The one who carries the sorrow of pine and willow

(Baonghean) - One clear, windless autumn morning in Vinh, I sat with him, sipping coffee by the tranquil Goong Lake. The weather forecast announced a storm approaching somewhere, not too close but not too far either. It turns out that sometimes even a calm, windless sky can be a sign of a storm! His face was so gentle, his eyes so calm...

Author: Ho Phi Phuc.

Holding in my hands the book "Literary Memories" dedicated by author Ho Phi Phuc, from poetry to essays and prose, I couldn't put it down. The more I read, the more I was drawn in and captivated by the sharp, impactful yet elegant language, the free and unrestrained yet chaotic and full of meaning, the vast and surreal imagery. It feels as if the reader always struggles to grasp the deeper layers of meaning, yet is easily drawn into a powerful source of emotion. It's also as if one encounters the sadness of pine and willow trees. Pine trees are associated with the vast forests, their appearance solemn, quiet, proud, yet profound. Willow trees evoke a soft, delicate, fragile beauty. Therefore, if one were to compare his literary works with his academic qualifications and the work he has done, many would surely find it strange, even incomprehensible and unbelievable.

According to his academic records, he was a student at the Polytechnic University and a true technical officer. He himself considers himself passionate about natural sciences, skilled in mechanics, and a former renowned mechanical engineer... His work experience included being a mechanical engineer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering (Ministry of Industry), the Nghe An Provincial Department of Industry, then a leader and manager in Quynh Luu, and later a leader in the Propaganda Department, the Mass Mobilization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, and the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee... Yet, upon reading his works, almost everyone is surprised to encounter a writer with such broad knowledge and profound intellect. It's even more surprising to learn that he dedicated very little time to writing, and his works are few; a collection of his favorite writings from over the years, along with heartfelt reflections on friendship, is contained in a single, concise yet highly professional volume titled "Literary Memoirs." He himself didn't consider himself a writer, yet his works, his tone, and his artistic language have "secured" him a firm place in the hearts of readers.

When I shared these questions with author Ho Phi Phuc, he calmly shared: "Many people say my writing is profound and my expression is enigmatic. I find it quite ordinary, because these are everyday and constant thoughts. Perhaps it's because, since childhood, I've been fortunate enough to frequently interact with, learn from, live with, and be influenced by the thinking of great personalities and scholars." Following his words, I learned that it was during the turbulent years of the nation's history, marked by major events and revolutionary upheavals, that many great intellectuals came together and met on the revolutionary path. Fortunately, Ho Phi Phuc was one of the few boys who had the opportunity to interact with, grow up in, and experience the atmosphere of those great gatherings in the early years of the resistance.

Ho Phi Phuc, born in 1937 in Quynh Doi commune (Quynh Luu district), is a descendant of Ho Xuan Huong, the "Queen of Nom Poetry." His great-grandfather was Ho Phi Tu, a martyr of the Can Vuong movement against the French. His grandfather was Ho Phi Huyen, the author of famous philosophical and ideological works such as "Humanitarian Authority" and "Dam Trai Literary Collection." His father was Ho Phi Tuong, a veteran revolutionary. From a young age, Ho Phi Phuc studied Chinese characters with his grandfather. Then, for the first two years of primary school, he studied with Teacher Tro Bich (Mr. Van Duc Bich - father of Associate Professor Van Nhu Cuong and grandson of the patriotic scholar Van Duc Giai), and later with teachers Han Triet and Han Ngu... all accomplished and virtuous Confucian scholars, worthy successors of a land that values ​​scholarship.

Cover of the anthology published in September 2014.

A deep and meaningful relationship existed between Mr. Dang Nguyen Can and Mr. Ho Phi Huyen, which later extended to their descendants. Their acquaintance led Mr. Dang Nguyen Can to entrust his son, Dang Thai Mai, to Mr. Ho Phi Huyen for instruction in classical Chinese. Mr. Ho Phi Huyen then married his daughter, Ho Thi Toan, to the intelligent student, Dang Thai Mai. During the democratic movement before the August Revolution (1945), when the revolutionary scholar Dang Thai Mai was imprisoned for three years, Mr. Ho Phi Huyen took his children and grandchildren into his home to care for them. After the revolution, Mr. Dang Thai Mai was appointed by President Ho Chi Minh to be the Chairman of the Resistance Committee of Thanh Hoa province. Grateful for the kindness of his teacher's family – his father-in-law – who had cared for his wife and children during their imprisonment by the colonial government, Mr. Dang Thai Mai decided to take in one of his wife's children to raise and educate, as a way of repaying their kindness. The boy who was adopted and raised by the family of Mr. Dang Thai Mai, and who accompanied them throughout the long years of the resistance war, from Thanh Hoa to the Viet Bac War Zone, was Ho Phi Phuc.

From 1948 to 1958, Ho Phi Phuc lived and studied, from the age of 11 until adulthood, in the family of Mr. Dang Thai Mai. Those unforgettable years saw Mr. Dang Thai Mai serving as Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Resistance Committee, Director of Education in Military Region IV, and later as Chairman of the Resistance Culture Committee in the Viet Bac War Zone. In the early period, the Quan Tin and Tho Xuan areas (Thanh Hoa) were considered the "capital" of resistance culture, with a large concentration of artists and intellectuals. It was also in Thanh Hoa that the first preparatory university course during the resistance was opened, training artists and intellectuals who would later become pillars in building the nation's cultural, educational, and artistic endeavors during the period of independence. In Thanh Hoa, the home of Mr. Dang Thai Mai was a meeting place for Confucian and Western-educated intellectuals such as Dao Duy Anh, Hai Trieu, Nguyen Thuc Hao, Truong Tuu, Nguyen Xien... and figures like General Nguyen Son, composer Van Cao, and composer Pham Duy... These esteemed friends would sometimes meet to discuss literature and current affairs, sometimes to debate the times, sometimes for brief encounters, and sometimes for extended stays. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Dang Thai Mai - Ho Thi Toan—Dang Bich Ha, Dang Thi Hanh, Dang Thanh Le, Dang Anh Dao, Dang Thai Hoang, and Dang Xuyen Nhu—from a young age lived according to the intellectual tradition, spending their days studying, reading romantic poetry, and singing classical music.

As Mr. Mai's children grew up and went to study far away, Ho Phi Phuc became even closer to and learned a great deal from Dang Thai Mai. Ho Phi Phuc diligently and passionately read the vast collection of books, both Eastern and Western, ancient and modern, in the scholar Dang Thai Mai's house, day after day, year after year. It was this treasure trove of book knowledge, intellect, and profound wisdom of Professor Dang Thai Mai and his friends that Ho Phi Phuc perceived and absorbed, a rich and extensive source of knowledge that opened up vast horizons of understanding from a very young age. Perhaps it is thanks to this that his poetry and essays, his way of reading, thinking, feeling, and approaching life and people, historical and cultural figures, and issues concerning beauty, nature, history, and revolution, all contained a cultural vision and a philosophy of cultural conduct. The artistic imagery in his works always tends to struggle, break free, and transcend fleeting values, trendy actions, narrow-minded thinking, constrained activities, imprisoned thoughts, meaninglessness, or injustice... to reach universal, humanistic values: "Day after day / Fish fills the basin with bruised lips / Birds' cries are trapped in the cage / Whose eyes are sadly waiting?" (Day after Day); "The spear was at the deer's neck, then suddenly lowered! The boy opened a separate path full of flowers and leaves / ...The spear carrying the deer / Annoyed the entire hunting party / The unusual spear was not useless / It became the pen of the writer" (The Boy and the Deer).

Perhaps, having met, learned from, and lived alongside teachers and mentors—true figures who were the "red seeds" of the early resistance—Ho Phi Phuc still retained the iconic figures and idols that established his system of values. However, this did not diminish his clear and rational thinking; he was not naive about the present or merely conservative in his nostalgia for the past. He lived through the initial joyful and beautiful encounter between intellectuals and the revolutionary cause, witnessing the period when the relationship between intellectuals and power met and flourished, blossoming through individuals whose academic and artistic achievements were immense, alongside their glorious revolutionary careers. Yet, he did not become delusional about reality, but instead faced countless painful and anxious situations daily. That's when confronted with those who use change as a pretext to display their arrogance and ambition: "I have encountered many similar heartbreaking things in other rural areas. And for some people, the most profound heartbreak is the cultural indifference of the people... We should think that each era is a stage of national affairs. It can be interrupted, but it needs to be continued well... how can we know that the misguided, brute-force stick of yesterday will have to be passed on to our descendants tomorrow? It's so sad." (Right Bank Evening). That's when I thought of Permann's method of calculating the benefits of lightning, and thought of the "thunder and lightning" on the ground: "Social thunder and lightning will not be as bright and roaring as the storms in the sky... Now, how am I supposed to explain this to reassure the ladies, and I myself am not reassured, when there is a lack of trustworthy leaders, when scholars are weary and withdrawn, when words fail to bring out the light, and the verses of L. Aragon from that era keep haunting me: In the midst of treachery / Darkness of prison / The stream has become muddy / Only tears remain..." (Lightning Flashes)...

My thoughts wandered, and soon it was almost noon. Returning to my cup of coffee and the calm, still surface of the autumn lake, I honestly told him that the life of a civil servant or official might fade from memory, but the verses and sentences might linger on... For example, how could I forget these strangely beautiful lines I'd read: "Birds fly over the plowshare / The fields stretch endlessly high / The harvest in the blink of an eye / A sky full of stars" (Twilight Quatrain), or "The life of the lake - is / The life of all the lives of rain" (Lake I). He was silent. After a while, he turned and asked me what I would think of if I went to Quynh Luu. Unprepared for a proper answer, I said half-jokingly, half-seriously, "I'm thinking of raising deer for their antlers and horses to pull carts." Hearing this, he burst into laughter. But the laughter wasn't enough to disturb the surface of the lake... It seems that the images of the deer and the horse might evoke something that reminds people of a time when he was present, certainly beyond his literary works...

Text and photos:Ngo Kien