Through this collection of poems, the author expresses his perspective on the ways of the world, life, and human condition from multiple dimensions, leaving readers with the feeling that even the smallest things in daily life can become a source of inspiration in Hoang Xuan's poetry. Most noticeably, compassion is one of the dominant emotions running throughout the collection. It is this compassion that helps the author listen, observe, feel, and in every way share the pain, loss, hardship, or even the smallest joys in people's lives. This approach can be called "dialogue with compassion."
Not only does he empathize with those around him who are facing difficulties, hardships, and deprivation, but he also feels the pain that people everywhere experience: " The river embraces the father / the father embraces the son / the waves twist with fate / the world of rich and poor, hunger and cold / floods and droughts / war and hatred / a shared circle of mourning in a foreign land" (Haunting). Naturally, through his reflections on humanity, love, life, and society, the author can find the shimmering beauty in every moment of life: " Your eyes / dewdrop in the windy season / I am a blade of grass / drenched in a dream" (Song). Or, in the passionate embrace of "you and I, the whirlwind of sand," the author projects "sand" through a pure, lovely lens: The sand whispers a gentle heart/you and the soft silk sand/sweeter than my heartbeat/fragile sand…you are small/a heart-stirring smile piercing the wind//sand and you/a heart shaped by the sun/painting the sky with the brush of time (Sand).
Cover page of the poetry collection "Gathering at Night" by author Hoang Xuan (Nguyen Xuan Hoang) |
However, from that same sensitive soul, when faced with unprecedented suffering and loss, when the whole country and the planet were bracing themselves against the Covid catastrophe, compassion called out to him: “I am stunned / by the unfathomable deaths / the chessboard of the battlefield / stained with the twilight” (The Unsung Song). It wasn't just the profound sorrow over human misfortune that stirred his compassion. When standing before the remains of a renowned poet, he felt a gnawing sense of loneliness and unhappiness: “The path I walk bears the footprints of memories / summer flutters by / The rocky slope whispers strange winds / The poet's deep love / the unwritten verses of a rendezvous / which moon dares to buy or sell / the hesitant steps of stone, falling as I walk / touching the realm of loneliness” ( The Statue). The painful footprints of memories from days gone by seem to linger somewhere, on the path leading up to the Poet's Hill. The author walks along, conversing with each stone step, his heart filled with a melancholy and loneliness, as if he were falling as he goes. Clearly, he is engaging in a dialogue with the nuances of compassion, both sad and beautiful, deeply moving.
In his compassionate dialogue with the vicissitudes of human life, with the unfortunate and lonely lives of others, Hoang Xuan has visited many lands still bearing the scars of war. In those places, he engages in poignant dialogues with admiration and gratitude for the petrified souls: "Stones soaked with sweat flow across the grass / Shattered like dewdrops / Names looking straight up to the sky / Incense smoke swirling around rows of ancient trees" (The Eyes of Tra Ang). A special feature in "Gathering at Night" is the author's calm reflection on memories, engaging in a compassionate dialogue about his beloved mother. He skillfully uses simple poetic imagery to convey profound emotions about the plight and sacrifice of a mother, toiling her whole life for her children: “The woman gathers the night/mending her child’s dreams whole//the woman weaves the day/pressing gentle smiles into the pages of a book//the woman traces the hillside/sewing each wrinkle//the woman nurtures the earth's color/drying the sun's rays//clouds playfully tease the woman/playing with her loneliness for thirty-six thousand days//I love the woman/as I love the Bible” (Memories).
Writing for a child on their birthday is often an opportunity for the author to let their emotions flow and their pen to play freely. For Hoang Xuan, going back in time, rediscovering each character of a series of dusty days, he happily sows seeds of sunshine from the schoolyard into his son. Listen to him confide in his son: Time traces the characters / the chaotic breath of the wind / filled with dust / Father's hand with five missing or excess joints / / the rhythm of falling on the cliff / carrying on his back nine months and ten days / forgiving as fire / Father's ring road / / the sun migrating across Mother's back / time, short or long hair / going and slowing down / dawn rising / / in the distance, the woodpecker / Father just repented yesterday / and one day the schoolyard is sunny / picking up the red and pink hues (My Son's Day).
Amidst these countless reflections, Hoang Xuan also pondered the aspirations of many colleagues, who accepted the life of a "silkworm" without any expectation or bargaining, simply because they loved the eyes yearning for words, loved the life that fueled their passion: " The silkworm's life, the form of a leaf / fragile and precarious / carrying the burden of words / not bargaining with life / not weaving the colors of holiness" (Carrying Words). On another level, he sadly heard the sighs and mournful groans from the universe, the fading rainbow, all hope remaining only in hazy mist: " Addiction / I choose myself with the shadow / the night of the lunar eclipse / the day the sun rises to its zenith / touching the curve / the flickering rainbow / groans from the universe / crushing the stars / / addiction / dreams / people" (Addiction).
The poetry collection also expresses philosophical depth, evoking reflections on the human condition, the meaning of time, what we have lost and what we find in life, as shown in poems such as: * Copy*, *Abnormal*, *Rice Flower*, *The Race*, *Afternoon*, *Stone Face*, *Night*, *Syndrome*, *Reflection*, *Thought*… Reading the collection, it seems as if he tries to “pick up” the fragments of time and space, the painful, silent, fragile moments… to speak for the lyrical subject, making the reader pause and reflect. Despite being his first poetry collection, Hoang Xuan has strived to express his individuality through the themes, structure, and tone of his poems. The language in his poetry is quite accessible, using many images to express feelings of loneliness and loss, thereby kindling hope in life…
Nguyen Tien Nen
Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/van-hoa/202504/nhat-dem-su-doi-thoai-voi-long-trac-an-2225653/
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