Poet Thai Binh and the tones of spring

Of the four seasons of a year, spring is always the season favored by poetry and art, becoming an endless subject for poets. Countless poems have been born before the earth and sky in spring, making spring full of vitality.

Artists of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association bring emotions to listeners with their unique compositions.

The poet-soldier's overflowing emotions

As a soldier who emerged from the flames of war, poet Le Manh Hung, now in his seventies, always has many nostalgic emotions before each new spring. The poet shared: To have beautiful springs like today, many children have sacrificed their youth for the country so that the country can blossom with independence and bear the fruit of freedom. When the country was invaded by foreign enemies, our youth, following the sacred call of the Fatherland and Uncle Ho, enthusiastically took up arms and went to the front, fighting for the cause of national liberation and national unification. The Party and Uncle Ho always reign in the hearts of soldiers, so I wrote many poems expressing my faith, love, respect, and pride in the contributions of the Party and Uncle Ho.

For poet Le Manh Hung, the path to poetry is as natural as the breath of daily life. Inheriting the love of poetry from his mother's sweet lullabies in his childhood, when he became a soldier, on the march, he always carried with him a small notebook with poems about the revolution, about Uncle Ho, about his homeland and country. His first work sent to the public was the poem "Homeland and Mother", "Spring Today Still Mother Goes Along" published in Thai Binh Newspaper. Years have passed but until now he still cherishes and preserves those pages of the newspaper as a sacred keepsake marking his path to becoming a poet.

Recalling old stories, telling new stories through spring poems

Every spring makes people's hearts flutter with the changes of the earth and sky, and for poets, there are many different emotions and joys. Poet Pham Hong Oanh, the youngest member of the Vietnam Writers Association in Thai Binh branch, and also a member of the provincial Literature and Arts Association, said: When the earth and sky enter spring, people also flutter, become fresher, and more youthful. It seems that before spring, each of us forgets about our busyness, hardships, and age, and turns towards spring, thinking about spring with purer and better things.

Although there have been many excellent poems sent to the public through 3 poetry collections published by the Writers' Association Publishing House, in which 2 poetry collections were inspired by the seasons of the year and received awards from the National Committee of the Vietnam Association of Literature and Arts, for poet Pham Hong Oanh, the poem "Salted Watermelon" written by her 32 years ago is still a beautiful memory. The poet shared: I wrote the poem "Salted Watermelon" when I was a third-year student at Thai Binh Pedagogical College. The idea to write the poem was very random, when I thought about the jar of pickles I had worked so hard to help my mother but it was ruined. I thought that everything in life, if just a little careless, could be like a jar of spoiled pickles, from that idea I quickly wrote the poem "Salted Watermelon". The poem carries many worries and concerns about the changes of people and time.

As one of the successful members of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association in 2023, poet Dang Toan has a manuscript that won the consolation prize of the Vietnam Writers Association and will be published as a book in 2024. The poems are all aimed at children because "youth is the spring of society". Poet Dang Toan said: I write according to the most familiar things so that children and grandchildren can move towards beauty, towards the most familiar and closest things around them, after those poetic works can convey something that is extremely precious. Through the verses, I direct children to family, nature, and surrounding trees and plants, wanting them to understand more, to appreciate more the good emotional relationships of family, parents, grandparents... at the same time appreciate nature, trees and plants, the good things in their lives.

Poet Nguyen Anh Tuyet, former Vice President of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association

Currently, a class of young poets whose works are regularly published in the mass media, winning national awards and being well received by the public are valuable things, contributing to the promise of a gradually rejuvenated poetry movement. The authors, with their expertise and abilities, create a steady development of poetry in social life. That momentum gives us confidence and optimism about the good progress of Thai Binh poetry in the coming time.

Poet Dang Thanh Van, Head of the Literature Association, Provincial Literature and Arts Association

In the four seasons of the year, poets have a lot of inspiration from spring, so there are many works written about spring, opening up in their hearts youthfulness, freshness, and many hopes for a bright future waiting ahead. As a war invalid with many after-effects of war, for the past 25 years I have composed many poems praising the Party, Uncle Ho, and praising my homeland and country in spring.

Poet Lai Tay Duong, Provincial Literature and Arts Association

There is a saying “Thien dia tu thoi, xuan tai thu” which means “Heaven and earth have four seasons, spring comes first”. I have many poems about spring such as “Welcoming Tet in the village”, “Improvising with spring”... Every spring evokes in me the joyful feeling of village festivals from dusk, sunset to late night, all morning, the poems and songs have permeated my soul. Throughout the years, I still carry that baggage with me.

TU ANH

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