!

The grotto is hidden in green vegetation:

Its ceiling is embroidered with stalactites

Which look like pearls imbued with aquilaria perfume.

Much Vietnamese literature has made Chua Huong its focus, including the following song, written by Chu Manh Trinh:

Delights of Huong Son

Standing sky high, in the land of Buddhas

Huong Son is a real wonder we have long wished to see

With the sight of mountains covered with clouds

This is undoubtedly "The most beautiful grotto of all"

Looking up, we can notice a beautiful picture

Brocaded with sparkling stones rich in colours

The cave is so deep, glittering in the moonlight

The entrance path with abrupt turns is so high

Hoang Quy, a popular Vietnamese musician who lived in the early to mid-20th century, sang about the experience of visiting Chua Huong in his song ‘Huong Pagoda’:

Huong Pagoda is filled with incense and aquilaria

Smoke spiralling up in the dying sun

It is the moment when one is held in deep reverie.