Mac Thuc Thai Doan Chat: Honesty before poetry!

(Baonghean) - His small house is hidden behind a small alley in the middle of the village, peaceful in the clear countryside air. In front of the gate, he carved a few lines of self-admonishment from the Three Character Classic: "A jade without carving/ Will not become a weapon/ A person without learning/ Will not know the principles". That admonishment carved on the mossy brick floor made me hesitate a bit when I slightly bowed, stepped through the arched gate bordered with climbing vines to meet him...

Poet Mac Thuc Thai Doan Chat talks with the author.

That hesitation did not come from fear of eloquently affirming the importance of Confucianism, of cultivating and refining human goodness and kindness, but from a premonition of conversing with an elder well-versed in the classics, Chinese, and perhaps, full of self-discipline and seriousness? That premonition turned out not to come true. The author Thai Doan Chat in front of me was a 74-year-old man, short and stocky, with a kind face and an open, friendly way of talking. He said he was in the middle of translating several Chinese documents, and enthusiastically invited us to sit down on a row of neatly arranged chairs in a courtyard filled with light, chirping birds at the beginning of the day.

I told him my feelings when reading his published works: “Short plays”, “To people”… that, it seems, his poems and researches all have a folk tone, tending towards the simplicity, humor and profundity of folk literature? In response, he smiled and read a few random verses: “At the beginning of the year, open the calendar and see/ On the cover are printed so many “girls” having their period!/ You blink your eyelashes/ Your clothes are lacking… fabric, your legs are… bow-legged…” The verses were taken from the poem “Loạn Lịch”, which he improvised from Tet years ago until now and still retain their relevance, stemming from the eyesore of many offensive images appearing on Tet calendars - a place that should be solemn and joyful, in accordance with traditional customs to wrap up a year of joy and sadness, opening a new year of peace and prosperity. That is Thai Doan Chat, a lifetime of borrowing poetry to express his heart.

The opening of his heart to poetry and life comes from the concerns of an intellectual facing the changes of the times. The author Thai Doan Chat is originally from Cau village, Dien Loi commune (Dien Chau). That is his current title, but he likes to remember his deep-rooted hometown under the history of Vong village, Ngoc Lam hamlet, Hoang Xa commune, Thai Xa canton. That village still appears clearly in the ancient memories, with the scene of famine in 1945, with the scene of queuing for trade - coupons during the subsidy period, with the model of collective cooperatives... He said he remembers clearly every moment, every event that made his small house and thatched roof of his childhood shake. But the most memorable and precious is the educational foundation in his family with an uncle and a father who were well-versed in ancient and modern times, proficient in Chinese studies, who gave wings to his educational career and his literary career later on. He graduated from the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University of Education, and has taught everywhere: Nguyen Du High School (Ha Tinh), Nha Trang Pedagogical College, Nghe An School of Educational Management, Dien Chau District Continuing Education Center...

“The desire to learn and the knowledge base from my family are the doors that open for me to perceive and understand the events and phenomena around me. Unfortunately, once I “see”, I cannot force myself to stop writing and worrying.” - author Thai Doan Chat confided. And he chose folk literature as an explosion of thoughts, because “folk literature is the quintessence distilled from the lives of the people, of the farmers who work hard from dawn to dusk. I love the songs, the folk songs, the simple yet profound and multi-meaning responses of my people. I think that folk literature is the last thing left in the rapid flow of time, precisely because of its rustic inner strength.” - he confided.

That thought became the source of author Thai Doan Chat's continuous writing, although there were times during the writing process when the urgent demands of work and reality directed him to many other genres. Up to this moment, his literary and poetic career still left the most impression on readers near and far in the satirical section - a section that he confided, he did not pay much attention to, but seemed to be the most successful. The poetry collection "Short plays" (Nghe An Publishing House, 2007) is known for its short, profound poems in the form of six-eight or six-eight-six-eight, four-line... The eyes of a person who is deeply concerned with the times see many bad habits, vices, and blatant unwritten rules in society, and he writes indignantly, writes sarcastically, writes bitterly. I have the feeling that poet Thai Doan Chat is standing right there, facing the negative aspects of life and pointing his finger:

Some places mentioned are also tips

Scheme and trickery

Bring corruption to the fight against corruption

It's like using a basket or a pot to cover an elephant.

Act like you're drowning in water.

Like a chicken with tangled hair

The more you work, the more corrupt you become.

Let the people scream: Lower the curtain now!

(Curtain End)

Satirical poetry brings him relief, although each poem written is like "a painful birth", at the same time, poetry also gives him enthusiastic readers - the farmers working hard in the fields during harvest, reading to each other the "painful" verses, because they hit the bad habits of many people in the world. However, like many other satirical poets, author Thai Doan Chat also encounters many troubles. Speaking is speaking about the common habits in society, writing is writing to criticize constructively, but many people reading poetry still feel like they are in it, or "it" is talking about "me"! So there are questions and questions, so many hardships and many accidents because of poetry. I still wonder, after all that suffering, does he still firmly believe in satirical poetry full of folk elements? Pondering softly, he said, in the end, I have always been an honest person before poetry.

The poet's published works.

Having said that, I know that in recent years, he has somewhat shifted to writing Tang poetry, studying Chinese steles and Chinese documents, and is passionate about the Tale of Kieu and folk tales. Thinking about it, this shift seems inevitable, not because his satirical passion has “cooled down”. But because, although he is still deeply concerned with the changing social reality, the age and health of an old man in his seventies are more suitable for contemplation and reflection. On the other hand, his wife and children also pay more attention to his time working on paper and pen, because of their worries and concerns for the health of the old man who has spent decades writing. Looking at their gestures and skillful words, I understand that he is truly living in his quiet garden, with the boundless love and respect of his relatives. He said that was the greatest happiness of his life, and more than that, he had a third son named Thai Doan An who shared the same passion for literature as his father, even though he is currently a math teacher!

Throughout his life as a poet, author Thai Doan Chat received many important awards: C Prize of the 3rd Ho Xuan Huong Literature and Arts Award (2002 - 2005) for the work "Nghe An Stele" (folk literature) which he co-authored with researchers Ninh Viet Giao, Dao Tam Tinh, Dang Quang Lien; C Prize of the 4th Ho Xuan Huong Literature and Arts Award (2005 - 2010) for the poetry collection "Short plays"... He said that the award is something to be cherished, recognizing his creative journey, but that halo is not enough to shine for a long time. Essentially, do not live in false fame, if you love this arduous writing profession, write with all your passion and sincerity. Then he shared with me about his pen name Mac Thuc: “Mac Thuc means the Mac family itself - I named it that to remember my roots. Mac Thuc also means… ink master, a full ink bottle, a self-admonition about humanity and affection on the writing page, about respect for learning and the literary career…”. I was surprised when he explained, and told myself not to ignore what seemed simple and insignificant. It was like remembering the moment I first met him, he seemed stoic but extremely lovable, he seemed to laugh loudly and then fade away, unexpectedly, it lingered forever…

Phuoc Anh