"A poetic memory that has stayed with me for nearly half a century."

Teacher Le Mau Dat said that he couldn't understand why he memorized the poem so quickly. The author only read it once during a spring gathering in 1985 organized by the Ben Hai District Party Committee, yet the poem was deeply imprinted in his memory—just one time and 40 years later, even though he had never met or had any private contact with the author of the poem...

There was a comment on my friend's Facebook page: "Here's a poem I found 40 years ago for Mr. Nguyen Quang Ha."

I love the sea so I return to the sea

The ocean is vast, and we are so insignificant.

The sea water is salty, our blood is also salty.

Why does the sea keep roaring at us?

I learned that this is the Facebook of retired teacher Le Mau Dat. It turns out that he is an old friend of my friend. At that time, my friend was teaching literature at Tan Lam High School, located in the mountainous area west of Cam Lo, Quang Tri; he was working at the High School General Department of Binh Tri Thien Department of Education , and had led the literature teaching delegation of Binh Tri Thien province to attend the national literature teaching conference in 1980.

My friend was one of the three selected trainers in the whole province, so I knew him roughly. But my friend also did not know that for a long time he was a silent friend of the poet Nguyen Quang Ha. All of this could be called a strange fate.

Con Co Island embankment - Photo: D.T.

According to Mr. Le Mau Dat, since 1980, Ben Hai district has had a literary branch established by the Binh Tri Thien Provincial Association of Literature and Arts. The branch brought together nearly 30 members, including writers and poets who later became famous such as Xuan Duc, Hai Hien, Cao Hanh, Hoai Quang Phuong, Vu Manh Thi, Nguyen Huu Thang, etc.

For over 10 years, the branch association has published more than 10 volumes of the Ben Hai Literature and Arts Journal, edited by the Propaganda Department of the Ben Hai District Party Committee. In addition, the branch association regularly organizes poetry readings for its members at various units and localities within the district, which is a joyful and enjoyable experience.

The activities of the Ben Hai Literary Association have been recognized and highly appreciated by the Ben Hai District Party Committee, especially by District Party Secretary Phan Chung, for their timeliness, creating a new wave of vitality, and having a strong appeal and positive impact on the spiritual life of all strata of people in the district.

“Every year, during the Lunar New Year, the Ben Hai District Party Committee would organize a spring gathering for artists and writers at the District Party Committee office,” recalled Mr. Le Mau Dat. In the spring of 1985 (Year of the Ox), the district leaders invited leaders of the Binh Tri Thien Provincial Association of Literature and Arts to the spring gathering. Writer To Nhuan Vy, writer Nguyen Quang Ha, the editorial board of Song Huong Magazine, and several others attended. After the welcoming speech by the District Party Secretary Phan Chung, the participating artists and writers all recited poems together in celebration.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Ha recited the following poem as a gift:

I love the sea so I return to the sea

The ocean is vast, and we are so insignificant.

The sea water is salty, our blood is also salty.

Why does the sea keep roaring at us?

Teacher Le Mau Dat said that he did not understand why he memorized the poem so quickly. The author only read it once in the spring meeting in 1985 organized by Ben Hai District Party Committee, but the poem was deeply imprinted in his memory, only once and 40 years, even though he was not familiar with and had never met the author of that poem personally. He also did not understand why he liked it and memorized it until now.

Perhaps it was due to empathy, a shared sensibility? Or perhaps a convergence of thoughts and feelings at that meeting? One thing is undeniable: he liked and loved the straightforwardness, the kind of reproachful resentment, of the space between "us" and "the sea."

It was the emotion and poetic idea that later led him to write the short story “Khoàn Trống” and it was published in the Ben Hai Literature and Arts magazine that same year. “Thank you to the author of the poem about the sea and the reality of life when I started working at the Department of General Education, Binh Tri Thien Department of Education, for inspiring me to write that short story. It’s not good, but I think it’s still acceptable,” teacher Le Mau Dat confided.

Compared to the poem "Sea" included in the anthology of poet Nguyen Quang Ha, there are some differences in wording compared to the poem in teacher Le Mau Dat's memory: This is the poem in the anthology: "I love the sea, so I return to the sea / Our love is inherently innocent / The blood of both of us is salty / Why do you keep growling?"

Teacher Le Mau Dat shared: "Personally, the poem I remember seems better, more poetic, and more profound than the poem in the anthology."

Vo Thi Quynh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nha-giao-le-mau-dat-mot-ky-niem-tho-theo-toi-gan-nua-the-ky-186623.htm