The war is long over. Every year, as if by appointment, those wartime days are solemnly recalled so that at least the younger generation, who grew up after 1975, will know the history of the struggle in which our ancestors shed blood. And, to be fair, music has contributed significantly to that long and arduous struggle.
Love songs during wartime were generally more numerous than those during the resistance against the French. Although there were fewer of them, these were beautiful love songs, like a painting, and each time we listened to them, we felt as if we were reliving the country's situation at that time.
Some say that since peace was restored , there have been many love songs, but while there are many in quantity, these love songs are unlikely to stand the test of time and leave a lasting impression on people's hearts.
There are many love songs during wartime, but in this short "review," the author only "lists" a few love songs sung by couples during the resistance war. It is only during the resistance war in particular, and war in general, that we find such representative songs in both form and content. These love songs were born during the resistance war, a time when the country's modern music was just emerging from its nascent stage (1938). Despite the hardships and shortages, they wrote love songs that were beautiful in every note and word.
Love songs about couples during the resistance war, typical examples include "Moonlight by the Stream" (Le Mong Nguyen) and "Old Wharf" (Anh Viet). Anh Viet also has a very famous love song that everyone knew during the nine years of resistance, which is "Evening in the Deep Forest": "...In the distant, gloomy forest, bathed in the dim moonlight/ The wind whistles through the withered trees/ The temple bell rings, reminding us of the wronged souls/ The forest still carries its resentment in the twilight/... Many days of war here stained with the blood of heroes/ The traces remain, indelible for a thousand years...".
“The Whistle in the Misty Night” (Le Truc) and “Words of the Departing” (Tran Hoan). Every separation is tragic, but in these four love songs, the separation between two people is the main theme, a separation without a promise of return, a separation to fulfill a noble mission, tragic but not pathetic: “…One afternoon you walked away, I saw you off to the end of the hill/ I told myself that the resistance would be long and arduous/ Blood would still fall, bones would still fall/ countless people poured out to the front lines, preventing the enemy from trampling our people…”.
The surprisingly simple melodies convey the lyrics of Mélodie in a way that only these moments of farewell can bring. During the resistance against the French, people sang "Words of the Departing" as a blessing, even though the battlefield lay ahead.
Separation in war is always foretold. Evening and night are the spaces and times that musicians always choose to create a suitable color palette: “…I will always remember a spring afternoon of parting, mist descending upon the mountains and hills / And the rain in my heart was heavier than the rain outside / The grass, trees, and flowers / Will forever miss the one who left…” (Mountain Smile - Tô Hải).
“…One night in the deserted forest/ The moon slanted over the cliff/ The faint silhouette of a mountain girl with a pretty smile/ One night in the mountains/ A traveler gazes at the distant sky/ Gazing at the moon, lost in thought/…” (Mountain Girl's Song - Tran Hoan).
“…The one who promised to meet me by the stream/ In the misty evening forest, the moonlight shone faintly.”
"One night of passionate love, then tomorrow we part ways / And now, who knows which way we'll go? / The misty, endless stream of dreams flows silently / My heart is saddened by parting, longing in the lonely evening..." (Moonlight by the Stream - Le Mong Nguyen).
A sacred, beautiful, and pure farewell, like a stream flowing from an unblemished underground spring.
Love during the resistance war was so beautiful, set against the backdrop of a forest, a stream, hills, a dike, a pond... they parted ways without knowing when they would return, because "The resistance war will be long and arduous" (Words of the Departing), "Knowing I'm leaving, my sorrow lingers" (Old Wharf), "The one who goes far away feels desolate" (Moonlight by the Stream)...
Love songs from the resistance war are a highlight of Vietnamese music, even though the country's music scene was still in its nascent stage at that time.
Love songs during the resistance war were not numerous, but they left an indelible mark on listeners' hearts. They are sung again so that the older generation can "relive the memories," and the younger generation can know that during the resistance war, despite the many losses, separations, and poverty, there were love songs as beautiful as legends!
Source
Comment (0)