Poet Hoai Vu whispers with love

(LĐ online) - On July 1, the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Literature and Arts Associations in collaboration with the Vietnam Writers Association organized the program "Hoai Vu's Poetry - Whispering with the River" on the occasion of the launch of the selected work of poetry - song Whispering with the River.

Poet Hoai Vu signs books for students

Not just a regular book launch, the program is meant to honor the great contributions of poet Hoai Vu to the land and people of the South in particular, and Vietnamese poetry in general. In the cozy atmosphere of the program, everyone was surprised and moved to know that this was the first book launch in his nearly 90 years of life.

• POETS NAMED SOUTHERN RIVERS IN PEOPLE'S HEARTS

Whispering with the River is a book that collects a number of poems full of memories and some musical pieces set to music by talented musicians by author Hoai Vu. Among them, many compositions such as Vam Co Dong, Anh o dau song em cuoi song, Di trong huong tram, Thi tho dong song, Hoang hon lang len (The title of the poem set to music for the song Chia tay hoang hon)... by him have been set to music by musicians Truong Quang Luc, Thuan Yen, Phan Huynh Dieu..., giving wings to the poems to fly far, with a lasting vitality that lasts through the years.

Whispering to the river is the sweet voice of his heart, his feelings for the people, his relatives, his loved ones who fought side by side, for the land he passed through, for each sugarcane bush, each grain of rice, etc. The poems and verses were written after arduous battles, with blood and tears, with unforgettable memories throughout the life of poet Hoai Vu holding a gun and a pen.

When the poem Vam Co Dong by Hoai Vu was set to music by musician Truong Quang Luc, the Vam Co Dong River of the Southeast region became famous to the people of the whole country. Those who participated in the resistance war against the US in the battlefield of Long An province probably all knew and loved the poem Vam Co Dong. From that poem, they loved the poet Hoai Vu - the one who spoke for the hearts of the children living and fighting by the Vam Co River. " Here in Vam Co Dong, we are determined to keep/ Each roof nestled under the coconut trees/ Each rice field shining with fertility/ Each love affair dating morning and noon " - That energetic but also very passionate refrain was probably a dose of vitamin for the soul that had the power to spread, strongly urging the spirit of those holding guns to fight to protect their homeland by the Vam Co River, where the fierce battlefield was still full of comradeship and humanity at that time.

There are many true anecdotes surrounding the poem - the song Vam Co Dong. When the letters from the Southern battlefield were sent to the North, the young soldier wrote that he was fighting in the place where his parents heard the song Vam Co Dong on the Voice of Vietnam radio. There were also mothers and sisters whose children and siblings fell on the Southern battlefield, by the Vam Co River, listening to Vam Co Dong to ease some of the sadness in their hearts.

The audience and the poet sang the song Vam Co Dong together.

Poet Vu An Thy once shared that, during a cultural activity, when listening to People's Artist Le Dung sing the song Anh o dau song em cuoi song, poet Luu Trong Lu took a handkerchief to wipe away his tears. Then he silently recited: " Oh, the boundless horizon of the Summer/ Purple love, purple wishes/ The wind misses someone that shakes the leaf banks/ So that the plover calls the tide high and low "... Poet Luu Trong Lu loved Hoai Vu's poem because this was where his beloved child had sacrificed himself.

Just like that, that is how Hoai Vu has entered the hearts of poetry lovers - who love the real sincerity but are very profound when the poems are written after experiences with blood and tears. Hoai Vu's poetry is like a person, taking sincere emotions as its strength. He is a gentle person, warm from his eyes, smile, personality, ... his poetry is the same. And that explains why reading Hoai Vu's poetry, the more you read, the more absorbed and passionate you become.

• SURPRISES ABOUT POET HOAI VU

Poet Hoai Vu shared that in his 60 years of writing, this was the first time in his life that he had a book launch. His sharing made many people speechless with emotion: "In the remaining years of my life, I certainly cannot forget this morning. A beautiful morning, pleasing to the eyes and hearts of people, sweet and happy, not easy to find for a writer. This is a priceless gift that will give me strength to continue on the path of artistic creation and also remind me to live a life worthy of everyone's love and trust."

Reading Hoai Vu’s poems, one can clearly see the heart of a Southerner, clearly see the Southern character in each poetic line rich in music, gentleness, and openness. Many people still think he is a “real” Southern poet and are surprised to know that he was born and raised in the Central region, the heroic land of Quang Ngai. The poet confided: "I joined the revolution when I was only 11 years old, joined the cadets, served the Quartermaster Department, Military Region 5 Command, then gathered in the North. I was added to the force to build the Hanoi and Lao Cai railways, the Phu Tho tea factory, the youth volunteers, digging the ground, building roads, doing irrigation works... But the fire of self-study burned me. While working, I studied culture, while working, I loved learning Chinese... In 1962, I was recruited into the Central Propaganda and Journalism Department. After finishing the course, I was reinforced for the Southern press. In mid-1963, I was gathered for training to cross the Truong Son mountain range to the South. Our group had Hong Sen, Kim Chi, Mai Loc, Tran Dinh Van (Thai Duy), Thanh Huong... After nearly 4 months of hard work, overcoming many dangers, hardships, and severe malaria... at the end of 1964, I returned to the Central Office of the South's base...".

Poet Hoai Vu's real name is Nguyen Dinh Vong, born on August 25, 1935 in Duc Long commune, Huu Duc, Quang Ngai, a member of the Vietnam Writers' Association. He participated in literary activities in the South during the resistance years with the following positions: Member of the Saigon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh Literature and Arts Subcommittee, permanent member of the Southern Liberation Literature and Arts Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Liberation Literature and Arts Newspaper (Southern Liberation Literature and Arts Association).

Since the country's reunification, he has successively held the positions of: Member of the Editorial Board of the Literature and Arts Weekly (Vietnam Writers Association), Deputy Director of the New Works Publishing House (Vietnam Writers Association), member of the Executive Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, Chairman of the Translation Literature Council (Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association), Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Saigon Giai Phong newspaper...

Poet Hoai Vu writes both poetry and prose, as well as translations, with works such as: Vam Co Dong; You at the head of the river, I at the end of the river (1989); Walking in the scent of cajuput; Quiet sunset, Whispering words of the river... Some of his poems have been set to music, such as the songs: Vam Co Dong, Chia tay hoang hon. Walking in the scent of cajuput...

He is the author of the story collections: Bamboo flute; Rustling coconut forest (1977); Husband's hometown (1978); White frangipani (1980); By the Vam Co river (1980); Guava garden (1982); Wartime girls (2020)... And a number of translated works such as Incest; Unfortunate woman; The last female landowner; Ghost; Little A-su-ma; Red lantern raised high, Flowers in the snow...

He was one of the artists who were present throughout the anti-American battlefield during the most arduous and fierce period in the fiery East. The words were left behind after narrow escapes from the rain of bombs, paid for with blood, with the battlefield experiences of himself and his comrades, imbued with the love of the good land, the love of the compatriots who wholeheartedly took care of and protected him. Many of his comrades fell, such as: Le Anh Xuan (1940 - 1968), Tran Huu Trang (1906 - 1966), Nguyen Thi (1928 - 1968), Le Vinh Hoa (1933 - 1967)... Writer Tram Huong - Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association commented: "Not only poetry, Hoai Vu's soldier's pen also has hot memoirs of the battlefield. Few people know that Le Anh Xuan's poem "Vietnam's Posture" started with his memoir Tan Son Nhut published in the Liberation Literature newspaper".

"Hoai Vu's poems, no matter what the circumstances, are always passionate, burning, and imbued with love for nature and humanity. His poems are imbued with the pain of loss and sacrifice, but do not contain hatred, but overcome the darkness of selfishness, greed... towards freedom, tolerance, and humanity. The poems are simple and rustic, but have the power to move many generations. That is the difference that creates the importance of Hoai Vu in Vietnamese poetry," said Mr. Phan Hoang.

Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu believes that we can stand further back to see the whole picture of the war in the land full of fierceness, tragedy but very heroic through Hoai Vu's poems. The Chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association expressed his love and deep gratitude for the contributions through Hoai Vu's works to the country's literature. He also hopes that poet Hoai Vu will continue to write, bringing love, reason for living,... so that readers will see the need to continue on the path of many uncertainties in times of peace.

Despite having many works that have touched people's hearts, poet Hoai Vu has not yet been named by major awards. Associate Professor, Doctor, poet Luong Minh Cu, Principal of Cuu Long University, who calls himself a "junior", also holds a pen, also participated in the resistance war against America, also expressed his deep affection for the poetry of his senior poet and hopes that poet Hoai Vu will soon be awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for his contributions.

Poet Phan Hoang, member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Writers Association, shared that looking back at Vietnamese literature over the past half century, since the country was still engulfed in the flames of war, Hoai Vu has a unique position, especially in poetry. With his gun and his pen, he always sticks close to the Southern battlefield, promptly creating poems, short stories, and memoirs that are hot and full of life. Hoai Vu's writings are always full of emotions, imbued with patriotism and humanity with a simple yet captivating discourse that easily touches people's hearts and stays for a long time.

Although many works have been around for more than half a century, Hoai Vu's poetic vitality is still enduring and captivating to today's young generation. Writer Vo Chi Nhat, 9X, said: "Since I was a child, I have seen and heard songs like Vam Co Dong, Anh o dau song em cuoi song but have not had the opportunity to meet the author. Today, attending the program, I am very moved and extremely admiring. I am moved because I get to meet a very famous character who has made many contributions to art like him. This morning, when the singer sang the first two verses of Anh o dau song em cuoi song, I glanced over at poet Hoai Vu. I saw him smile gently, looking satisfied, and at that moment I thought, when I reach the age of a poet, will I have works that will move so many generations of readers and listeners like that? And I told myself that I have to try even harder on the long artistic path ahead."

Source link