From the poetry collection "Melody of the Alluvial Plain " to " The Secret Language of the Pine Hill " and most recently " Diamond Day, " there have been countless changes in the poetic style of poet Vu Tuan. In particular, his poems about love and romance set against the backdrop of nature have earned the admiration of poetry lovers for the language he uses in his works.
Poet Vu Tuan (real name Vo Van Tuan), born in 1972 in My Hoi commune, Cai Be district, enlisted in the army at the age of 18, with the dream of writing still lingering in the soul of the young soldier. After leaving the army, he had the opportunity to write and regularly had his poems published in cultural journals and literary magazines both within and outside the province.
According to literary critic Vo Tan Cuong: "Recently, author Vu Tuan has written many poems that are contemplative, expanding the dimensions of thought and revealing his feelings in exploring and portraying the multifaceted, multidimensional nature and mystery of people and things in the real world ."
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Vu Tuan's poetry also possesses a romantic inspiration, evident in its tone—sometimes gentle and heartfelt, other times strong and impactful—creating an impression of beauty. This romantic style is primarily manifested in the contrast between the beauty of nature and life in the Central Highlands.
The nature depicted in the poem "The Secret Language of the Pine Hill" is beautiful, with hills, wind, roses... Vu Tuan carefully selected the most representative images, embodying the soul of this land. His bold writing style further creates a harmonious picture of nature, with a poetic and captivating landscape within a romantic love story.
"...I welcomed you with a proud rose."
The wind enchants the youthful hillsides.
The clouds open their hearts, inviting us to come closer.
In the midst of affection
We huddled together as closely as a student's notebook page.
Pressing butterfly wings to preserve enchanting vows...
For Vu Tuan, it seems that love in a cold climate makes one listen to the yearning in their heart. The young man from the Southern plains, upon arriving in the Central Highlands and encountering "endless fields of wild sunflowers on the hillsides," was quick to "silently distill the January sky."
The first two lines of the poem "Spring Love on the Plateau" express a very simple feeling, yet they allow the reader to visualize the land the author has just set foot in. The next two lines evoke a beautiful scene every evening on the plateau. The subtlety of the language and emotions makes the verses lyrical and exquisitely beautiful.
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| Poet Vu Tuan (on the right) at the launch of his poetry collection "Diamond Day". |
Pink afternoon, purple afternoon, slanted afternoon
A thousand blossoming flowers awaken in the night.
A series of descriptive words evokes the peaceful and beautiful scenery of the plateau in the afternoon. "Pink afternoon, purple afternoon, slanted afternoon" is what remains etched in the author's heart when remembering this cold land:
Trekking through forests and crossing waterfalls in search of
The petals sway gently in the night of the wild sunflower.
With the two verbs "cross" and "overcome," combined with a unique metaphorical comparison, the painting of the Central Highlands with wild sunflowers becomes rich in imagery and detail. Also borrowing the image of wild sunflowers, in the poem "Longing to Transform into a Bird," the poet Vu Tuan sees wild sunflowers displaying their golden color in a dreamy mountain landscape, and somewhere in the distance, the whispered words of a lover in his ear, imbued with a mystical, ethereal quality.
Oh, golden wild sunflower!
The romantic mountains and hills whisper your voice.
Borrowing imagery of wildflowers and poetic mountains as details, the poem transitions naturally and emotionally, expressing a longing for closeness. Many poems in the folk song tradition also use the formula "I wish..." to express the desire to "transform" oneself to always be near a loved one. For example:
I wish you could turn into a blanket.
Let her cover herself, roll around, and lie down.
I wish you would turn into a flower.
Let me lift it up and then I'll put on the scarf.
But with Vu Tuan, it's different. It can be said that few poems express such a deep, passionate, and intensely yearning yet direct love as the two concluding lines of Vu Tuan's poem "A Thirst for Love, Wanting to Transform into a Bird":
Longing for love, I wish to transform into a bird.
Break free from the confines of the cage to seek the blue sky.
Not only romantically drawn to the Central Highlands, Vu Tuan, a young man from the Southern delta, is also captivated by the sea of Central Vietnam. Normally, the sea is a metaphorical symbol of a man, but Vu Tuan takes a different perspective, evident in the first four lines of his poem "The Sea":
The sea is passionate and alluring.
The sea beckons with passionate allure.
Are you the sea?
He was adrift his whole life.
In the vast and endless expanse of life, how many times has the sea soothed the heartbroken wanderers in the silent sunsets, leading them to "immerse themselves in the sea / To be filled with passion." Each wave crashing onto the shore is like a stream of memories rushing back, "Even though the valve of longing is closed / It still surges restlessly."
The author seems to entrust his feelings to the waves, gently letting his thoughts drift with the cool sea breeze through lyrical verses brimming with emotion. For poet Vu Tuan, love always seems as fresh as the beginning, as fragile as a delicate flower, and he is always filled with anticipation and anxiety.
Reading Vu Tuan's poems over the years, one can say that the author writes without adhering to any particular style, without strict adherence to literary techniques or heavy syntax, yet each poem resonates with its own unique melody, easily touching the hearts of readers.
While Vũ Tuấn's poetry is romantic and passionate, in real life he is a simple, down-to-earth man who is also very talented. Currently, poet Vũ Tuấn is a member of the Tien Giang Provincial Association of Literature and Arts and has won six poetry awards on the theme of "Studying and following the thoughts, ethics, and style of Ho Chi Minh " organized by the Propaganda Department of the Tien Giang Provincial Party Committee.
In 2022, poet Vu Tuan won the B Prize for poetry in the literary and artistic creation contest on the theme "Adapting, being safe, flexible, and effectively controlling the Covid-19 pandemic" organized by the Tien Giang Provincial Association of Literature and Arts. Most recently, Vu Tuan won second prize in the "New Rhythms" poetry contest organized by the Thai Nguyen Provincial Association of Literature and Arts in 2023. Poet Vu Tuan was also awarded the "For the Cause of Vietnamese Literature and Arts" commemorative medal by the Vietnam Union of Associations of Literature and Arts.
QUANG HUY
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