Uncle Ho in the mind of poet Nguyen Van Dinh

Remembering Uncle Ho (published in 2000) isA collection of poems written in memory of President Ho Chi Minh by the elderly poet Nguyen Van Dinh (born in 1932, from Quang Trach, Quang Binh). The collection of poems includes 110 quatrains, beautifully printed, with more than 120 pages. Although I have read many good poems and collections of poems about Uncle Ho, I still cannot contain my emotions.I was so moved when reading Remembering Uncle Ho.

Lift the bamboo gate to close

Looking at the roof, I feel so nostalgic.

Every time I visit Uncle Ho's hometown

Step out, step back in

(Visiting Uncle Ho's hometown - 1957)

Those who have been here will surely find it hard to forget the image of the simple yet extremely familiar house of Uncle Ho's family, where he was born! The lingering mood of "stepping out, stepping back in" says a lot about the feelings of the children and grandchildren for Uncle Ho.

Uncle Ho's entire life was a series of years of continuous activities for the people and the country. Particularly for Quang Binh, the day Uncle Ho visited Dong Hoi left deep feelings in the hearts of every citizen:

Come to Quang Binh to receive fresh flowers

Not for me, Uncle split in two

Half, for the revolutionary veteran

Half, given to the monk who just visited Him.

(Bouquet)

Uncle Ho's gestures are very delicate and full of noble ideas. Following that way of thinking, the poet lets the "waves of emotions" naturally intermingle and blend. On one side is Uncle Ho, on the other side are his children and grandchildren. Uncle Ho appears from the collection of poems not with a complete portrait but only with some typical, special, impressive features. Sometimes with the image of an old farmer wearing brown clothes in a very simple rice field:

In the middle of the village, Uncle Ho pulled the bucket.

Water spreads with a gentle smile.

(See photo)

There are times like a fairy in life:

The hammock sways evenly under the porch

The waves also wake up with the fairy

The wind blew the silver beard

Uncle watched the late night moon shine down on the porch

(Fairy)

We are touched when Nguyen Van Dinh tells about Uncle Ho's personal life: "Uncle Ho is like everyone else in the world - also wants love, wants a couple", but for the people, for the country, he has to sacrifice his personal happiness. The lily that Nguyen Van Dinh put in his poem is perhaps Ut Hue, vaguely seen in Son Tung's novel Blue Lotus?

Standing in the middle of Uncle Ho's garden, the poet realized:

Hyacinths spread fragrance in Uncle Ho's garden

The door is not locked to let the wind carry the scent.

Uncle Ho woke up alone late at night.

The scent of flowers keeps you company all night long.

Through poetry, we understand more deeply the mother's loyalty to the revolution living amidst the enemy siege:

Uncle Ho's silver hidden in Buddha statue

Keep the fire of love burning all day long.

(Uncle Ho's Silver)

We meet again the examples of steadfastness and deep affection for Uncle Ho. They are the artisans who cast Uncle Ho's statues: "The longing and love accumulate into a deep feeling - Let a thousand degrees of fire suddenly flare up". They are the painter Le Duy Ung in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign who used his own blood to draw Uncle Ho's portrait: "Five fingers tremble with the red blood". They are the hundred-year-old man living in the Truong Son mountain range who always keeps the silk cloth Uncle Ho gave him as a souvenir to remember his merits; they are the disabled soldier who walked with two wooden crutches all the way to Lang Sen to burn incense and swear before Uncle Ho's spirit to always maintain the qualities of an Uncle Ho soldier "crippled but not useless", they are the Huong River self-defense girl who has now become a grandmother and tells her grandchildren stories about Uncle Ho like legends:

She defended herself as a dear grandmother.

Lullaby for children, the melody is slow and steady.

She told stories about the days of fighting the enemy.

The story of Uncle Ho praising the girls of Huong River.

(The Huong River Self-Defense Force)

Uncle Ho has become a beautiful symbol of the Vietnamese people. The Van Kieu people, who have no family name, have taken the word Ho as their family name. Soldiers in remote and isolated frontiers have brought Lang Sen hibiscus flowers to plant at Cha Lo station so that every time they look at the flowers, they will remember Uncle Ho:

Hibiscus of Sen Village to the border

Cha Lo is red with flowers all year round.

(Hibiscus flowers in Cha Lo)

Writing correctly about Uncle Ho is not easy, writing good poems about Uncle Ho is even more difficult. A poet must have a politically sensitive soul, a steadfast ideology, pure feelings, deep emotions and thinking to be able to reach the creative level for the genius leader, poet Nguyen Van Dinh is not unaware of that. He has spent many years working diligently on his writings.

His first poem about Uncle Ho was written in 1957, and his most recent poem was written on April 5, 2000, on the occasion of the groundbreaking ceremony to rebuild the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail. The success of this collection of poems is partly due to his sincere heart, his deep respect for Uncle Ho, and his ability to choose poetic details that easily touch people's hearts to express. He has taken the trouble to travel here and there following Uncle Ho's footsteps, looking for good poetic ideas and verses that remain in each of those footprints, forming a beautiful bouquet of poetry to offer to Him!

Ly Hoai Xuan