Awakening ideals from steel verses

People's Artist Vuong Ha and artists in a poetry recitation and performance. (Photo: THANH DUY)

From the space of the Poetry Night "Poems that shape the country", the ideal beauty of revolutionary poetry resounds like an echo from history, arousing pride and love for the Fatherland in each person.

In the atmosphere of the entire Party, people and army, we are jubilantly celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2 (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025), with the consent of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, the Army Literature and Arts Magazine in collaboration with the Army Publishing House, the Army Music and Dance Theater and the Army Radio and Television Center organized the art program: "Poetry that shapes the country". This is an important event contributing to honoring revolutionary poetry with works bearing the mark of soldiers, and is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the past, praise the achievements of the Party, State, army and people in the journey of fighting for independence, protecting and building the Fatherland.

“The poems that shape the country” with historical works by poets: To Huu, Xuan Dieu, Che Lan Vien, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Chinh Huu, Nguyen Khoa Diem, Le Anh Xuan, Nam Ha, Vuong Trong, Thanh Thao... and the participation of artists with emotional voices reciting and reading poetry, such as: People's Artist Van Chuong, People's Artist Vuong Ha, People's Artist Ta Tuan Minh, Meritorious Artist Khuat Quynh Hoa, artists Ngoc Tho, The Anh, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Tong Minh Tung, Truong Tuan Vu... and artists of the Army Music and Dance Theater.

Nearly 400 spectators, including hundreds of artists, representatives from inside and outside the military, gathered for the performance. The poetic verses echoed in the solemn space, the light and music blended together to create a strangely touching moment, as if memories and the present were intertwined, so that love for the homeland and national pride lit up in the hearts of every audience member.

In the silent auditorium, each verse echoed, bringing the audience back to the years of darkness and bombs. From heroic and touching anti-French colonialist resistance poems to passionate and fiery anti-American poems, the whole space seemed to beat in time with history. Many audience members quickly wiped away tears at the poem about soldiers who fell in their twenties; some clasped hands as the image of the Fatherland rose from the bombs.

From the verses of the time of "the moon hanging on the gun barrel" that built the image of a soldier in the trenches still keeping in his heart the love, the beauty of his homeland, his youth... to "his blood sprayed with the rainbow of bullets" burning with the spirit of his twenties... taking the audience on a tragic journey of the nation. Those verses both depict the smoke and fire of the battlefield and deeply touch the most humane part of man through love, aspiration and faith.

People's Artist Van Chuong, a Cheo artist with a familiar voice on the Voice of Vietnam radio, shared: "When I raised my voice to perform the steel verses that have followed me throughout my artistic journey, I was deeply moved. Each word is imbued with sweat, blood and the noble ideals of the past. Poetry makes us feel more deeply the gratitude for the generations who have fallen for peace and independence, and also urges us to preserve and pass on the warmth of the past."

Sharing the same sentiment, People's Artist Ta Tuan Minh, despite having performed poetry many times on big stages such as Vietnam Poetry Day, still expressed with tears in his eyes: "I have read poetry in many places, in front of thousands of audiences, but this soulful poetry night brought a completely different feeling. There were many passages, I realized my voice was filled with emotion, as if seeing the faces of soldiers, mothers, wives of the past..., very emotional, hard to describe, once again reminding us to live worthy of the great sacrifices of the entire nation".

Art units inside and outside the army have worked together towards the common goal of bringing the public a meaningful and touching poetry program. During the practice days, besides the sounds of instruments, singing, and recitation, there was also laughter, sincere comments, and encouragement when someone was tired. Colonel, People's Artist Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh (People's Artist Hong Hanh), Director of the Army Music and Dance Theater, always closely followed all activities, being both a steadfast commander and a close sister and comrade. It was this unanimity, creativity, and spirit of sharing that helped the program achieve both artistic quality and touch the hearts of the audience.

Not stopping at one poetry night, the Army Literature Magazine plans to continue the journey of bringing the Poetry Night to many other regions of the country, such as: Dak Lak; Con Dao (Ho Chi Minh City) ... so that the flame of poetry can spread more widely. In each place, the script will be finely adjusted, blending into the breath, rhythm of life and memories of that land. In Dak Lak, the sound of poetry will resonate between the forest and the sea, telling the story of the land of steadfastness in the resistance war. In Con Dao, each verse becomes a word of gratitude to the souls who fell for independence, to the seasons of flowers drifting endlessly on the blue waves.

Previously, there were poetry nights that appeared sporadically, on a small scale, placed in a series of cultural and artistic activities, so the influence was not really lasting. The poetry night "Poetry verses that shape the country" is a suggestion that poetry should be placed in the central position, carefully crafted from the script to the performance stage to create a complete emotional space. Such events also open up a deep need: There is a need for more poetry nights like that, so that poetry, in addition to existing through each page of books or memories, can also be present in today's life with pride, continuing the noble ideal of "a time of bombs and bullets, a time of peace".

MAI LU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/danh-thuc-ly-tuong-tu-nhung-van-tho-thep-post903311.html