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| The poetry collection "The Yellow Chrysanthemum Remains" - Photo: Nh.V |
Author Bui Thi Dieu, born in 1980, is currently a Literature teacher at Nguyen Chi Thanh High School (Le Thuy commune) and a member of the Quang Tri Provincial Association of Literature and Arts. Her ancestral home is in Diem Dien, Duc Ninh Dong ward, Dong Hoi city (formerly), now Dong Hoi ward. She moved with her family to live in Quang Ninh district (formerly) when she was four years old.
Despite being far from home, the image of her homeland remains intact in her mind, leaving a vast void of nostalgia deep within her soul. And perhaps, it is this very quality that gives Dieu's poetry its unique character—gentle, profound, yet always tinged with an unspoken sorrow.
Bui Thi Dieu came to poetry quite early, viewing it as a way of self-expression and dialogue with herself, quietly keeping her poems to herself after writing them. Thanks to the encouragement of friends in the literary community, in recent years she has shared her poems and received public acceptance. Many of her poems have been published in central and local newspapers and magazines.
Reading Bui Thi Dieu's poetry, critic Hoang Dang Khoa wrote: "In the midst of a young woman's life, a dream full of burdens, with the free will of the wind, the poetic subject slips beyond the boundaries of the seasons. Like a leaf amidst countless troubles, life has different shades of green, different shades of yellow. Like a pure white bowl, thirsty for fullness, the first two months of the new rice season. And then, from the hardships of love, the poems silently bloom, remaining beside life, warm as the sun, regardless of time falling into both hands..."
"The Yellow Chrysanthemum Remains" is the result of careful selection from many heartfelt poems in her literary "legacy." The poetry collection consists of four parts with evocative titles: "Starting from the Rooftop," "What Do We Have Left?", "How Much Is Enough?", and "Dreams Will Blossom into Color."
The overarching theme throughout the entire collection of poems, and the one that truly captures the reader's heart, is the longing for home, family, and simple things. For Bui Thi Dieu, the countryside is not just the place of her birth, but a vibrant entity deeply embedded in her subconscious.
In the poem titled "The Yellow Chrysanthemum Remains," the author "paints" a peaceful rural scene with familiar images: "Mother drying dishes and chopsticks in the winter sun / The peonies are blooming beautifully / The leaves are talking and laughing / The sweet aroma of ginger"... Each line of poetry contains not only images and colors but also the sounds and scents of warmth.
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| Author Bui Thi Dieu - Photo: Nh.V |
Bui Thi Dieu shared: "Every Tet holiday, my mother would choose common flowers like chrysanthemums and marigolds to beautify our house, where I spent my peaceful early years. Then, after the Tet holidays, my family would rush away, and the old house would be 'locked and bolted,' leaving only the yellow chrysanthemums in the corner of the yard silently displaying their beauty. The moment of looking back at the house and garden before parting always makes my heart ache. In my eyes, the yellow chrysanthemum at that time was like a friend who knew sadness, loneliness, and silently waited for the return of loved ones."
Delving deep into the emotional theme of her homeland, Bui Thi Dieu's poetry reveals a clear sense of simplicity and sincerity, consistently expressed from its source of emotion to its use of language. In the poem "Village," Bui Thi Dieu sketches her homeland with concrete lines and shapes. It is a region "lying amidst desolation/land of a silvery white color/on one side, pebbles and rocks, barren hills curving under the scorching sun/waiting for rain...". The longing for the village stems from the most authentic and simple things, from "stains of alum," "the smell of lime and mortar," to "paths overgrown with weeds" or "rickety houses...".
However, for Dieu, that very poverty and harshness transformed into affection and longing, so that "a village name" lingered even in her dreams, making those far from home always yearn to return to "bury their feet in the sand" and quietly weep on the porch where the wind blew, carrying the "blossom blossoms of the starfruit tree."
Writer Moc An (real name Nguyen Thi Nguyet Trinh), a lecturer at Quy Nhon University, said: "Dieu's poetry is like a whisper, starting from very small things, but the emotional range is infinitely vast. When reading Dieu's poetry, read slowly, like how a misty morning slowly covers the brightness of the day with a layer of dream, reminding us of another reality that exists; like slowly stirring a cup of coffee, letting the bitterness and sweetness dissolve on the tongue, feeling the flavor of life and love."
Bui Thi Dieu has many poems that carry the weight of nostalgia for her homeland, such as "Old Garden," where she always remembers her grandmother's house and the small, sad-looking thatched-roof stall. In the poem "Starting from the Roof," the author has a fresh and subtle perspective. She looks at the capital letter "M" and sees in it the shape of a tent, a sturdy shelter. That "M" represents the father, a symbol of responsibility and the role of the pillar. The "M" also represents the mother—the one "as forgiving as mountains and rivers, as boundless as the deep sky"—and also "brother"—her life partner, the shelter for "her."
The poem concludes with the affirmation: "Happiness soars on wings carrying a salty taste / beginning from the roof." In the author's perception, happiness always has the "salty taste" of sweat and sacrifice that goes into building a stable home.
If the first part of the poetry collection expresses the most peaceful thoughts and memories of "the village," then in the other parts, the author expresses regret, anxieties, and reflects her thoughts and attitudes towards reality, as well as her desires, hopes, and beliefs... In the poem "Dreaming of the Mountains," she writes: "People carry mountains back to the village, carry mountains back to the city / Stones become buildings and houses, trees become tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets / Birds and animals become decorations / Tender leaves become smoke and dust / Hearts full of dust / Mountains, slopes, and arches are eroded / Explosions, mines, excavators, and bulldozers / Each ridge is filled with agonizing pain / Birds scatter in search... and "trees brought from the mountains to the city / The wind no longer sings with joy"...
The poem serves as a gentle yet profound reminder of the relationship between humanity and nature. The author uses the contrast between pristine beauty and the devastation caused by urbanization to evoke compassion in each reader.
With over 40 carefully selected poems, Bui Thi Dieu has affirmed her unique voice in the literary and artistic life of the province. Her poems are not elaborate in language, but they possess great evocative power. In them, we encounter images of her homeland, childhood memories, and very ordinary emotions.
Nh.V
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202605/bui-thi-dieu-va-conbong-cuc-vang-o-lai-f9964b1/
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