Gentle August

Although the sun is still a bit hot in August, we still recognize the gentle footsteps of autumn. The weather is changing seasons, there are more rains in the late afternoon and at night, and the cool winds are bringing autumn back to our country, our homeland Ha Tinh .

The gentle footsteps of autumn from afar are gradually appearing... Photo: Quoc Khanh.

According to the table of 24 solar terms of the year of Eastern countries such as Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, the annual Lap Thu season begins around August 7-8 of the solar calendar, when the sun is at 135 degrees longitude and ends around August 23-24. Lap Thu means the beginning of autumn.

According to the calendar, it is like that, but right from the end of July, we begin to feel the gentle footsteps of autumn from afar. Those are the afternoon rains that water all things, softening the harshness of late summer. Those are the cool, slightly chilly winds near dawn. The sky is clear and higher with many white clouds of sunny days. And most obvious is the faint scent of magnolia flowers in the wind. This typical flower only blooms most in autumn, white, pure and sweet. In the fields, the summer-autumn rice is in the stage of heading, then will ripen before the storms come. In the beginning of autumn, the average temperature is still quite high, there are still hot days, as our ancestors used to say "August sun tans grapefruit" but the number of sunny days is much lower than in the summer months.

Nature is like that, each season has its own voice, its own sound, calling back the stirrings of people's hearts. Autumn in Vietnam is always an endless source of inspiration for poets. Autumn poetry is the voice of those who are passionate about the charming beauty of the third season of the year. When autumn returns, people's hearts are filled with many indescribable emotions. The lullaby echoes in the quiet space of autumn nights: "Autumn wind lulls the child to sleep/ Five watches of the night, five watches of the night". Ancient poetry has the line: "A single leaf of the parasol tree falls, the world knows that autumn has come". Early autumn in the Tale of Kieu is associated with beautiful images: "A few corn leaves have fallen from the golden well", "The sparkling water reflects the sky/ The citadel is built with blue smoke, the mountains are exposed to golden light", "The maple forest, autumn has dyed the border and mountains".

Autumn in Vietnam is always an endless source of inspiration for poets. Photo: internet.

The changes of the earth and sky when "there are summer clouds/ half leaning towards autumn" as the poet Huu Thinh said, make many souls excited and eager. If adults are quieter when remembering the distant autumns of the country and homeland, joyfully celebrating the new autumns today, worried when the rainy and stormy season is approaching, children are excited and busy with clothes and books for the new school year. Children preparing for their final year of high school "run up" to review their knowledge. Summer is not over yet, many families take the opportunity to take their children to visit the scenic spots of their homeland and country; visit grandparents and relatives before entering the new school year. Books are waiting for the children to turn the pristine pages. After a summer, the hot sun still lingers on the faces of the children running and playing childish games, but they are all strangely excited and cheerful. Starting the new school year early, schools are focusing on renovating facilities, implementing training courses, teaching new textbooks... The achievements of the goldeneducational season of the 2022-2023 school year are fostering a love for the profession in the "human-growing" team of the studious land of Ha Tinh.

August is a milestone that marks in the hearts of millions of Vietnamese people the autumn of revolution, the autumn of national founding, the opening of schools, and Independence Day. A bustling atmosphere preparing to celebrate the August Revolution and National Day on September 2nd is covering every construction site, factory, enterprise, agency, and residential area in Ha Tinh. Songs praising the country, the homeland, the Party, and Uncle Ho are mixed with vibrant dances taking place in many hamlets and residential groups. Many sports clubs have begun practicing to prepare for the National Day tournament. Many families are preparing their itinerary for a long holiday trip.

Deo But Tunnel - a project located on the North-South expressway, Vung Ang - Bung section, is the only road tunnel in the 107.22km expressway passing through Ha Tinh.

Taking advantage of favorable weather before the rainy season, many construction projects are speeding up. At the construction site of the main highway and Deo But tunnel in the Vung Ang - Bung section, Son Hai Group (Quang Binh) is mobilizing human resources and machinery to focus on construction. The contractors for the 11-XL Bai Vot - Ham Nghi package of the North - South Eastern Expressway component project in the 2017-2020 period, Vinaconex and Corporation 319 (Ministry of National Defense), are also racing against time, speeding up construction progress to complete the set schedule.

On the hillsides of Huong Khe, farmers are actively taking care of the Phuc Trach grapefruit specialty trees to prepare for the harvest season in late August and early September. Plants such as oranges and tea are also being carefully tended. The sweat has fallen, seeping into the soil, creating golden seasons of fruit, giving the sweet scent of autumn to the tip of the tongue, together with all species creating a season of prosperity and happiness.

Drops of sweat make the golden seasons full of fruit.

“August, the green autumn/ The clouds are drifting leisurely/ Today the sky is so beautiful/ Our clouds, our beautiful sky”… The verses of To Huu nearly 70 years ago have entered the minds of many generations about the autumn of independence and peace of the country under the leadership of the Party and Uncle Ho. Through many ups and downs, wars, nearly half a century we have lived under the sky of peace, the country is unified, we cherish more and more the sacrifices and contributions of generations of fathers and brothers, we love more and more the autumn of Vietnam…

Bui Minh Hue

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/van-hoc/diu-dang-thang-tam/252411.htm