With fire readily available, a new fire is born...

Essentially, poetry differs in the individual personality of each writer. And each person is a unique, one-of-a-kind world. That's why the ancients taught: "Parents give birth to the child, but heaven gives them their character." In my opinion, character is the very personality of a poet.

More specifically, personality is the character of the pen, the personality of the writer is expressed and revealed through the written page.

And by reasoning like that, in this poetry collection "Fire and Stone" (Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House, 2022), Phan Cát Cẩn's poetry is certainly different from Nguyễn Hồng Công's, Nguyễn Hồng Công's poetry is different from Trần Văn Khang's, and Trần Văn Khang's poetry is different from Ngô Thế Trường's.

While Phan Cát Cẩn always "went far to return near," aiming for "the place where we return to our roots" to be "the land of our birth" with "The Festival Season": "March/ touching the bottom of spring.../ the red eyes of rice flowers/ rice cakes half floating, half submerged..." , Nguyễn Hồng Công started from the gate of his village and became so attached to it that he "couldn't even forget a row of slanted bricks" to reach " the world village in carriage number 5" on a journey of "tired wings breaking the red sunset/ flocks of migratory birds in mid-air." While Tran Van Khang sought refuge in the shadow of his homeland, "reflection on his life," "a short trip to the market / yet almost a lifetime" to dwell on the lingering regret of "now there, on the courtyard of his ancestral home / The moon still shines, but his father's shadow is forever absent" from his thoughts, Ngo The Truong, on the other hand, is robust with collisions, ruptures, and movements that are both sudden and fierce: "The mountains are like a great lover / Pressing down on the Quy Nhon afternoon," "We love each other like a raging storm / Collisions open up a galaxy to give birth..."

The poem "Quy Nhon" by Ngo The Truong, in particular, is a unique poetic image, selected in "108 Vietnamese Poems" published by the Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House in 2023: "The sun casts a golden glow on Quy Nhon / The sea caresses Quy Nhon's blue / Mountains stretch like thousand breasts of earth / A few grains of indigo shimmer / O Loan suddenly evokes a feeling of compassion / Has faded into the misty hair / Mountains like a great lover / Leaning against Quy Nhon's afternoon / The vast Thi Nai lagoon / Blood cockles reflecting the sky / Con River overflowing with floodwaters / Sweet sugarcane captivating the hearts of birds / Quy Nhon's love connects with love / Houses nestled in the lagoon / The sound of people entices the sound of fish / Stirring the shore with shimmering white..."

This poem is a lyrical and vivid portrayal of Quy Nhon – a land where the sea, mountains, rivers, and lagoons blend together in a space brimming with emotion. Written with a heartfelt and loving tone, the poem draws inspiration from the nature and people of Quy Nhon. The author not only describes the scenery but also conveys personal feelings – a powerful emotional response to the beauty of nature intertwined with human life.

The images of "golden sunlight," "blue sea," and "towering mountains" evoke the feeling that Quy Nhon is a living organism, full of vitality. Among them, "A few indigo grains" is a unique detail, suggesting color, possibly referring to streaks of clouds or patches of deep purple, adorning the landscape; "Mountains like a great lover" is a very unique personification. The mountains are no longer just scenery but become powerful, all-encompassing characters, connected to physical and spiritual love, leaning in all directions, suggesting the overwhelming power of nature and emotion; "Blood clams reflecting the sky" is a very powerful image, representing the connection between living things and nature, between humanity and the universe.

The poem uses many unique and evocative images, yet avoids crudeness, always maintaining its poetic and artistic beauty. And "Quy Nhon" is not just a poem describing scenery, but a love poem - a love for a land, its nature, and its people.

These are the pieces that make up a picture, where one part is not quite a part, one part can be all, and all can be revealed in one part. They meet quite by chance. But it will become inevitable or self-evident, because they all meet at a common source called poetry.

Long ago, Zen Master Khuong Viet wrote a poem about this inevitability: “Fire is inherent in wood / With fire already present, fire is born / If wood had no fire / How could friction create fire?” Applying this to “Stone Fire” and studying Zen Master Khuong Viet, in my opinion, the poem could have a new version: “Fire is inherent in stone / With fire already present, fire is born / If stone had no fire / How could friction create fire?”

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/san-lua-lua-moi-sinh-704905.html