Endless memories

Reading the poetry collection "MEMORY" by Nguyen Van Dung

From 1992 to 2024, poet Nguyen Van Dung published 14 literary works including 2 epic poems, 11 poetry collections, 1 critical essay collection. So in less than 2 years, he published a fairly full book of hundreds of pages. That is not to mention the poems co-published with other authors, poems published in Van Nghe Newspaper, Tien Phong Newspaper, Tho Magazine, Cua Viet Magazine, Song Huong Magazine, Nhat Le Magazine and Quang Tri Newspaper, Ha Tinh Newspaper, Binh Dinh Newspaper... showing his admirable creativity. As the Chairman of the Literature and Arts Association of Quang Tri province, he has so many busy jobs but who knows when he will have time for his "muse"?

Endless memories

Poet Nguyen Van Dung presents books to the author of this article - Photo: TN

Nguyen Van Dung's 13th poetry collection, titled "Mien Nho", published by Thuan Hoa Publishing House in June 2023, is 254 pages thick and includes 120 poems. The poems deal with many topics: about love, about the sea, about rivers, about the four seasons, about rain, about wind, about the moon, about the countryside market, about homeland, about feelings of the concrete and the abstract; the visible and the invisible. His poems contain a deep sadness, entangled with endless anxiety, filled with deep thoughts, but in the end, it is about nostalgia and love for the places where the poet has lived, is living and has set foot.

The baggage of each person in general and poet Nguyen Van Dung in particular is filled with years. From childhood living in the loving arms of parents to adulthood, we have met countless people, our feet have passed through countless different regions so that when we are old, our hearts are filled with nostalgia, emotions overflow with memories that are still fresh, we can call those places the land of memories.

Born and raised in Vinh Giang commune, very close to Cua Tung beach. Every time poet Nguyen Van Dung had the opportunity to visit his hometown, he could freely dive under the purple sunset, regretting the lingering drops of sunlight falling at the end of the day, he felt so much love for his hometown. In Dong Ha town, the poet sobbed and sent a message: "Is anyone coming back to Cua Tung?/Please send back your love and longing/When we part, my heart still owes/To the blue sky and the blue sea with the mighty waves" (Cua Tung Purple Afternoon). Quy Nhon is a provincial city of Binh Dinh province. One time, a "good wind" brought the poet to Quy Nhon beach, he was overwhelmed by the vast white sand, feeling so small in front of the immense sea. When parting, the poet lovesickly wraps up the "lonely moon" and hides it at the bottom of his suitcase and lets his heart flutter: "Oh Quy Nhon, tomorrow I leave/I yearn for something impossible/...You and Quy Nhon are warm and affectionate/Coming and going, who knows when we will meet again" (You and Quy Nhon). The poet has a romantic soul, that's for sure. On a trip, the author visited the thousand-year-old capital of Hanoi . He was absorbed in finding the dreamy student years he lost in the lecture hall, the late autumn weather was still chilly, the old mossy streets of the past now had new clothes. Although he was "no longer young", he was still stunned by the graceful beauty of the Hanoi girl walking by Hoan Kiem Lake, the poet exclaimed: "You are so beautiful, I can't walk/There is something that makes my heart flutter!" And when he got over the shock, that enchanting beauty kept him in the capital longer than planned: “You are so beautiful, I hesitated to walk/ Hanoi was reluctant to see me off” (A Glimpse of Autumn in Hanoi). Meanwhile, at West Lake, the poet was captivated by the playful, cheerful beauty of the young girl in her early twenties: “Her ponytail swayed/Her red heels danced gracefully”. Just like that, the poet: “Let my heart sing for hours without stopping”. In a moment of carelessness, the poet sobbed “West Lake, a moment of nostalgia/ Saying goodbye to that day, filled with lingering feelings” (West Lake's Feelings).

Endless memories

With love and longing for the near and far, the lands he has visited have all left their mark in poetry. Ho Chi Minh City, civilized, modern, and affectionate, has struggled for a long time to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and the whole country looks to it, including Quang Tri.

Everyone is eagerly praying for the "Pearl of the Far East" to return to normal soon, and the poet is no exception: "Saigon and I are so far away/Why do I often dream of Saigon/At night, I sleep late and mumble/I call Saigon with tears in my pillow/Missing you, struggling during the COVID season/Only I know how hard it is/Why do I often dream of Saigon" (Why do I often dream of Saigon). Hue was once the capital under the Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties, possessing a romantic, contemplative beauty, creating a very Hue-like identity.

The pouring rains and the folk songs of the second and third houses are also unforgettable “specialties” for tourists and those who are far from home in Hue. Famous landmarks: Hue Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, Tu Duc Tomb, Dong Ba Market, Truong Tien Bridge, Ngo Mon Gate... are recognized by UNESCO as world cultural heritages.

The poet entered Hue on a rainy afternoon covering Ngu Binh mountain, thousands of pine trees were silent and thoughtful, Truong Tien bridge was still bustling with people passing by, the land of poetry hummed in the wind: "Oh Hue, so many wishes/ The Forbidden City has been waiting every hour/ I passed by Ben Ngu by chance/ It seemed like someone was singing a soft poem" (With Hue).

Nguyen Van Dung's poetic voice is not dramatic, not philosophically profound, not puzzling to the reader. His poetry is gentle and simple like the rice grains and potatoes of his homeland. Many poets write about the vast and distant lands of the world, to prove that they are global citizens.

Poet Nguyen Van Dung mostly exploited poetic ideas within the province of Quang Tri, but reading them, he felt strangely close and warm. Every time he returned to visit his hometown Ben Hai River, one side Gio Linh district, the other Vinh Linh district, he felt a pang of pain when remembering a time of division between the North and the South. There he left behind an unfinished love: “Your eyes are black, your lips are rosy/ Leaving me confused more than once/Staying up all night with the scent of fields and wind/My heart is troubled with a private feeling/Does anyone know that the moon on the sea is crescent/Is the moon waning or is my love waning? (Revisiting Ben Hai River).

The poet stood on Chau Thi Bridge over Sa Lung River, Vinh Linh District, in the late afternoon. The wind from the river blew coolly. Water hyacinth drifted gently on the waves. Smoke from the kitchens of the riverside hamlets spread gently behind the bamboo bushes. The affectionate greetings of acquaintances drifted back and forth on the bridge.

In that still space, hearing the sound of a mother lulling her child to sleep made him feel sad: “The moon has been waning and then full for many seasons/Do you still miss the person far away/I am like a lost child/The song makes me feel sorry for the love/A sunny and windy sky in Vinh Linh/Crossing Chau Thi bridge, waiting for someone alone? (Crossing Chau Thi bridge)

Hieu River flows through Cam Lo district and Dong Ha city and then flows into Cua Viet sea, praised by many poets, including poet Nguyen Van Dung. With the poetic imagery, the river weaves flowers of sunlight, the afternoon is as real as a dream, extremely charming, the wind blows a musical note that makes the poet more dreamy: "Because your name is bright in the golden afternoon/ The street is old but you are always new/ The sky of Hieu Giang is filled with confused clouds/ Because of Hieu Giang, I stay with the afternoon" (Hieu Giang Afternoon). "When we are here, the land is where we live/ When we leave, the land suddenly becomes the soul" (Che Lan Vien), the verse is full of philosophy of life.

When we come to live in a new land, we remember the old land that has become a part of our soul, flesh and blood with countless happy and sad memories. But poet Nguyen Van Dung, who lived in Dong Ha city, missed Dong Ha city because he loved Dong Ha so much. He loved the cold moon, loved the sun and wind, loved the painful mistakes, the carefree foolishness of a frivolous time.

He compared Dong Ha to a poem with both even and high rhymes, to a song with both happy and sad words, and his heart was "full of mixed feelings" for the young city south of the historic Hien Luong bridge: "I'm so in love/I can't be apart/I want to live a real life for a second/With Dong Ha tonight" (Impressions of Dong Ha).

There are many more attractive poems: The town and I, Night at the sea, Late afternoon of the year, Stranger, When the poet loves, Waiting for the train, Why don't you get married, Country market, I still owe you, The street is deserted, Unsent love poems... The motivation for poet Nguyen Van Dung to compose poetry was because "The Character of Love" urged him to write: "I passed the slope of life/ Love you more passionately than when I was young" (Full of feelings).

Reading the poetry collection: "Memory" makes us love life more, love our homeland, love the happy and sad memories, love the familiar faces, love the regions we have been to even though all of them are only in our memories.

Nguyen Xuan Sang

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