Wholeheartedly devoted to comrades

Huynh Thuc Khang devoted himself to his comrade (left photo) and Phan Chau Trinh's funeral in Saigon. Photo: Document

Writing the epitaph for Tran Quy Cap's tomb

When Tran Quy Cap was beheaded in Khanh Hoa, Huynh Thuc Khang was imprisoned in Hoi An prison. Mr. Huynh could not come to pay his respects in person, so he sent his sympathy through a poem and a couplet instead of two incense sticks to say goodbye. Thi tu tung thoai (Nam Cuong Publishing House, Saigon, 1951), a book compiled by Mr. Huynh in Chinese and translated into Quoc Ngu by the author himself, on pages 17 and 18, recorded this story.

The couplet was translated into Vietnamese: The senior Western-educated man suddenly lost an arm, his eyes were blind for thousands of miles, the young man looked back and cried./ A life of fame and fortune has two difficult paths, a small official, an old mother leaning against the door, feeling sorry and in pain.

The poem is the same: Swords and books invade and separate the land / Becoming an official for the mother, not for money / Determined to study to replace slavery / Who knows that the people's rights give rise to disaster / The wind has not yet brought the dream / Ancient Nha Trang is already crying for its sacred soul / Saying goodbye to the cup of wine that is still hot / Da Nang takes each other away when getting on the boat.

In particular, Huynh Thuc Khang was the one who wrote the epitaph for Tran Quy Cap's tomb, which still remains today at his grave in Bat Nhi village (Dien Phuoc commune, Dien Ban town). In 1938, Dien Ban people and the Tran clan renovated the tomb and erected a stele for Tran Quy Cap. Huynh Thuc Khang was the trusted person invited to write the epitaph. He wrote Thai Xuyen Tran Quy Cap's biography. This is a text that, although only about 2,000 words long and under the colonial regime, with concise language and rich in information, fully describes the thoughts, activities, personality and especially the hidden "confessions" of Tran Quy Cap.

Researcher Tran Viet Ngac said: "Reading the epitaph, everyone knows that Tran Quy Cap was an intelligent student, avid reader, a deep thinker, a devoted friend, a filial son, a tireless teacher and a revolutionary who advocated for civil rights...".

Write a biography of Phan Chau Trinh

For Phan Chau Trinh, Huynh Thuc Khang was also the person who witnessed his death, read the eulogy, escorted him to his final resting place and wrote a biography about the life of the "first politician and revolutionary" of Vietnam.

Although Phan Chau Trinh returned to the country in June 1925 and was eager to meet Huynh Thuc Khang for both public and private matters, it was not until the end of March 1926 that the two men were able to meet, when it was too late.

In the book Huynh Thuc Khang's Chronicle and Letter in Response to Ky Ngoai Hau Cuong De (Culture - Information Publishing House, 2000), the author said on page 61: "Bao Dai's first year (Binh Dan - 1926). In February, I heard that Tay Ho was seriously ill, urging me to go to the South, but I had to go through the procedures to get an identity card, and the people stayed for several days. When I arrived in Saigon, Tay Ho's illness was so severe that I could not sit up. I could only look at each other and smile, but when talking, I said something final: "It was enough for us to see each other in this world for a short time; our lifelong courage has illuminated each other, no need to discuss much. From that night, Tay Ho passed away!"

In the article Portrait of Phan Chau Trinh in the eyes of his son, summarized by Nguyen Van Xuan and recorded by Mrs. Phan Thi Chau Lien (Phan Chau Trinh's eldest daughter) published in the special issue of Bach Khoa Magazine in March 1974 (commemorating Phan Chau Trinh's 48th death anniversary), there is a passage: "Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang, my uncle's close friend, was also very eager to enter, but was hindered by Sogny's paperwork and had to travel by water, so he was slow to enter... It was almost evening on March 24 when Mr. Huynh arrived, just long enough for my uncle to exchange a final smile..." (Quoted from Le Thi Kinh in Phan Chau Trinh through new documents, Da Nang Publishing House, pages 618, 621).

At Phan Chau Trinh's funeral on the morning of April 4, 1926, Huynh Thuc Khang, as a representative of Central and Northern Vietnam, read a eulogy that was considered short but emotional to send his comrade to his final resting place. This eulogy was read after the eulogy by the Chairman of the Go Cong Mutual Aid Association and the eulogy by revolutionary Le Van Huan.

Unfortunately, we do not have the original text of the eulogy, but we know that the eulogies were evaluated by a "goodwill" newspaper: "... are emotional and very evocative words of praise for the great man, representing a great idea who has passed away, and with a commitment to continue his noble and unfading example." (Quoted from Le Thi Kinh, op. cit., page 657).

In his eulogy, Huynh Thuc Khang also identified "Mr. (Phan Chau Trinh) as not only a patriot but also the first revolutionary politician of our Vietnam".

After the funeral, Huynh Thuc Khang returned to Tien Phuoc and began writing Phan Chau Trinh's biography. He then went to Da Nang and gave the manuscript of the book to Professor Le Am and his wife, instructing them to keep it carefully and publish it when the opportunity arose. It was not until 1959 that Anh Minh Publishing House in Hue published it under the title Phan Tay Ho Mr. Dat Su. This is considered the first book written about Phan Chau Trinh. (Previously, it was rumored that Phan Khoi had written a book but it was confiscated by the French authorities, so it was not published and no trace remains).

Indeed, Huynh Thuc Khang has excellently fulfilled his "loyalty" to his two fellow countrymen, fellow students, fellow faculty members and above all, his comrades!

LE THI

Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5433/202505/het-long-nghia-tan-voi-dong-chi-4006283/